11/20/2026
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AT A GLANCE
When: Friday, November 20, 2026, 4:15-6 p.m.
Where: Train Depot Island, Historic Downtown Truckee
Cost: Free
The Downtown Holiday Festival and Bud Fish Tree Lighting kicks off the holiday season in Truckee on Friday, November 20, 2026, from 4:15 to 6 p.m. in Historic Downtown Truckee. It has been a Downtown Truckee tradition for more than 45 years. The Truckee Downtown Merchants Association has hosted it in recent years, and the Rotary Club of Truckee provides the hot cocoa.
What the Truckee Tree Lighting Is Like
This is small-town Truckee at its coziest. As the late-November light fades, families gather along Donner Pass Road and around the Train Depot, kids bundled in puffy jackets and parents holding cups of Rotary hot cocoa. Local children decorate the small trees that line the downtown streets, and those trees stay up through the holidays, so the kids get to see their work every time they come back downtown. At 5 p.m., Santa arrives and the Bud Fish Tree is lit along with the rest of historic downtown, a moment that gets a real cheer from the crowd. The tree carries a story. Bud Fish was a forester, longtime Truckee resident and charter member of the Rotary Club of Truckee who for years arranged the downtown Christmas tree and rallied volunteers to put it up and decorate it. After he died, Rotary planted a permanent tree downtown in his memory.
Event Highlights
The evening opens at 4:15 p.m. with local kids decorating the trees along the downtown streets, and in recent years hundreds of elementary students have taken part. Santa arrives at 5 p.m., right as the Bud Fish Tree lights up, and the Rotary Club of Truckee keeps the hot cocoa coming. With the whole historic downtown lit for the season, it is also a nice excuse to stick around afterward and wander the shops and restaurants on Donner Pass Road.
2026 Schedule
Friday, Nov. 20: 4:15 p.m. kids decorate the downtown trees
5 p.m. Bud Fish Tree lighting and Santa's arrival
6 p.m. festival wraps up
Cost and What to Bring
The festival is free and open to everyone. Truckee sits close to 6,000 feet, and a November evening downtown can be properly cold, so bring a warm jacket, hat, gloves and boots that can handle snow or slush. Kids who want to meet Santa should be ready right at 5 p.m., when he arrives.
Parking and Getting There
The festival centers on Train Depot Island at 10065 Donner Pass Road. Downtown Truckee parking is managed by the Town's Downtown Parking District and is paid from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, so the festival falls within paid hours. Pay by texting PARK to 77223 and entering the posted zone number, or at a nearby meter. In recent seasons, the easternmost Railyard lot has offered the first two hours free, so check the posted signs when you arrive. Truckee's winter parking ban runs November 1 through April 30, so do not leave your car on Town roads or in the public right-of-way, where it can be cited or towed. TART buses are free to ride, with free fares extended into late 2027.
Local tip: Get downtown before 4:15 p.m. so the kids can watch, or join, the tree decorating from the start, and park in a paid lot rather than on a Town street. The winter parking ban is already in effect by Nov. 20, and vehicles in the right-of-way can be towed.
Event details come from the Truckee Chamber of Commerce.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Truckee tree lighting 2026?
The Downtown Holiday Festival and Bud Fish Tree Lighting is Friday, November 20, 2026. Tree decorating starts at 4:15 p.m., and the tree lighting and Santa's arrival are at 5 p.m.
Where is the Truckee tree lighting?
It takes place at Train Depot Island in Historic Downtown Truckee, 10065 Donner Pass Road.
Is the Truckee tree lighting free?
Yes. The festival is free and open to the public, and the Rotary Club of Truckee provides hot cocoa.
Is the Truckee tree lighting good for kids?
Very. Local children decorate the trees that line downtown, and Santa arrives at 5 p.m. as the Bud Fish Tree is lit.
Where do you park for the Truckee tree lighting?
Use a paid downtown lot and pay by text (text PARK to 77223) or at a meter; paid parking runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Truckee's winter parking ban runs November 1 through April 30, so avoid parking on Town roads or in the public right-of-way.