Holiday Festival & Tree Lighting

Your guide to enjoy the largest municipal tree in Arizona!

Marana is known across Arizona as a family-friendly community and we go all out to make sure everyone can celebrate the holidays in a big way. So big in fact, Marana’s Christmas tree is 45 feet tall with 18,000 lights! This is the largest municipal tree in the state of Arizona! Additionally, there are over 100,000 Christmas lights wrapped in our landscape trees that dance to holiday music along with the Christmas Tree!

Just how tall is 45 feet?

  • You could stand a semi-truck or school bus up next to this tree!
  • It’s as tall as a 4-story building!
  • It’s taller than the “H” in the Hollywood sign in California!

This annual event is held on the first Saturday in December every year; but the town also hosts a nightly tree lighting show the rest of December to ensure this dazzling display can be seen throughout the festive season.

close-up, looking up a holiday tree decorated in white lights and red ornaments, topped with a star

Here’s our guide to the Marana Holiday Festival to help you plan your day!

If you like to get in early and pick a great parking spot, you will want to head over to the Marana Municipal Complex in Downtown Marana at 3pm for the start of the festivities. All parking is free for this event! Live music, performances from local bands and dance organizations, and activities for the kids will be set up and ready to go along with more than 30 food trucks. Insiders Tip: Santa usually arrives in a mini-parade at 2:45pm!

A band wearing santa hats performs on stage to a crowd of people

While you’re walking around enjoying the Arizona sunshine, you can start your holiday shopping! Over 35 local entrepreneurs, makers, and non-profits will be set up in the Holiday Market down Marana Main Street. It’s a great opportunity to support local artisans!

Free rides on the Holiday Train plus bouncy castles and inflatable experiences will help your kiddos work up an appetite!

Santa and Mrs. Claus will also be on hand for free photos with the kids and a letter to Santa station will be set up to make sure those wish lists get to the big guy on time.

After all that shopping and playing, the food trucks and vendors will be ready for you with everything from pizza to Sonoran Hot Dogs (a bacon-wrapped hot dogs topped with beans, onions, tomatoes, mayonnaise, mustard, and salsa), specialty coffees, hot cocoa, and of course, fry bread and other tempting desserts.

The highlight of the festival will be the debut of Marana’s new 45-foot tall Christmas tree with 18,000 lights at 6:00pm. The tree will be accompanied by a musical light show synchronized to over 100,000 lights in the landscape trees for a 13-minute show. There will be an encore show at 8:30pm.

The light shows continue in Downtown Marana throughout the month of December, starting every half hour from 6 pm to 9pm. It’s free to park and hang out all month long. Many families in the area come out on Christmas Eve to see the show before tucking the kids in for the night!

The Details

Holiday Festival & Christmas Tree Lighting 2024

When: December 7th, 2024

Where: Marana Municipal Complex, 11555 W. Civic Center Drive, Marana, Arizona 85653 (just off the Marana Rd exit from Interstate 10)

Who: Everyone is welcome and the event is FREE, including free parking. Bring cash for shopping and food if you’d like.

Don’t miss this opportunity to make memories in Marana!

Celebrate the Holidays in Marana!

From holiday shopping to festivals, to magical light displays, to fun family events, there are many ways for you and your family to have a jolly holiday in Marana!

Learn More

Annual Events