Long Beach Floating Christmas Trees
Long Beach, CA
Sixteen-foot lighted wooden trees float across Long Beach waterways — Alamitos Bay, Colorado Lagoon, El Dorado Park lakes — a beloved 75+ year tradition started by one man and a raft in 1949.
Sixteen-foot lighted wooden trees float across Long Beach waterways — Alamitos Bay, Colorado Lagoon, El Dorado Park lakes — a beloved 75+ year tradition started by one man and a raft in 1949.
Long Beach’s Floating Christmas Trees are one of the city’s most enduring and unique holiday traditions. The pyramid-shaped 16-foot wooden trees — wrapped in lights and mounted on 8-by-8-foot floating bases — light up across multiple Long Beach waterways from late November through New Year’s.
The tradition began in 1949 when a Belmont Shore restaurateur named Don May floated a single Christmas tree on a raft into Alamitos Bay.
Today dozens of these floating trees illuminate spots including Alamitos Bay, Colorado Lagoon, Rainbow Harbor, Spinnaker Bay, El Dorado Park lakes, Heartwell Park, and Scherer Park — a constellation of glowing trees that turn the waterways into a holiday tour. Recent years have added solar-powered trees at Colorado Lagoon as the tradition continues to modernize. Confirm current tree locations at the Visit Long Beach holiday guide.
Dozens of trees float across multiple Long Beach waterways: Alamitos Bay, Colorado Lagoon, Rainbow Harbor, Spinnaker Bay, El Dorado Park lakes, Heartwell Park, and Scherer Park. Drive or walk between locations for a full tour.
Yes — all the trees are visible from public shorelines, parks, and bridges, and viewing is completely free. Street parking around most locations is also free.
The trees are typically lit from late November through early January, every evening. They’re at their best after full dark.
Since 1949 — more than 75 years. It began when a Belmont Shore restaurateur, Don May, floated a single Christmas tree on a raft into Alamitos Bay. The tradition has grown into more than 60 trees across the city.
Alamitos Bay near Marine Stadium and the Colorado Lagoon are favorites — plenty of room to set up, easy parking, and beautiful reflections of the trees on the water at dusk. Heartwell Park is another great quiet option.
Rainbow Harbor sits at the heart of downtown Long Beach’s waterfront, framed by Shoreline Village to the east and the Aquarium of the Pacific to the west. The harbor anchors a stretch of waterfront redeveloped beginning in the 1970s, with Shoreline Village and the surrounding marina opening in 1982 and the Rainbow Harbor Esplanade completed in 1999. Its 87 slips and broad public walkways host harbor cruises, whale-watching boats, and seasonal community gatherings on the water.
Southern California’s second-largest holiday parade — 100+ entries, floats, drill teams, bands, and an estimated 30,000 spectators packing Second Street through Belmont Shore on an early-December Saturday evening.
Brian J. Cook
Decorated boats and watercraft drift through the romantic Naples Island canals on a single magical December night — one of Long Beach’s oldest, most charming holiday traditions, free from the bridges.
Brian J. Cook
Seal Beach’s Old Town turns out for the Seal Beach Christmas Parade — marching bands, floats, classic cars, and Santa on a free three-block stroll down historic Main Street.
Brian J. Cook
Seal Beach’s official tree lighting at Eisenhower Park at the base of the Seal Beach Pier — sledding for children, kids’ craft area, Santa, cocoa and carolers.
Brian J. Cook
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.
Check Availability
Have a date in mind? Tell us when and where, and we’ll let you know whether Santa is open. House of Kringle brings a real-bearded Santa Claus to Live Visits and Group Experiences across Southern California, and December fills quickly, so the sooner you check, the better your odds of locking in your first choice.
This is a quick availability check, not a booking. Nothing is reserved and nothing is owed until we’ve confirmed your date and you’ve placed your retainer.