The Boston Parks and Recreation Department and the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park will host the 24th annual holiday lighting of the signature trellis at Christopher Columbus Park in the North End.

Boston’s historic waterfront, will be transformed into a beautiful holiday display when the park’s 260 feet of trellis are illuminated with lights near the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel and throughout the park. 

Other festive activities include: 

• Musical performances
• Special guest appearance from Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. 
• Eggnog from H.P. Hood
• Hot chocolate and cookies from the Boston Marriott Long Wharf
• Clam Chowder courtesy of Joes Waterfront

The celebration is sponsored by H.P. Hood LLC and the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park.  Additional support is provided by Meet Boston.

Visit the Parks events page or call (617) 635-4505 for more information.

Mayor Michelle Wu, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, and The Province of Nova Scotia will host Boston’s signature holiday celebration, the 84th annual Boston Common Tree Lighting, on Thursday, December 3, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Boston Common, adjacent to the Visitor’s Information Center at 139 Tremont Street. Mayor Wu will be joined by Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, marking the 55th year that Nova Scotia has given a tree to the people of Boston as thanks for relief efforts following the December 6, 1917 explosion of a munitions ship in Halifax Harbor. Within 24 hours of the disaster, a train loaded with supplies and emergency personnel traveled from Boston to Nova Scotia to aid in recovery efforts.

At approximately 8:15 p.m., immediately following the celebration on the Boston Common, Mayor Wu will join the Friends of the Public Garden and the Committee to Light Commonwealth Avenue Mall to flip the switch to light up Commonwealth Avenue Mall in the Back Bay. The lights on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall will be lit from Arlington Street to Charlesgate.

Please call (617) 635-4505 or visit boston.gov/boston-common-tree-lighting for more information about the festivities. To stay up to date with news, events, and improvements in Boston parks visit boston.gov/parks, call 617-635-4505, join our email list, and follow our social channels @bostonparksdept on Facebook, Instagram, and @parks.boston.gov on Bluesky.

The City of Boston and the Friends of the Public Garden to light the trees on the Mall on December 3, at 8 p.m., immediately following the Boston Common Tree Lighting. 

The Friends of the Public Garden are proud to take on this special holiday display and excited to work with our community to increase support for the Mall.

For decades, the iconic holiday light display along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall was the work of the all-volunteer Committee to Light the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. These neighborhood leaders banded together and created a beloved Boston tradition. In 2022, the Committee joined with the Friends of the Public Garden, creating a new Commonwealth Avenue Mall Enhancement Committee to work with the Friends staff to raise the funds necessary to make this annual light display possible and to support the ongoing care of the park. Join us on the Mall as we turn on the lights.