Last December 13, artificial snow fell on Willamette Falls Drive while llamas dressed as reindeer walked down the street. West Linn Tidings reported on the parade, which West Linn Parks and Recreation called the "Jolly Gingerbread Jamboree." It came eight days after the City's own tree lighting at City Hall and two weeks after Historic Willamette lit its Main Street tree.
This year the parade and the Main Street tree lighting share a single Saturday, Dec. 5, on one street in Historic Willamette. The City Hall celebration up on Salamo Road isn't on the calendar at all, so a season that took three evenings in 2025 now fits into one.
Three Evenings, Three Settings, in 2025
Here is how the season ran last year:
- Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, 6 p.m.: Historic Willamette Main Street lit its holiday tree in front of the Ale & Cider House, 1720 Willamette Falls Drive. Holy Star Farm donated the tree, the West Linn Chorus sang, and organizers asked guests to bring donations for the West Linn Food Pantry.
- Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, 6 p.m.: West Linn Parks & Recreation held its 24th annual Holiday Tree Lighting & Community Celebration at City Hall, 22500 Salamo Road. Santa lit the tree, and the event promised photos with Santa, carolers, cookies, cocoa, and candy canes.
- Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, 5 p.m.: The Holiday Parade came down Willamette Falls Drive on the same day as Historic Willamette's Winter in Willamette Holiday Market.
That meant two tree lightings run by two different organizations about a week apart, in two parts of town. West Linn Tidings listed the City Hall lighting alongside other tree lightings in the area. For families who liked the hilltop version, it was a fixture of early December.
The City Hall Celebration Takes a Year Off From Salamo Road
"This year, we will not be hosting our Holiday Tree Lighting & Community Celebration," the City announced. It is instead combining its parade with the Historic Willamette Main Street Holiday Tree Lighting to create, in its words, "one bigger, more festive holiday event for our community."
So the parade inherits the City Hall celebration's spot on the calendar. Last year's City Hall lighting fell on Dec. 5. This year's parade also falls on Dec. 5, eight days earlier than last year's parade. Moving the parade into early December is how it can take the place of a tree lighting that used to have its own night.
What comes out of the merger is an evening anchored entirely in Historic Willamette. The 2026 theme is "Light Up the Night," and the City's parade page labels the tree lighting "New this year."
How Saturday, Dec. 5 Will Run
Because one street now hosts what used to be separate nights, the logistics count more than they used to. The City has published this sequence:
- 3 p.m.: Parking along the parade route starts closing. Parking on Willamette Falls Drive is not allowed, and cars parked along the route may be towed.
- 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Willamette Falls Drive is completely closed.
- 5 p.m.: The parade starts in the Historic Willamette Main Street area.
- About 6:15 p.m.: Santa lights the tree at the Ale & Cider House once the parade has finished its route.
The road closure starts an hour before the first float. The City's FAQ explains how the crowd gets from the curb to the tree:
"Santa will be the VERY LAST parade entry. When you see Santa's sleigh, we invite you to walk behind the parade and follow Santa to the Tree at the Cider House. He will not light the tree until the Parade has completed it's route, or at approx. 6:15pm."
That walk behind the sleigh is new. In 2025 the parade crowd and the tree-lighting crowd came out on different nights. This year they become one group moving down the street together, ending in front of a business that, according to its own site, serves craft beer, cider, wine, and food from food vendors.
The City is still taking parade entries and says it needs "a huge volunteer force to keep everyone safe at this event." Volunteers can sign up through the 2026 Holiday Parade Volunteer Sign Up.
Where Each Tradition Lands
| Tradition | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Main Street tree lighting, Ale & Cider House | Sat., Nov. 29, 6 p.m. | Sat., Dec. 5, after the parade |
| City Holiday Tree Lighting, City Hall | Fri., Dec. 5, 6 p.m. | Not held |
| Holiday Parade, Willamette Falls Drive | Sat., Dec. 13, 5 p.m. | Sat., Dec. 5, 5 p.m. |
| Winter in Willamette Holiday Market | Sat., Dec. 13, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Sat., Dec. 12, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
Read across the table and the market is the only tradition that kept its spot on the calendar, the second Saturday of December. Everything around it moved.
Dec. 12 Now Belongs to the Market
For at least two years, Winter in Willamette shared its day with the parade. Historic Willamette's 2024 listing for the Dec. 14, 2024 market said the City would also put on its Holiday Sweater Dash and Holiday Parade that day. The Dec. 13, 2025 market ran with the parade again.
In 2026 the parade happens a week before the market. The Winter in Willamette Holiday Market runs Saturday, Dec. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., based at Historic Willamette Main Street's address, 1754 Knapps Alley. The plan includes the holiday market, a scavenger hunt, and other district businesses joining in, and the winners of the business and organization Holiday Wreath Contest will be announced at 3 p.m.
So Historic Willamette gets two December Saturdays in a row this year. The first is an evening event with a road closure, a parade, and a tree lighting. The second is a daytime event built around shopping. Historic Willamette's December calendar lists exactly those two events: the Dec. 5 tree lighting and the Dec. 12 market.
The Weeks Before the Parade
Merging the December events also changes what the rest of the season looks like. The Main Street tree used to light on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but this year that Saturday, Nov. 28, is just Small Business Saturday. Historic Willamette Main Street lists it starting at 10 a.m. and encourages people to shop and dine at local businesses, both longtime favorites and new ones.
One of those new businesses is on Willamette Drive. Nuevo Mazatlán has taken over the former Bugatti's space at 18740 Willamette Drive, Suite 200. West Linn Tidings reported an Oct. 7 grand opening, and wlhsNOW covered the opening after a renovation.
The free Parks & Recreation Holiday Bazaar comes first on the calendar. It runs Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14 and 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days at the Adult Community Center, 1180 Rosemont Road. The City lists more than 40 local vendors.
One November event has been moved to next year. The first Willamette Brews & Spirits Stroll, presented by Les Schwab West Linn, was scheduled for Nov. 7. Historic Willamette Main Street has postponed it until 2027. The nonprofit plans to pair local breweries and distilleries with neighborhood businesses for an afternoon of tastings, shopping, dining, and entertainment, with proceeds supporting its work in the business district.
That leaves this year's holiday calendar looking like this:
- Nov. 14 and 15: Holiday Bazaar, Adult Community Center
- Nov. 28: Small Business Saturday, Historic Willamette
- Dec. 5: "Light Up the Night" parade, then the Main Street tree lighting at the Ale & Cider House
- Dec. 12: Winter in Willamette Holiday Market, with wreath-contest awards at 3 p.m.
All of the December dates are in Historic Willamette, and the City Hall tree lighting is not being held this year.
If you live near Willamette Falls Drive or are weighing a home there, parade-night closures and market Saturdays are part of how the street works. Matt Booth Winback is glad to talk through what a full year near Historic Willamette looks like, including the nights the street closes. Let's Connect.
