Come for the live band rocking out holiday favorites and stay for a magical community celebration of the season. The annual Edmonds Tree Lighting Ceremony, produced by the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce and presented again this year by Comstock Jewelers, will take place at Centennial Plaza in downtown Edmonds Saturday, Nov. 30.

The ceremony will be emceed by Richard Taylor Jr. and will feature live music and performances from All The Other Reindeer, North Sound Singers, the Academy of Music and Dance Star Performance Troupe, and the Maplewood Middle School Jazz Band. There will be vendors selling treats, a visit from Santa and Emily the Elf; and of course, the ceremonial lighting of the tree.

ADA seating will be available in front of the stage with signage, allowing space for wheelchair access and viewing along with chairs. 

Here is the chamber’s guide to the event:

Time: The event officially runs from 2-5 p.m., but the chamber encourages folks to make a day of it in downtown Edmonds. It is Shop Small Saturday, after all, so fuel up on brunch and browse the many retailers who have curated excellent gift options for your holiday giving before gathering with your friends and neighbors at the event.

Event schedule: 

2-4:30 p.m. – Vendors selling holiday treats, free warm drinks and kids crafts activities, and donation drives on 5th Avenue North

3 p.m. Santa arrives for selfies!

4:30 p.m. – Program begins, followed by Santa’s visit and countdown to the tree lighting

5p.m. – Program ends

5-7 p.m. – The Masonic Center at the Old Opera House (515 Dayton St.) hosts an “after party” with more treats, holiday movies and activities, and free photos with Santa.

Location: Centennial Plaza on 5th and Bell. See the map below for street closure information.

Vendors selling treats:

• Zuri’s Gourmet Donutz
• Browned & Toasted
• Wobbly Bits Baking

Free hot beverages and kids crafts provided by:

• Edmonds Chamber Foundation
• Spark! Creativity
• Workhorse Coworking
• Best Western Edmonds Harbor Inn

Donation drives: Nonprofit organizations will be present collecting items and cash donations for the populations they serve. Bring new items and cash to support your community.

Edmonds Food Bank requests: 

• Pet food
• Aluminum pans
• Fresh fruits and vegetables, especially: plantains, sweet potatoes, cabbage, squash
• Whole turkeys, whole chicken, ham
• Canned and shelf-stable food items: Holiday must-haves like cranberry, pumpkin, stuffing, green beans, hot chocolate
• Volunteer hours – speak with a food bank rep to sign up

Clothes For Kids requests new or gently used clothing donations for school-aged children, and their greatest needs are as follows:

• Socks
• Underwear – all sizes (but especially youth large and adult/teen)

Letters to Santa: While you’re at the event, you can drop off your letters to Santa in the big, red, seasonal mailbox at the Log Cabin Visitor’s Center at 5th Avenue North and Bell Street. Every year, a team of dedicated volunteer elves assist Santa in responding to the thousands of letters from our community’s youth. The chamber sincerely appreciates community donations of any amount toward this program, because even Santa has to pay for stamps, paper, ink and stickers. Donate here to ensure each kiddo receives a response, and this special tradition can continue: edmondschamber.com/events/letters-to-santa-program

Important notes for Letter to Santa participation:

• The deadline to drop off a letter and receive a response is Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024
• Your return address must be legible on the child’s letter to receive a response.
• The child’s name needs to be clearly printed or it will be addressed to “my dear friend.”
• Return times may vary — even by household. The volunteer elves try to respond in the order they come in, but the elves work at different paces as their own lives allow.
• To get a child’s original letter returned to you: include a PLAIN self-addressed stamped envelope. 
• Please note: The elves never address a child’s gift request. 
• Each elf creates a few original story templates for reply letters to get through the thousands received. For more personalized responses, kiddos can ask questions, or a caregiver can sneak in a note about what the child has done that year to give us something to work with.
• Please be patient and practice kindness: this is run entirely by volunteers who put their love and free time into making it happen. They do not get paid and do it for the love of Christmas and delight.
• The elves love seeing reaction photos/videos! When they are hundreds of letters deep it helps keep the magic alive for them too! These can posted on social media (please tag @edmondschamber) or sent to alicia@edmondschamber.com
• This is the only Santa mailbox run by the chamber. There may be others around town, but they are not associated with the chamber.

The Edmonds Chamber wants to thank event sponsors for making this event possible: Comstock Jewelers (presenting sponsor), BMW, Best Western Edmonds Harbor Inn, Hazel Miller Foundation, Workhorse Coworking, Edmonds Village Senior Living, Edmonds Yacht Club, The Trike Stop, North Sound Media. We also want to thank the City of Edmonds Parks and Recreation Department for stringing the thousands of lights on the Centennial Plaza tree and around downtown and assisting with the lighting of the tree for the event.