The national Christmas Tree in 2012. Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock.
The National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony is scheduled to begin Thursday at 4:30
PM on the Ellipse. It will conclude at approximately 6 PM. Be advised that with an
assortment of road closures in the vicinity this event always causes epic capital
gridlock (not the political kind, the traffic kind). The two key routes that are closed
are 15th Street and 17th Street, beginning at 4:15.
Here’s what else you may want to know about the National Tree Lighting:
This is the ceremony’s 90th year.
Traditionally the tree is lit by members of the First Family. We asked the White
House Visitors Center whether the device used is a switch or a button and were told,
like out of a script for Homeland, “that information is not given out because the lines might be sabotaged.”
You need a ticket to attend the ceremony. The 3,000 seated and 14,000 standing room
tickets were issued by lottery and none remain. The ceremony will be broadcast on
WETA and streamed online. Note: Unless
they take Metro, these people also add to the gridlock, because their tickets do not
include parking.
Performers at the ceremony include James Taylor, The Fray, Jason Mraz, Kenny “Babyface”
Edmonds, Ledisi, Colbie Caillat, Rico Rodriguez, Phillip Phillips, Evan Shinners, and
the US Navy Band Commodores. The host is Neil Patrick Harris.
The tree and the “Pageant of Peace” will not open to the public until December 11
at 10 AM. It will be open throughout the holiday season, with visits from Santa Claus
and performances by choirs and dancers.
The tree is new but it’s not the tree that replaced the one that got knocked over
in high winds in February 2011. The first replacement tree died after a year from
so-called “transplant shock.” This new tree, a 28-foot-tall Colorado blue spruce,
was planted in October.
The national tree is surrounded by 56 smaller trees that represent all the US states, territories and DC. Each tree has unique ornaments. The DC ornaments have
a “mixed media dragon” theme created by the Youth Arts Program of the Capitol Hill
Arts Workshop. For the Maryland tree, students at Edgewater’s Central Middle School
highlighted “creatures from the Chesapeake” with fish, turtles, jellyfish, and crabs.
Colonial crafts are the theme of the ornaments for the Virginia tree, which were made
by the 5th grade students at James Monroe Elementary School in Norfolk.
What You Need to Know About Thursday’s National Christmas Tree Lighting
First of all, get ready for some gridlock.
The National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony is scheduled to begin Thursday at 4:30
PM on the Ellipse. It will conclude at approximately 6 PM. Be advised that with an
assortment of road closures in the vicinity this event always causes epic capital
gridlock (not the political kind, the traffic kind). The two key routes that are closed
are 15th Street and 17th Street, beginning at 4:15.
Here’s what else you may want to know about the National Tree Lighting:
House Visitors Center whether the device used is a switch or a button and were told,
like out of a script for
Homeland, “that information is not given out because the lines might be sabotaged.”
tickets were issued by lottery and none remain. The ceremony will be broadcast on
WETA and streamed online. Note: Unless
they take Metro, these people also add to the gridlock, because their tickets do not
include parking.
Edmonds, Ledisi, Colbie Caillat, Rico Rodriguez, Phillip Phillips, Evan Shinners, and
the US Navy Band Commodores. The host is Neil Patrick Harris.
at 10 AM. It will be open throughout the holiday season, with visits from Santa Claus
and performances by choirs and dancers.
in high winds in February 2011. The first replacement tree died after a year from
so-called “transplant shock.” This new tree, a 28-foot-tall Colorado blue spruce,
was planted in October.
a “mixed media dragon” theme created by the Youth Arts Program of the Capitol Hill
Arts Workshop. For the Maryland tree, students at Edgewater’s Central Middle School
highlighted “creatures from the Chesapeake” with fish, turtles, jellyfish, and crabs.
Colonial crafts are the theme of the ornaments for the Virginia tree, which were made
by the 5th grade students at James Monroe Elementary School in Norfolk.
Most Popular in News & Politics
The Missing Men of Mount Pleasant
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
Muriel Bowser Defends Her BLM Plaza Decision and Looks Back on a Decade as Mayor
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
Want to Search Donald Trump’s Truth Social Posts? A New Site Is Here to Help.
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
More from News & Politics
AC Problem Closes Four Smithsonian Museums on the National Mall
Epstein Files Fiasco Continues to Be Weird and Entertaining, GOP Congressman Sued Over Unpaid Rent, and Lotuses Hit Peak Bloom
I Tried to Train for American Ninja Warrior
Trump Wants to Rename Soccer, the Nationals Chose a Shortstop, and Virginians Are the US French-Fry-Eating Champions
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This July
The Washington Nationals Just Fired the Manager and GM Who Led Them to a Championship. Why Has the Team Been so Bad Since?
FBI Building Now on Track to Leave DC After All, Whistleblower Leaks Texts Suggesting Justice Department Planned to Blow Off Federal Court Orders, and NPS Cuts Leave Assateague Island Without Lifeguards
Families of DC Air Disaster Victims Criticize Army’s Response, Trump Settles His Scores Via Tariff, and Police Dog Kicked at Dulles Returns to Work