Marin County Town Tree Lighting Ceremonies
Countywide (Sausalito, San Rafael, Novato, San Anselmo, Mill Valley, Tiburon, West Marin) · Holiday / Community / Winter
Marin County Town Tree Lighting Ceremonies — A Complete Guide to Every Community's Most Beloved Holiday Tradition
There is something irreplaceable about a small-town tree lighting ceremony. Not the push of a button in a stadium surrounded by strangers, but the gathering of actual neighbors — the families who live on your street, the shop owners who know your name, the kids from your child's classroom — all standing together in the cold December air, counting down to the moment when a single tree erupts in light and the holiday season officially, joyfully begins. Marin County does this better than almost anywhere in the Bay Area. From Sausalito's waterfront to San Anselmo's Imagination Park to the illuminated Frank Lloyd Wright archways of the Civic Center, every corner of the county has its own version of this tradition — and each one is worth knowing about.
Here is your complete guide to every town tree lighting ceremony and major holiday light celebration across Marin County.
SAUSALITO — Vina del Mar Park Tree Lighting
The beloved Sausalito Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony returns each year to Vina del Mar Park with music, community performances, and a visit from Santa — one of the most scenically spectacular tree lightings in all of Marin County, set against the waterfront and the glittering lights of the Sausalito marina. Set against the waterfront, Sausalito's annual tree lighting brings live music, community performances, and plenty of small-town charm — an easy evening out and a quintessential way to kick off December. The combination of the village atmosphere, the bay backdrop, and the intimate community scale makes this one of the most genuinely moving tree lighting moments in the county.
Vina del Mar Park, Bridgeway, Sausalito · Annual event in early December · Free
SAN RAFAEL — Holiday of Lights & Winter Wonderland Tree Lighting
Downtown San Rafael's annual tree lighting is the largest and most fully programmed holiday event in the county. A festive community gathering featuring the annual holiday tree lighting, warm drinks, twinkling lights, and joyful entertainment for all ages — bundle up and bring your holiday spirit for an evening of cheer, music, and surprises under the stars. A makers marketplace, human snow globe, ornament craft table, live music, food trucks, jump houses, juggler, toy drive, and sweets galore surround the centerpiece tree lighting at City Plaza at Court Street at 5:30 PM, with the added delight of a downtown-wide elf hunt in festive storefronts and an annual window decorating contest that turns Fourth Street into its own holiday gallery.
City Plaza, Court Street at Fourth Street, Downtown San Rafael · Shop Small Saturday, late November · Free
NOVATO — Downtown Tree Lighting Festival
Downtown Novato lights up with its annual tree lighting ceremony, complete with music, treats, and festive activities for families — a great community gathering and a quick, easy event to drop into. The annual Novato Tree Lighting Festival illuminates downtown Novato starting at 4 PM on Sherman Avenue — a festive evening featuring live music, community dance performances, and children's activities including art and crafts and cookie decorating, with vendor booths lining Grant Avenue and local shops, restaurants, tasting rooms, and tap rooms all joining the celebration. The arrival of Santa at 5 PM on the Novato Fire Department's ladder truck — immediately followed by the great bouncy ball drop from 40 feet in the air — makes this one of the most genuinely unforgettable children's holiday moments in Marin County.
Sherman Avenue at Grant Avenue, Downtown Novato · First Saturday of December · Free
SAN ANSELMO — Imagination Park Tree Lighting
The San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Town of San Anselmo, hosts the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony at Imagination Park — an evening filled with holiday lights, festive music, cocoa and cookies, train rides, and photos with Santa. For the third year running, an electric trackless train adorned with festive lights takes people on free rides up and down the Avenue from 4:00 to 7:30 PM — a detail so charming it alone justifies the trip to San Anselmo on a December evening. With its charming downtown backdrop, San Anselmo's tree lighting includes carols, local performances, and community warmth — Imagination Park is a beautiful setting for this classic seasonal celebration.
