Around Town

Festive crowds gather in Old Town to celebrate the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting

By James Cullum
1/14

Hundreds of Alexandria residents gathered on Saturday to celebrate Alexandria’s annual Christmas tree lighting in Market Square.

Mayor Alyia Gaskins announced the magical arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus, who got into town on a Christmas-themed King Street Trolley. They helped city leaders count down the lighting of the 40-foot-tall plastic tree, which is adorned with some 38,000 lights.

Saturday’s ceremony marked the city’s last tree lighting in Market Square for a couple years, until renovations are completed there and at City Hall. The project is expected to wrap up in 2028.

“This is going to be our last celebration at City Hall and Market Square while we undergo renovations,” Gaskins told hundreds of attendees. “Can anyone hear that sound? Am I the only one who hears jingle bells? Does anyone else hear it? I think that means that Santa himself is on his way.”

Santa said that he will be appearing in the “winter trolley” several times throughout December.

“We’ll call it the ‘jolly trolley,'” Santa said.

The tree lighting kicks off a number of holiday-themed events in Alexandria, including:

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.