In 1952, brothers Peter and John Danforth planted a 3-foot Norfolk Island pine above Moonlight Beach. It now stands more than 90 feet tall at the corner of Fourth and C streets. In 2011 the City of Encinitas made it one of only two official Heritage Trees. In 1994, a resident named Luis Ortiz asked the Danforth family if he could decorate it. They agreed, and he started the lighting with his own money and help from the community. The Encinitas Historical Society has organized the lighting since 2015, with support from the city.
On Friday, Dec. 4, the tree will be lit for the 32nd time. This year a new event has been scheduled around it. The Encinitas Chamber of Commerce is opening its first Holiday Village & Market in the Moonlight Beach parking lot at 2 p.m., two hours before the tree-lighting program begins. That makes the city's oldest holiday tradition the start of a full weekend. It also lands at the end of the year Encinitas turned 40.
Last year's lighting, for comparison
The 31st lighting was held on Dec. 5, 2025, in the Moonlight Beach parking lot. About 500 people came. Historical Society chair Jim Filanc hosted. Mayor Bruce Ehlers gave a holiday message, four children's choirs sang, the Free Verse band played, and there was a visit from the North Pole. The countdown came as the last of the sunset faded over the Pacific.
The core of that evening is staying the same. The 2026 agreement between the city and the Historical Society schedules the lighting from 4 to 7 p.m., with the Historical Society producing the event. The Society lists the countdown at 6 p.m.
The market adds the afternoon before it. The Coast News reported that the Chamber planned about 20 vendor booths at $200 each, with preference for Chamber members and invited local businesses. The planned goods include handmade gifts, jewelry, candles, boutique items, seasonal décor, specialty foods, wellness products and children's gifts. Sponsors could also pay for individual attractions:
- Hot chocolate
- Gingerbread house decorating
- A holiday photo station
- Strolling carolers
- Children's activities
- Holiday decorations and lighting
The same article says the format is meant to get people there before the tree-lighting program starts. The plans call for decorated booths, seasonal music and warm drinks. The Encinitas Advocate in the San Diego Union-Tribune also covered the launch and described the market as a companion to the tree lighting. The event is free. If the lot fills, overflow parking is at Pacific View Arts Center.
Chris Kydd, publisher of The Coast News, talked about the partnership in his paper's coverage:
"You can find a gift, meet the person who made it and run into your neighbors along the way."
The same blocks hosted the city's birthday in October
Encinitas incorporated in 1986. The Coast News marked the milestone in September as 40 years as an incorporated city. The city celebrated on Saturday, Oct. 3, with an 80s theme, and its anniversary page shows that most of the day took place within a few blocks of the Heritage Tree:
- Moonlight Beach, 400 W. C Street: a sandcastle exhibition, a set by the 80s tribute band BETAMAXX, and an outdoor showing of Back to the Future after dark.
- Encinitas Historical Society and 1883 Schoolhouse, 390 W. F Street: an exhibit on how Historic Encinitas, New Encinitas, Olivenhain, Leucadia and Cardiff-by-the-Sea grew, and on the long process of incorporating them into one city.
- Pacific View Arts Center, 380 W. F Street: screen-printed 40th anniversary tote bags, a chalk art party and an 80s line-dance lesson.
Those are the same streets the Dec. 4 market and lighting will use. The parade the next evening carries the anniversary into its theme. The city named the 2026 Holiday Parade "40 and Still Fabulous" and says the theme looks back at the city's history and ahead to its future.
Friday through Sunday
The Coast News described the Dec. 4 market as the start of a weekend of community events. The last stop is in Cardiff, which is one of the five communities the October exhibit covered.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 2 to 7 p.m.: The Holiday Village & Market opens in part of the Moonlight Beach parking lot.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 4 to 7 p.m.: The 32nd Heritage Tree Lighting, with the countdown at 6 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 5:30 p.m.: The Encinitas Holiday Parade on South Coast Highway 101, from D Street to J Street.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Kringle Mingle, run by Cardiff 101 Main Street on Aberdeen Drive. It is free and has a maker market, live local music, children's crafts and holiday treats. Photos with Surfing Santa run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"Deck the Windows," Downtown Encinitas Holiday Art Week, runs from Nov. 29 through Dec. 6, so it covers the whole weekend.
How last year's parade evening worked
For the 2025 parade, the city's release closed Coast Highway 101 at 4 p.m. Free parking was offered at San Dieguito Academy and at Ecke Sports Park/YMCA. Shuttles started at 4 p.m. and ran about every 20 minutes, with the last downtown pickup at 8:30 p.m. Riders got off at the NCTD bus station on Vulcan Avenue, about half a block from the route. ADA-accessible shuttles left from San Dieguito Academy. Before the 2025 parade, the Lumberyard Shops courtyard also held a 5 p.m. ceremonial tree lighting with a visit from Santa.
Groups that want to march in the parade can still apply. The deadline was Nov. 13, but the city accepts later applications if spaces are open, with a $25 late fee. Entry fees are $75 for nonprofits, $150 for private groups and $200 for commercial businesses.
Two weekends before the parade
Coast Highway 101 gets busy before December. This Sunday, Nov. 22, the Encinitas 101 MainStreet Association holds its Holiday Street Fair. The 2026 listing runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The association bills the fair as more than 450 vendors over six blocks of South Coast Highway 101. Its parking guidance lists City Hall, the Moonlight Beach lot and the two Coaster Station lots. North Coast Current reported that last year's fair filled the highway from D Street to J Street, the same stretch the parade uses.
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, is Shop Small Saturday downtown, from noon to 3 p.m. Local businesses and the MainStreet associations are promoting live music, sidewalk sales, specials and limited-edition prints. Deck the Windows begins the next day and runs until the Sunday Kringle Mingle wraps up in Cardiff.
On Friday, Dec. 4, the Holiday Village & Market opens at 2 p.m. in the Moonlight Beach lot, and the Heritage Tree countdown is at 6 p.m.
If you are working out which blocks you'd want to walk to Moonlight Beach from next December, Pacific Harmony Realty is glad to talk through the streets around downtown Encinitas with you. Schedule your free consultation, and enjoy the lighting.
