Thanksgiving is a week away, and the holiday season is just around the corner. Everyone has their own pace for making that transition, but nothing marks it quite as definitively as holiday tree lighting ceremonies. Thankfully, Washington, D.C., has a number of different lighting ceremonies at varying dates and times, so no matter when, there is bound to be one right for you! To make the decisions a bit easier, Secret D.C. has rounded up three of the best D.C.-area holiday tree lighting ceremonies and festivities you don’t want to miss (in order by date!):
National Harbor Holiday Tree Lighting
National Harbor kicked off the holiday spirit on Tuesday, Nov. 15, lighting its Christmas tree to kick off its Holidays at the Harbor series. It was the inaugural lighting for National Harbor’s new 60-ft. RGB tree, which now will illuminate the evening skies each night through Saturday, Dec. 31—every 30 minutes from sunset to 9 p.m.—alongside the sounds of a “holiday medley performed by the United States Air Force Band.” Read more here!
CityCenterDC’s Holiday Tree Lighting
The holiday season is descending upon the District—and CityCenterDC is helping kick it off with its ninth annual Holiday Tree Lighting on Saturday, Nov. 26! Days after Thanksgiving, as Washingtonians begin to swap out their autumn ornamentation for winter decorations, CityCenterDC will be helping the transition as it alights its 75-ft. tree, complete with more than 150,000 lights and 4,500 ornaments. It will stop you in your tracks! Read more here!
100th Annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
Washingtonians, mark your calendars! The 100th Annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is taking place Wednesday, Nov. 30 the Ellipse in President’s Park. Just less than a week after Thanksgiving, the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will help Washingtonians and visitors alike kick off the holiday season. The first National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony took place in 1923 under President Calvin Coolidge. To celebrate its historic 100-year milestone, the National Park Service and National Park Foundation are promising a one-of-a-kind “star-studded” event! Read more here!