Starting the Season Right in Downtown Napa

Christmas Tree Lighting | Downtown Napa | Wed., Nov. 23 at 6 p.m.

Christmas Parade | Sat., Dec. 10 at 5 p.m.

Christmas is just around the corner, and so is the annual Napa Christmas Tree Lighting, the Christmas Parade (now being held on a new Saturday,) and the brand-new Downtown Napa Wonderland of Trees. Make sure all three are on your calendar!

The Christmas celebrations begin with the annual Christmas Tree Lighting in Veterans Park in Downtown Napa on Wednesday, November 23 at 6 p.m. Mayor Scott Sedgley will lead the community in lighting the tree. The Boy Scouts will be on-hand giving out free cookies courtesy of Toni Chiapetta, owner of Sweetie Pies, who has been making and donating cookies for years. Hot chocolate will be provided by Downtown Joes, as they have since the tree lighting in Veterans Park began. Entertainment will include the Tap Dancing Christmas Trees, a long-time Napa favorite. Local children’s groups will dance and sing as well!

For the first time in at least thirty years, the annual Christmas parade will NOT take place the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but will instead begin at 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 10. The reason for the change primarily has to do with safety. “Since we made it a nighttime parade seventeen years ago, a lot more people attend,” said Connie Anderson, publisher of the Napa Valley Marketplace Magazine and president of the Downtown Napa Association, which has been organizing the parade for twenty-six years. “The City provides the volunteers necessary to make the event safe, and as the parade gets bigger, so does the need for volunteers. Thanksgiving weekend is a tough time to find enough people.”

New this year will be the Downtown Napa Wonderland of Trees, featuring dozens of creatively decorated trees in downtown businesses. For a map of tree locations plus details about the Tree Lighting and Christmas Parade, visit DoNapa.com or call 707-257-0322. Happy Holidays!