Kick off the holiday season with the Annual Rice Park Tree Lighting in St. Paul!
It’s hard to believe it’s already November but the holidays will be here before we know it. I don’t know about you but I do get bombarded with holiday events and some of them can really break the budget for our family! Heading to the Tree Lighting in Rice Park is a fun and festive option, without breaking the budget because it’s completely FREE!
We love holiday lights, which is obvious from our HUGE list of Holiday Lights in Minnesota and some of the first to turn on for the season are in Rice Park.
Saturday, November 14th, 2026, is the Rice Park Tree Lighting event. Live music, holiday photo ops and hot cocoa will lead up to the flipping of the giant switch turning downtown Rice Park into a twinkling winter wonderland, featuring a 40′ fully lit, decorated tree.
What’s Happening at This Year’s Tree Lighting
This year’s celebration is hosted by The Salvation Army as the kickoff to its Red Kettle season, and it’s packed with fun for the whole family! Here’s what you can look forward to:
- FREE cookies and hot chocolate to keep you warm
- Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus
- Special guests, including Vikings legend and NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, the Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders, and Nordy from the Minnesota Wild
- Live music from singer Kat Perkins, a finalist on season 6 of NBC’s The Voice, plus performances by the St. Paul Police Band drumline and the Bemidji Alumni Choir
The star of the show is the 40-foot digital Tree of Lights, which features a new light show every week of the holiday season. That makes it fun to come back more than once!
Want to give back? You can sign up to ring bells at a Salvation Army Red Kettle near you. See all the event details in The Salvation Army’s announcement.
Even if you can’t make it to the lighting event, keep in mind the lights for the season not just an evening, so check them out on another evening! We like to make it extra fun by finding some local food and a little shopping to support some of the local businesses.
The lights will stay lit through January 5th, 2027.
There’s lot of other fun happening around St. Paul for the holidays. Check out our posts on the Union Depot Holiday Tree Lighting and Movie Night, the European Christmas Market, the Holiday Bake Sale and the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train.
Additional information about the event:
Everyone and anyone—all ages are welcome.
The Grand Opening of Rice Park is the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season in Minnesota’s capital city.
Location: Rice Park
Time: Saturday, November 14th from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
109 W 4th St , St Paul, Minnesota 55102
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Hannah is a married mom of 3 kiddos in the Twin Cities. Born and raised here in MN, she loves finding deals and special events to share with others.
Hannah enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading books, going on road trips up north, singing along with the radio and finding new thrift stores to shop! Hannah is also a fierce advocate for people with disabilities and is always on the lookout for more sensory friendly opportunities in the Twin Cities.
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