One of Carlsbad’s most popular annual traditions returns to the heart of the coastal town’s downtown “village” on Sunday, December 7, 2025.
The Rotary Club of Carlsbad’s 40th annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place from 2:15 to 4:45 p.m. in the south parking lot of the Carlsbad Village Faire shopping center at 300 Carlsbad Village Drive.
The afternoon will begin at 2:15 p.m. with the arrival of Santa Claus, accompanied by his trusty elves. Elf Margie will hand out free candy canes to children while Santa Claus and Elf Brittney greet them and lead them to the tree. As the children line up for free visits and photos with Santa, the entertainment starts with the Renaissance Institute of Music Orchestra, followed by the Goju Karate team, the St. Patrick Catholic School Choir, the Carlsbad Pop Warner cheer teams, and the Carlsbad High School Lancer Dancers and XCalibur dance teams.
Between sets, we will have holiday sing-alongs led by Rotarian Laura Mitchell. Free cookies, coffee, and cider will be served, and kids will be able to enjoy storytelling and crafts, courtesy of the Carlsbad Library’s Learning Center and the Girl Scouts. Then, at 4:30 p.m., Carlsbad Mayor Keith Blackburn will officially light the tree, which will be one of the city’s most-photographed landmarks for the next three weeks.
Event organizer Thomas K. Arnold said the event was established to give all children in Carlsbad and their families the chance to enjoy a free, old-fashioned holiday festival. “Each year the crowd gets bigger,”
Arnold said. “The entertainment is truly first-class, and seeing the look of joy on the children’s faces when they see Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive is simply priceless.”
Cory Orcutt, general property manager for the Carlsbad Village Faire, said the center has hosted the tree-lighting ceremony since 2006. “It’s a fantastic family event,” he says. The Rotary Club of Carlsbad was chartered in 1939 and is part of Rotary International, a worldwide organization of more than 1.2 million business, professional, and community leaders. Members of Rotary clubs, known as Rotarians, provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. There are more than 46,000 Rotary clubs worldwide, with over 1.4 million members. Clubs are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds. The Rotary Club of Carlsbad meets each Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn on Palomar Airport Road.
