Here is a handy-dandy guide to 30ish civic tree-lighting events of the 2025 holiday season, organized by date.
Before we get started, links to more Christmas fun:
25 Christmas events and parties, 2025
15 Christmas concerts, 2025
10 big holiday light shows, 2025
45 Christmas parades, 2025
Fri., Nov. 21
• The tree lighting in downtown Salisbury, Md. is part of a bigger Third Friday party on Fri. Nov. 21. Details.
Sat., Nov. 22
• The tree lighting in Vienna, Md. is Sat., Nov. 22–the same night as the town’s Christmas parade. Details.
Fri., Nov. 28
• The tree lighting in Berlin, Md. on Fri., Nov. 29 is part of a bigger ICE ICE Berlin party. Details.
• The tree lighting in Rehoboth Beach, Del. is Fri., Nov. 28. Holiday sing-a-long, too. Details.
• The tree lighting in Snow Hill, Md. is in Sturgis Park on Fri., Nov. 28. Details.
• The tree lighting in North East, Md. is Fri., Nov. 28. Details.
Sat., Nov. 29
• The tree lighting in Ocean Pines, Md. is Sat., Nov. 29. Details.
• They will “Light Up the Park” in Milton, Del. on Sat., Nov. 29. Details.
• Chincoteague, Va. will light the tree in downtown’s Robert Reed Park on Sat., Nov. 29. The Chincoteague Pony Drill Team will be in the house. Details.
• The tree lighting in Milford, Del. is Sat., Nov. 29. Details.
• The tree lighting in Dewey Beach, Del. is Sat., Nov. 29. Bare-bones info here.
• The “Jingle Jubilee” tree lighting at City Park in Salisbury, Md. is Sat., Nov. 29. Details.
• The crab-pot tree lighting in Crisfield, Md. is Sat., Nov. 29. Details.
Sun., Nov. 30
• The tree-lighting festivities in Chesapeake City, Md. are on Sun., Nov. 30. Details.
Mon., Dec. 1
• The tree lighting in Eastville, Va. will be on Mon., Dec. 1. Details.
Crab Basket Christmas Tree in Cambridge, Md.
Tue., Dec. 2
• The tree lighting in Bridgeville, Del. is Tue., Dec. 2. Details.
Thu., Dec. 4
• The tree lighting in Millville, Del. is Thu., Dec. 4. They are promising s’mores. Details.
• The Harrington, Del. tree lighting is Thu., Dec. 4. Details.
• The tree lighting in Denton, Md. happens on the same night as that town’s parade–Thu., Dec. 4. Details.
Fri., Dec. 5
• The tree lighting in Elkton, Md. is Fri., Dec. 5. Details..
• The tree lighting at historic Ker Place in Onancock, Va. is Fri., Dec. 6. Details. (The Eastern Shore Madrigal Singers will be at the North Street Playhouse afterwards.)
• The tree lighting in Fenwick Island, Del. is Fri., Dec. 5. Details.
Sat., Dec. 6
• Oxford, Md. has a double lighting event on Sat., Dec. 6. First up are the “Dock Trees” on Town Creek. A little later is the “Lighting of the Ferry Boat” on the Tred Avon River. Scroll down a bit for details.
• On Sat., Dec. 6, the Queen Anne Waterman’s Association will be lighting up its crab-basket Christmas tree at Kent Narrows in Grasonville, Md. Vendor fair beforehand. Details.
• Santa will arrive by boat in Rock Hall, Md. on the night of that town’s tree lighting. Sat., Dec. 6. Scant details if you go to that date and click on “Santa’s Arrival & Tree Lighting.”
• Bethany Beach, Del. lights up its tree on Sat., Dec. 6 as part of a larger Holiday Happenings party. Details.
• The tree lighting in Easton, Md. is the same night as that town’s parade–Sat., Dec. 6. Details.
• The tree lighting in Lewes, Del. is Sat., Dec. 6. Parade, too. Details.
• They will be lighting the crab pot tree on Tilghman Island, Md. on Sat., Dec. 6. Lighted boat parade, too. Details.
• The tree lighting in Odessa, Del. is part of the bigger Christmas in Odessa festivities on Sat., Dec. 6. Details.
• The “Grand Illumination” of Central Park in Cape Charles, Va., is Sat., Dec. 6. There will be lighted golf carts, too. Details.
Sun., Dec. 7
• The Christmas in Clayton, Del. festivities on Sun., Dec. 7 include a parade, tree-lighting, and other festivities. Details.
Thu., Dec. 18
• The Town of Berlin, Md. will celebrate Hanukkah at The Inn Berlin on Thu., Dec. 18. Kids activities, music, taste treats, and a menorah lighting. Details.
–posted by Jim Duffy for Whimbrel Creations LLC/Secrets of the Eastern Shore in Nov. 2025. Merry Christmas to one and all!
NOTE: If the work that went into this 2025 Christmas guide helped you plan a merry holiday season and you’re not in the market for any of our Christmas cards or Secrets of the Eastern Shore books, you could also say thanks through a Secrets of the Eastern Shore Tip Jar.