Imagination Park, San Anselmo Avenue, San Anselmo · First Saturday of December, 5:00–8:00 PM · Free
MILL VALLEY — Winterfest Tree Lighting
One of Mill Valley's signature holiday events, Winterfest brings children's activities, live music, food vendors, and the town's annual tree lighting — lively, community-driven, and a perfect afternoon for families. Held in early December in the heart of downtown Mill Valley, Winterfest transforms Throckmorton Avenue and Lytton Square into the county's coziest holiday gathering — a town that already feels like a holiday village by December, made even more so by the warmth of its community coming together beneath the redwoods for the season's most beloved evening tradition.
Downtown Mill Valley / Lytton Square · First Sunday of December · Free
TIBURON — Downtown Holiday Celebration
Join friends and neighbors and experience the ultimate holiday celebration in downtown Tiburon — a waterfront village that comes alive in December with the warmth and intimacy that only a small, close-knit community can produce. Tiburon's Main Street transforms for the occasion into a festive promenade, with local shops offering seasonal specials, restaurants filling with holiday diners, and the town's annual celebration gathering the peninsula community in the most welcoming possible setting.
Downtown Tiburon, Main Street · Annual event in early December · Free
SAN RAFAEL — Marin County Civic Center Holiday Light Spectacular
The newest and most spectacular addition to Marin County's holiday light calendar deserves its own entry. The Marin Holiday Light Spectacular at the Marin County Civic Center and Fairgrounds runs nightly from Thanksgiving through January 4th — a free event where visitors step into a dazzling world of lights, color, and joy for an unforgettable evening filled with glowing displays, festive music, and heartwarming traditions. Wander through brilliantly lit paths, explore light sculptures, fields of creativity, and an immersive light tunnel — and marvel at the holiday lights by driving through the brilliantly lit archways of the historic Marin County Civic Center building designed by the famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Nightly from 4:00–9:00 PM at the Marin Center Fairgrounds, the event features thousands of sparkling holiday lights, picture-perfect photo opportunities, a vintage fire truck, hands-on holiday craft making, seasonal treats and hot beverages, and the Marin County Sheriff Toy Drive and Food Drive. Additional weekly events include outdoor movie nights at the Showcase Theater, nature-themed jar lantern making with Marin County Parks, ugly sweater nights, and hands-on art workshops presented by the Marin Cultural Association.
Completely free for the whole family — and for the Marin community, driving through those illuminated Frank Lloyd Wright arches on the way to the fairgrounds has already become one of the most distinctive and beloved new holiday rituals in the county.
Marin Center Fairgrounds, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael · Thanksgiving through January 4th · 4:00–9:00 PM nightly · Free · No reservation required
WEST MARIN — Chabad of West Marin Chanukah Festival
The annual Chanukah Festival with Chabad of West Marin brings the light of the season to the Point Reyes and West Marin community — a warm, inclusive, and joyfully celebrated gathering that honors the Festival of Lights in the most appropriate possible setting: the wild, luminous landscape of western Marin County, where the sky on a clear December night is a light show unto itself.
The Gift of Marin December
What makes the collective tapestry of Marin County's tree lighting ceremonies and holiday celebrations so special is what it reveals about the county itself — distinct communities, each with its own character, its own gathering place, and its own version of the most universal December tradition. From Sausalito's waterfront to Novato's bouncy ball drop, from San Anselmo's trackless train to the Frank Lloyd Wright arches glowing gold in the San Rafael night, these ceremonies are Marin County's annual gift to itself: a reminder, once a year, that the most important thing about living somewhere is the people you share it with.
visitmarin.org · marinmommies.com/marin-and-bay-area-holiday-tree-and-menorah-lighting-events
All tree lighting ceremonies are free to attend · Check individual town websites and the Marin Mommies holiday guide for exact annual dates, which typically fall in early December
Pro Tip: Build your own Marin County tree lighting tour across the first two weekends of December — San Anselmo and Novato both typically fall on the first Saturday, Sausalito on the first Wednesday or weekend, and Mill Valley's Winterfest on the first Sunday. The Marin County Civic Center Holiday Light Spectacular runs every evening from Thanksgiving through January 4th, making it the perfect addition to any December evening no matter which town you start in. Arrive at the Civic Center after dark, drive through the illuminated Frank Lloyd Wright arches first, and let the rest of the evening unfold from there.