Christmas Tree Lightings 2026: Dates and Times in NYC, DC, Boston and More

The National Christmas Tree lighting is Thursday, Dec. 3, 2026, on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., according to the National Park Service (NPS), and Boston Common lights its tree the same day from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., according to boston.gov. Rockefeller Center’s lighting is reported for Wednesday, Dec. 2, by amNY and NY1.

This story puts the confirmed dates in one table, shows how to attend each in person, and lists the cities that have not posted a 2026 date. For the lottery behind the Washington ticket, see our National Christmas Tree lighting story. The rest of the season is on the December 2026 printable calendar.

Which 2026 Christmas tree lighting dates are confirmed?

City and tree	Date	Local time	Cost and tickets	How to see it in person	Source
New York, Rockefeller Center (reported)	Wed., Dec. 2	Broadcast time not announced	Not stated in our sources	Not stated in our sources	amNY, NY1 (Oct. 26, 2026)
Washington, D.C., National Christmas Tree	Thu., Dec. 3	Start time not announced	Free; no charge to enter the lottery or receive tickets	Lottery on Recreation.gov closes 3 p.m. ET Wed., Nov. 4; winners notified Thu., Nov. 12	NPS (Oct. 19, 2026)
Boston Common	Thu., Dec. 3	6 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET	Free	Free event at 139 Tremont Street	City of Boston
Boston, Copley Square	Mon., Nov. 30	5 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET	Free	Free event at 560 Boylston Street	City of Boston
Los Angeles, The Grove	Mon., Nov. 16	Not posted	Ticket terms not posted	Hosted by Lance Bass; terms not posted	The Grove
Washington, D.C., U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree	Date to be announced	Lit each evening from dusk until 11 p.m.	Free, no ticket required	West Front Lawn, through early January 2027	Architect of the Capitol (Nov. 2, 2026)

Weekdays are our computation from the dates in each source.

When is the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting in 2026?

The official Rockefeller Center site was not readable when we checked, so this date rests on two newsrooms. amNY and NY1 both reported on Oct. 26, 2026 that the lighting is on Wednesday, Dec. 2, during NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center.” NY1 quotes the line “The tree lighting ceremony will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 2.”

Both say the tree is a Norway spruce from West Edmeston, New York. amNY gives its height as 76 feet. The 2026 broadcast time is not yet announced. Our NYC holiday calendar tracks the rest of the New York season.

How do you get tickets to the National Christmas Tree lighting?

The NPS says the ceremony takes place Dec. 3 on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. Tickets come from a lottery on Recreation.gov that opened at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 28 and closes at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. There is no charge to enter or to receive tickets, and each winner can get up to five. Winners are notified Thursday, Nov. 12.

The NPS release does not give a start time, and we found none elsewhere. The National Park Foundation’s thenationaltree.org says the ceremony premieres nationwide on Saturday, Dec. 5 on the foundation’s YouTube channel, and that the grounds are open to the public from Dec. 7, 2026 through Jan. 1, 2027.

When is the Boston Common tree lighting in 2026?

The City of Boston lists the Boston Common Tree Lighting for Dec. 3, 2026, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at 139 Tremont Street, and calls it free. The 2026 TV broadcast, tree donor and tree arrival are not yet announced.

For comparison, in 2025 the Parks Department said the lighting was Thursday, Dec. 4, 6 to 8 p.m., with a Channel 5 broadcast from 7 p.m. Treat that as last year’s schedule until the city posts a 2026 broadcast.

Copley Square has its own event on Monday, Nov. 30, 2026, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 560 Boylston Street, also free.

When is the Capitol Christmas Tree lighting in 2026?

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) has not announced the lighting date. It says the tree, a 76-foot Engelmann spruce from the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests in Idaho, arrives Friday, Nov. 20 at 10 a.m. The lighting ceremony is on the West Front Lawn. After it, the tree is lit each evening from dusk until 11 p.m. through early January 2027, and visiting is free with no ticket. The cross-country trip is in our Capitol Christmas Tree tour story.

What is the date of The Grove tree lighting in Los Angeles?

The Grove’s site lists its Tree Lighting Celebration for Nov. 16, 2026, hosted by Lance Bass, as part of the 25th annual Christmas at The Grove. The time and ticket terms are not posted.

Which cities have not announced a 2026 tree lighting date?

We found no official 2026 date for these trees, so none is printed. Check the venue or city site.

City and tree	2026 date	Where it will be posted
Chicago, Millennium Park	Not yet announced	City of Chicago official site
Philadelphia, City Hall	Not yet announced	City of Philadelphia official site
San Francisco, Union Square	Not yet announced	Union Square Alliance or city official site
Detroit, Campus Martius	Not yet announced	Campus Martius Park or city official site
Seattle, Westlake	Not yet announced	Westlake or city official site
Atlanta, Centennial Olympic Park	Not yet announced	Centennial Olympic Park official site
Dallas, Klyde Warren Park	Not yet announced	Klyde Warren Park official site
Houston, City Hall	Not yet announced	City of Houston official site

Which tree lighting dates fit the 2026 calendar?

Mark Wednesday, Nov. 4 for the National tree lottery, Monday, Nov. 30 for Copley Square, and Wednesday, Dec. 2 and Thursday, Dec. 3 for the big lightings on the November 2026 and December calendars. The printable checklist has the dates and blank lines for the cities still to announce. Christmas itself is on our When is Christmas Day? page.