Yountville is about to get lit – Tree Lighting, Santa, Pop-Up Shop, Entertainment
If you have been out in Yountville and have spotted holiday trees, wreaths and a cute white temporary structure near the post office, it is clear that the holidays are about to go live. In fact, this Sunday, Nov. 23, Yountville will be fully lit.
Lighting up the town for the holidays is a decades-long tradition. For me, meandering up Washington Street after sunset with thousands of tiny white lights trimming the entire main thoroughfare is a sensory experience that I look forward to year after year.
The festivities on Sunday begin at 4 p.m. Until 5:45 p.m., children’s games and crafts, along with hot cocoa and cookies, will be offered indoors at the Community Center, according to Yountville Parks and Recreation Director Samantha Holland.
New this year: “We are super excited to welcome California Dream Express, which will be doing train rides on Yount Street from 4 to 7 p.m.,” Holland said, adding that the fee to ride the train around town will be $7 per person. The train will be in town for only one day, on Sunday.
The outdoor portion of the event will begin at 6 p.m. and, along with Mayor Mohler and other local dignitaries, Santa has again agreed to host the countdown to the lighting of the town as well as the Yountville Christmas tree. “A high energy performance by Napa High’s Vocal Music Workshop,” Holland said, will also be part of the outdoor program.
“The town of Yountville’s annual town and tree lighting will once again be a festive and family-friendly event,” said Yountville Chamber President and CEO Natalie Leighton. “From children’s activities to Santa himself helping light the town’s tree, the event will be filled with holiday spirit.”
Another new holiday feature, presented in collaboration with the town, chamber and Visit Napa Valley, is the new Yountville Holiday pop-up kiosk, which opens today, but will be open on Sunday until 5 p.m. for visitors and residents to get a jump start on their holiday shopping, Leighton said.
Holland said all of the merchandise in the pop-up, and some being sold across the street at Cornerstone Cellars, is Yountville-branded with a new logo reminiscent of the Yountville sign on the historic railroad depot building across the street from the post office.
“It will be staffed with volunteers,” she explained. For this first week it will be open for seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and then the hours will be adjusted as needed.
“The town and tree lighting will be a true community event, welcoming friends and family from all over the Napa Valley and beyond. We are looking forward to not only sharing the holiday spirit with attendees but also supporting the Boys and Girls Club and Napa High School’s Vocal Music Workshop,” Leighton said.
To support the Napa Boys and Girls Club, attendees are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to the event.
“Having started my role in town just over six months ago, I am personally so excited to attend my first town and tree lighting,” Leighton concluded.
