The Columbia Association and Inner Arbor Trust have filed a lawsuit in Howard County Circuit Court in an attempt to halt this year’s annual Symphony of Lights drive-thru event in Columbia.

The lights tour during the holiday season draws thousands of people to Columbia each December.

The suit, filed June 12, names the Downtown Columbia Arts and Culture Commission and It’s My Amphitheater Inc. as defendants.

The crux of the complaint involves Columbia Association-owned easements rights for the property surrounding Merriweather Post Pavilion, called Symphony Woods.

The nonprofit Inner Arbor Trust programs community events on the property, while Merriweather Post Pavilion is owned by the county arts commission and leased and operated by events company It’s My Amphitheater.

There are various easement agreements between the entities to provide parking and access rights to visitors.

The lawsuit alleges the operation of the Symphony of Lights in 2019 violated those agreements and requests an injunction to prevent the event from occurring this year.

The CA alleges access to Symphony Woods was blocked by the arts commission and It’s My Amphitheater in 2019 when they put on the Symphony of Lights drive-thru parade unauthorized.

The Symphony of Lights has taken place in some form in Columbia since1993 and had a charitable component benefiting Howard County General Hospital for