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Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremonies around Boston

Kids help trim the tree at the Roslindale Tree Lighting. Photo courtesy of Roslindale Village Main Street
Kids help trim the tree at the Roslindale Tree Lighting. Photo courtesy of Roslindale Village Main Street
11/14/19 - By Kelley Heyworth

Boston lights it up with dazzling Christmas tree lighting ceremonies in and around town. By late November, trees (and a trellis!) are lit in Faneuil Hall, Boston Common, and Christopher Columbus Park. The free festivities continue through early December, with decorative Christmas trees set aglow in neighborhoods throughout the city during the Mayor's Enchanted Trolley Tour. Don't forget the festive tree lighting events in the Massachusetts suburbs, from a lobster trap tree lighting in Gloucester to candlelit tree ceremonies in Sturbridge.

It's not only about flipping the switch, of course. Tree lighting ceremonies are treasured annual community celebrations with live performances, activities for kids, holiday giving, and appearances by Santa (and sometimes local celebrities). See our posts on Santa breakfasts and Polar Express train rides for more ideas for setting kids hearts aglow this holiday season.

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The Mayor rolls through 14 neighborhoods on his Enchanted Trolley Tour. Photo courtesy of City of Boston Mayor's Office/Jeremiah Robinson
The Mayor rolls through 14 neighborhoods on his Enchanted Trolley Tour. Photo courtesy of City of Boston Mayor's Office/Jeremiah Robinson

Holiday and Christmas Tree Lighting Festivities in Boston

Christopher Columbus Park Annual Trellis Lighting

November 25 - North End
Join the city of Boston to celebrate the annual lighting of the park's stunning holiday trellis, famed for its 260 feet of brilliant blue lights.  READ MORE

Macy's Christmas Tree Lighting

November 29 - Downtown Crossing
Celebrate the downtown Macy's annual tree lighting ceremony with confetti and live musical performances.  READ MORE

Annual Tree Lighting & Small Business Saturday

November 30 - Roslindale
This festive event always draws a crowd, featuring live musical performances, ornament-making, hot chocolate, and visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, who arrive on the Ladder 16 truck before the official lighting of Roslindale's holiday tree. READ MORE

Copley Square Tree Lighting

December 2 - Copley Square
The Boston Parks and Recreation Department, and The Friends of Copley Square welcome the holidays with the annual Copley Square Tree Lighting. This free event will feature appearances by Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer along with musical performances by vocalist Ackeem Hill, the Boston Children’s Chorus, the Boston Pops Esplanade Brass Ensemble, and Berklee College of Music’s own Esperanza Delgado. READ MORE

Blink! Holiday Spectacular Opening Celebration and Tree Lighting

December 3 - Faneuil Hall
The Official Blink! Tree Lighting takes place during a live broadcast on WBZ-TV/CBSBoston hosted by WBZ-TV/CBS Boston news anchors Lisa Hughes and David Wade. READ MORE

2024 Boston Common Tree Lighting

December 5- Boston Common
It's the 83rd Annual Boston Common Tree Lighting! Hosted by Mayor Michelle Wu and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, marking the 52nd year that Nova Scotia has given a tree to the people of Boston as thanks for relief efforts following the explosion of a munitions ship on December 6, 1917. READ MORE

Light Up Seaport & Holiday Stroll

December 6 - Seaport District
There's holiday tunes, a celeb appearance by Betty the Yeti, tree lighting followed by a holiday stroll throughout the neighborhood, and a grand sip and shop. Boston Seaport’s 54-foot Norway Spruce tree will be adorned with 10,000 white lights, and the tree lighting program will include performances by the Boston Children’s Chorus and other local entertainers. READ MORE

Mayor's Enchanted Trolley Tour

December 6-8 - 16 locations in Boston
For the 28th year, the Mayor's Enchanted Trolley Tour continues the festive tradition of lighting up holiday trees while bringing holiday spirit to children in 16 neighborhoods around the city. READ MORE

Beacon Hill Holiday Stroll and Tree Lighting

December 6 - Beacon Hill
Charles Street is shut down to traffic and turned into a festive winter wonderland with refreshments, live music, and horse and carriage rides. Many stores are open until 9pm and serve refreshments. READ MORE
There's a nightly tree lighting on weekends at Old Sturbridge Village.
There's a nightly tree lighting on weekends at Old Sturbridge Village.

Holiday and Christmas Tree Lighting Festivities in the Boston Suburbs

Charles Hotel Tree Lighting

November 30 - Cambridge
Families are invited to come around 4pm to have their children help decorate the trees outside the hotel.  READ MORE

Newton Holiday Lighting Ceremony

December 5 - Newton
Start the holiday season off with a cheerful evening of song, treats and fun. Sing along with the award-winning Stacey Peasley Band as they play favorite holiday songs. READ MORE

Christmas by Candlelight Sturbridge

December 6-29, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays (and Monday, Dec. 23) - Sturbridge
Christmas by Candlelight at Old Sturbridge Village is an enchanting evening filled with New England holiday traditions, Colonial music, sleigh rides, a roaring bonfire, and a nightly tree lighting.  READ MORE

Lobster Trap Christmas Tree Lighting

December 14 - Gloucester
It's a Gloucester tradition! Traps donated by a local merchant are decorated with buoys painted by local kids, and lit up in the middle of town. READ MORE

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About the Author

Kelley Heyworth
Kelley Heyworth is the regional editor for Mommy Poppins, covering Boston, Connecticut, and the rest of New England. She has covered parenting and health topics for nearly two decades, as an editor for Child Magazine and Fitness Magazines and a contributor to Parents Magazine, Mommy Nearest, and other national publications and websites. Previously, she was a writer and editor at Sports Illustrated and Philadelphia Magazines. A mom of three boys outside of Boston, Kelley also writes a blog, Happy Healthy Kids, and loves hiking, running, cooking, gardening, and spending time at beaches in Nantucket, Connecticut, and New Jersey with family and friends.
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Read more articles by Kelley Heyworth.