Murrieta's holiday kickoff has a new format this year. The Tree Lighting & Festival of Wreaths is on Saturday, December 5, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Town Square Park & Amphitheater, 11 Town Square. The City's tree lighting is at 6 p.m. Last December's event at the same park was the Festival of Trees. This year's display is built from wreaths, and anyone can enter one for $20.
That's a real change in who fills the display and where the decorations end up after the lights go off. Last year the decorated pieces went on to other people's homes and storefronts. This year each wreath goes home with the person who made it. If you've ever wanted your own work on display at the tree lighting, this is the easiest year so far to make that happen.
Last year's display was built around sponsored trees
The 2025 Festival of Trees was on Saturday, December 6, 2025, from 5 to 8 p.m. The City's listing described decorated trees "sponsored by local businesses, families, and organizations" as the heart of the event, with the trees "giving back to families in need." The evening also had a Dessert Lane, photos with Santa and the official lighting of the City's tree.
Taking part meant taking on a whole tree. Business vendors had to sponsor a tree on top of their booth. After the festival, each sponsored tree either went to a local family or joined the Holiday Tree Trail. The trail was a partnership with the Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber's Shop Small this Season campaign that kept the decorated trees on view inside participating businesses through the season.
The trees stayed lit at Town Square Park after the event, too. Valley News reported that after the December 6 lighting, visitors could walk through the park after dark and see the trees in holiday lights.
So the 2025 format was mostly about giving. Sponsors decorated a tree, the community admired it for an evening, and then it left Town Square for a family's living room or a shop's front window.
This year it's a $20 wreath that comes back to you
The 2026 version keeps the same park, the same Saturday-evening slot and the same 6 p.m. tree lighting. What changed is the decorated piece at the center of it. The wreath participant application is open to "community members, families, businesses, and organizations." The steps are short.
- Buy a wreath for $20.
- Pick it up starting Monday, November 30.
- Take it home and decorate it however you like.
- Bring it to the Festival of Wreaths on Saturday, December 5, where it goes on a stand the City provides.
- Take it home after the event and enjoy it for the rest of the season.
| Festival of Trees 2025 | Festival of Wreaths 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, December 6 | Saturday, December 5 |
| Hours | 5 to 8 p.m. | 5 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Centerpiece | Sponsored decorated trees | Wreaths decorated by residents |
| What you take on | A whole tree to sponsor | A $20 wreath |
| Where it goes after | A local family or the Holiday Tree Trail | Back home with you |
| Vendors | Business vendors also sponsored a tree | Vendors chosen from qualified applicants |
Food and business vendors now apply on their own. The City says it picks vendors "from qualified applicants to maintain variety and balance for the overall event experience," and that applying doesn't guarantee a spot. Booths and the display are now two separate tracks, so the wreath rack can include a household's kitchen-table project next to a local group's entry.
Your dates between now and December 5
If you're reading this on Thursday, November 12, you have time, but the steps come quickly.
- Monday, November 23, 11:45 p.m. PST. The wreath application closes.
- Monday, November 30. Wreath pickup starts.
- Monday, November 30 through Friday, December 4. You have five evenings to decorate at home.
- Saturday, December 5. You can also decorate on the day if you'd rather skip the at-home step. Bring the finished wreath to Town Square Park for the 5 p.m. start.
- After 7:30 p.m. that evening. The wreath goes home with you.
The November 30 pickup falls right after Thanksgiving weekend. If you have guests in town, the wreath makes an easy group project once the leftovers are gone.
Decorating for a December night outdoors
The City's guidelines are short, and each one makes sense for a wreath that rides in a car and then stands outside in a park after dark.
- Keep decorations family-friendly.
- Use decorations that can handle the trip and an outdoor display.
- Attach everything securely.
- Use battery-operated lights only.
- Bring your own decorations. The $20 covers the wreath.
The City also encourages creativity: "Holiday themes, colors, handmade decorations, and personal touches are all welcome."
Battery lights matter more than they might seem. The lights on your wreath will be glowing at the same time as the 6 p.m. tree lighting, and battery strands mean your wreath doesn't need an outlet. The rule about securing decorations is mostly about the ride over. Ornaments that sit fine on a table at home can come loose on the way to Town Square. Test it by holding the wreath upright and giving it a gentle shake before you load it into the car.
And because the wreath comes home with you, decorate it for the spot it's headed to. It will spend one evening on a City stand and the rest of the season on your door, so choose colors that work with your entry.
The same Saturday starts at 9 a.m.
December 5 isn't just an evening at Town Square Park. Donuts with Santa runs from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the same park, at the same address.
- Admission: One non-perishable food or pet item per child. Dog food, cat food, treats and cat litter all count.
- Donuts: Free for the first 500 kids.
- Santa: On site for visits.
- Pets: Animal Friends of the Valleys will be there with animals for adoption.
Pet supplies make a good admission item, since Animal Friends of the Valleys will be on site that morning. Pick up a bag of cat litter or a box of dog treats on the way.
The morning event ends at 10:30 a.m. and the evening festival starts at 5 p.m. That leaves six and a half hours, which is plenty of time to finish your wreath if you saved the decorating for the day. One trip to Town Square in the morning for Santa and donuts and a second at dusk for the wreaths and the 6 p.m. lighting covers the City's whole holiday kickoff.
Three Thursday nights downtown frame the season
Murrieta Market Nights fits right around this schedule. The City's calendar lists Market Nights in Downtown Murrieta from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, November 19, on Thursday, December 3, two days before the festival, and again on Thursday, December 17. The series is run by the Murrieta Market Nights nonprofit in partnership with the City.
The December 3 market falls in the middle of your decorating week. If your wreath still needs ribbon or a handmade piece, an evening browsing vendor booths downtown is a nicer way to find it than another trip to a big-box store. The December 17 market comes after the festival, when your wreath is already on your door.
Last year, a decorated tree from the festival went to a family in need or into a local storefront for the season. This year your decorated wreath goes back to your own front door after one night under the Town Square lights.
Watching a town's traditions grow is one of my favorite parts of serving this area, and I hope to see your wreath in the lineup on December 5. If you're thinking about where your family will hang next year's wreath, or you just want to talk about life in Murrieta, I'm happy to help. Melissa Grasso is always up for a conversation. Let's Connect.
