La Center Christmas Festival Tree Lighting

Tree lighting is billed as a free family event; the Santa Stride 5K and parade vehicle entries register on the festival site.

Get alerts for this listingAn email if the date, time or place changes, it’s cancelled or sells out, or registration opens. Plus a reminder the day before.

Notify me

Or get a push on your phoneSave this listing in the free app. It’ll notify you about time or place changes, cancellations, sell-outs, when registration opens, and the day before.

About this adventure

The La Center Christmas Festival fills downtown La Center from December 4 to 6, and its last day ends with the town's Christmas tree lighting. On Sunday afternoon, from noon to 5:45 pm, E. 4th Street becomes an outdoor holiday market with dozens of artisan stalls, carolers singing through the afternoon, hot cocoa, warm spiced cider and local food vendors. The countdown starts at 5 pm sharp, when the tree at the downtown plaza is lit with Santa and holiday music, and the festival describes the ceremony as a free family event. The same weekend brings a lighted Christmas parade of floats and decorated vehicles down Main Street on Saturday evening (time still to be announced), a holiday bazaar at La Center Middle School on Saturday, and the Santa Stride 5K run and walk on Sunday at 1:30 pm, where runners are encouraged to wear holiday costumes or Santa hats. All weekend, families can pick up a Winter Wonderland passport at participating downtown shops and collect stamps for a prize drawing held before the tree lighting. The festival is run by the nonprofit La Center Festivals Committee.