Downtown Long Beach Tree Lighting
Long Beach, CA
Downtown Long Beach’s official tree lighting at the Terrace Theater Plaza — a 67-foot tree, half a million lights, and a family evening built around the city’s biggest civic holiday moment.
Downtown Long Beach’s official tree lighting at the Terrace Theater Plaza — a 67-foot tree, half a million lights, and a family evening built around the city’s biggest civic holiday moment.
The Downtown Long Beach Christmas Tree Lighting is the city’s official civic tree lighting and the centerpiece holiday evening downtown each early December. The event runs at the Terrace Theater Plaza beside the Long Beach Convention Center, with a 67-foot Christmas tree wrapped in roughly half a million lights as the visual anchor of the night.
The live entertainment, ceremony, and tree lighting fill the early evening. The Long Beach Ballet performs an excerpt of The Nutcracker, the program features live music throughout, and the ceremony includes photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, a children’s train ride, selfie stations, fireworks, and falling snow.
The event is free with an RSVP, and guests are encouraged to bring a new unwrapped toy for the Spark of Love Toy Drive that benefits families in need across the city. For families in Downtown, Bixby Knolls, Belmont Shore, and across the broader Long Beach area, this is the season’s official kickoff — the night the city’s holiday calendar formally begins.
At the Terrace Theater Plaza, 300 E Ocean Blvd in Downtown Long Beach — the open plaza beside the Long Beach Convention Center, between Ocean Boulevard and Shoreline Drive.
Doors open at 5:00 PM, live entertainment starts at 5:15 PM, the ceremony lights the tree at 6:15 PM, and the event wraps at 8:00 PM.
Yes — the event is free but requires an RSVP. Reserve through the Downtown Long Beach Alliance event page; entry is gated on the reservation.
The Long Beach Convention Center structures (Pine Avenue Garage and the Convention Center Garage) are the closest paid options. Street parking along Ocean Boulevard and surrounding downtown blocks fills quickly; arrive early or take the Passport bus.
Yes — the Metro A Line stops at Downtown Long Beach station, about a 10-minute walk north up Pine Avenue. The Long Beach Transit Passport bus also threads downtown and is free in the Downtown Long Beach district. Between the A Line and the Passport, transit is a real way to skip the Convention Center parking crunch.
The Terrace Theater Plaza is the open civic plaza beside the Long Beach Convention Center, between Ocean Boulevard and Shoreline Drive at the heart of Downtown Long Beach. Built as part of the Convention Center complex, the plaza serves as the city’s main waterfront-adjacent gathering space — the Long Beach Performing Arts Center and the Aquarium of the Pacific sit a short walk south, and the Metro A Line’s Downtown Long Beach station is a few blocks north along Pine Avenue.
Southern California’s holiday lights and festive outings are pure magic — but nothing compares to Santa Claus himself stepping through your own front door. House of Kringle brings a real-bearded, professionally trained Santa to homes and gatherings across SoCal for an intimate live visit your family will treasure for years.