Christmas tree lighting ceremony kicks off holiday spirit in Old Sacramento
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Crowds gathered for the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Old Sacramento.
- The ceremony kicked off this year’s Theatre of Lights performance.
- The family-friendly light show is free each weekend during the holiday season.
Marybelle Pe held her 3-year-old son, C.J., on her shoulders to give the boy a good view Wednesday evening as organizers flicked on the sparkling holiday lights of the 60-foot Christmas tree at the Old Sacramento Waterfront.
“We’ve been coming for the past couple of years,” Pe said while standing on K Street. “We bring the kids to see all the Christmas lights and start the holiday celebrations.”
Throngs of people gathered at the intersection of K and Front streets to celebrate the lighting of the Christmas tree, a 12,000-pound tapered white fir from Shasta County. The tree arrived and was installed in its usual spot earlier this month.
The Tree Lighting Ceremony kicked off the 17th annual Theatre of Lights Wednesday in historic Old Sacramento. The free and family-friendly event features a performance retelling “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
The holiday performance, conceived and created by Stage Nine Exhibitions’ Troy Carlson, is done in a Sacramento way with a light show on the facades of the historic buildings.
Pe and her family, who live in West Sacramento, attend the annual event on the night before Thanksgiving mainly to participate in the countdown to the Christmas tree lighting and watch the Theatre of Lights performance.
After, Pe said they were walking down to the movie theater at Sacramento’s Downtown Commons and watch “Zootopia 2,” the highly-anticipated sequel to the animated movie.
“It’s a family events kind of day,” Pe said.
There are more opportunities to catch the Theatre of Lights performance, which is produced by Downtown Sacramento Partnership. The shows are on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays this holiday season. The scheduled start times for the weekend light shows are available on the Old Sacramento Waterfront website.
The performance features an immersive retelling of Moore’s 1823 poem — “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” more popularly known as “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” It begins with stories about Sacramento pioneers, including James McClatchy who founded what would soon become known as The Sacramento Bee during the California Gold Rush in 1857.
The light show tells the stories of the then new city of Sacramento in the 1850s. The sounds of the fires, floods and parties surround the audience as the 150-year-old building facades light up with color.
Organizers say the highlight of the 20-minute performance is a live dramatization on the balconies above K Street with a special appearance by Jack Frost.
This story was originally published November 26, 2025 at 9:15 PM.
