Event · Community
2026 National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
- When
- Thu, Dec 3Thu Dec 3, 2026 (time not yet announced); ticket lottery Oct 28, 10:00 AM ET - Nov 4, 3:00 PM ET; winners notified Nov 12
- Where
- The Ellipse, President's ParkThe Ellipse, south of the White House, Washington, DCOpen in Google Maps ↗
- Ages
- Check age guidance
- Cost
- Free tickets by lottery (no charge to enter the lottery or receive tickets)
- Organizer
- National Park Service - President's Park (White House)
The 2026 National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place on Thursday, December 3, 2026, on the Ellipse south of the White House. The tradition began on Christmas Eve in 1923, when President Calvin Coolidge lit a 48-foot balsam fir from Vermont. Seats at the ceremony are given out by a free ticket lottery on Recreation.gov: it opens at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, October 28 and closes at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 4. Winners are notified on Thursday, November 12 and may receive up to five tickets; entering does not guarantee tickets, and tickets may not be sold or transferred for commercial gain. There is no charge to enter or to receive tickets. The National Park Service has not yet posted the ceremony time or details for visiting the tree site and says more information is forthcoming.
Visit the official site ↗Published details checked online. Contact responsiveness and live booking availability have not been confirmed.
No public phone or email was found. Use the organizer’s official page or booking link.
What was checked & what still needs confirmation
NPS page opened (last updated Oct 19, 2026). The Recreation.gov lottery link on the page is wrapped in a tracking redirect, so registrationUrl is left empty; search 'National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony' on Recreation.gov. Ceremony time not published.
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