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Christmas in Washington DC 2026 — the National Christmas Tree glowing on the Ellipse near the White House, with smaller state trees around it

Christmas in Washington DC 2026: National Tree, Markets, ZooLights & Free Museums

Washington at Christmas is the rare American holiday city where the best things are free. The National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse, the DowntownDC Holiday Market, the light-art trail through Georgetown, the U.S. Botanic Garden’s holiday trains and the Smithsonian museums themselves all cost nothing to enter. The ticketed spectacles — ZooLights at the National […]

Christmas tree lighting ceremonies 2026 — a giant tree switches on in a city plaza as the crowd cheers

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremonies 2026: Dates for Rockefeller, DC, Chicago & More

There is a particular kind of hush that falls over a crowd in the seconds before a great Christmas tree lights up. Thousands of people count down together, the switch is thrown, and a dark plaza suddenly glows. In 2026, that moment plays out in city squares across the United States — and in London […]