The 300 lighted trees on Post Oak Boulevard are the best-known holiday display near Tanglewood, but they no longer get a kickoff event. Uptown dropped its Thanksgiving-night lighting ceremony several years ago. Now the lights simply come on. The evenings that actually open the season have moved to three other places a short drive away, on three different nights: Friday, Nov. 13 at The Galleria, Saturday, Nov. 21 at River Oaks District, and Friday, Dec. 4 at Memorial Park. Each one is a different kind of evening, and with eight days between the first two and thirteen between the second and third, you can easily go to all three.
Post Oak lost its lighting party in 2023
The Uptown Holiday Lighting used to be an event. Uptown Houston's own 2022 announcement described a Thanksgiving evening on Post Oak with a market opening at 4 p.m., followed by a light show and fireworks at 7 p.m.
In 2023 the trees were still lit, but the Houston Chronicle reported there would be "no grand event" to mark it. ABC13 reported that Uptown had announced the event would no longer take place, and it attributed the change to a financial decision.
The switch-on has since become a much quieter moment. KHOU reported one season's lights coming on Sunday, Nov. 2, timed to the end of Daylight Saving Time, when two young sisters pressed the button. That year the display stayed up through the New Year.
The display itself is as big as ever. Here are the numbers from KHOU's report and Visit Houston's 2026 holiday listing:
- More than 300 trees, each about 20 feet tall, with 250 LED light units per tree
- More than 16 million possible color combinations
- About two miles of boulevard, from the West Loop to Richmond Avenue
- More than 1,000 stars, plus pedestrian lighting and stainless steel rings
Visit Houston lists the Uptown season as running November through December 2026. The city's special-events calendar, printed Oct. 23, 2026, shows no Uptown lighting event and no Post Oak road closures in its Thanksgiving listings. So Post Oak is a display you drive or walk past whenever you like. It no longer has a date on the calendar.
That leaves three venues that do still mark the start of the season with an event.
The three nights, side by side
| Date | Event | Where | Time | What's on the program |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Holiday Tree Lighting at The Galleria | Ice at The Galleria | 6 p.m. | Live entertainment, professional figure skating, tree lighting |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | River Oaks District Tree Lighting | 4444 Westheimer Road | 4 to 7 p.m. | Live performance, Saint Nicholas's arrival, tree lighting |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Neighborhood Nights: Holiday Edition | Clay Family Eastern Glades, Memorial Park | 5 to 9 p.m. | Frozen screening, food trucks, Deck the Park lights switched on |
The dates move from indoors to outdoors and from a mall atrium to an open lawn. Each event takes a bit more of the evening than the one before. The Galleria's is a single 6 p.m. ceremony, River Oaks District runs for three hours, and Memorial Park runs for four hours with a full-length movie in the middle.
Nov. 13: The Galleria lights its tree on the ice
The first one is indoors. The Galleria's Holiday Tree Lighting is Friday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. at Ice at The Galleria. The program includes live entertainment, professional figure skating and the tree lighting itself, and no RSVP is needed. The Galleria's listing gives the Yellow Parking Garage entrance as 5085 Westheimer Road.
The rink is a year-round indoor rink in the Center Food Court, under the mall's glass atrium. Getting the tree ready changes its schedule this month. If you skate there or have a child in classes, these dates matter, according to the rink's posted schedule:
- Mon., Nov. 2 through Thu., Nov. 5: the rink is closed while the tree goes in.
- Thu., Nov. 5: the rink is scheduled to reopen at 3 p.m., with public skating from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. Learn to Skate starts at 5:30 p.m.
- Thu., Nov. 12: Learn to Skate classes are affected by the mall's tree-lighting rehearsal and need to be made up by Dec. 7.
Admission includes skate rental, and there's no re-entry, so once you leave the ice you have to pay again. The Galleria's directory lists the rink's hours as noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Public session times vary, so check the rink's schedule page before you go.
Nov. 21: River Oaks District moves the ceremony outside
Eight days later, the second lighting is a Saturday-afternoon event that runs into the evening. River Oaks District's annual Tree Lighting Celebration is Saturday, Nov. 21, from 4 to 7 p.m. at 4444 Westheimer Road. The program has a live performance, then the arrival of Saint Nicholas, then the tree lighting.
Of the three, this one is closest to what Post Oak used to have. It starts in the late afternoon, runs past sunset, and builds to the moment the lights come on. It's also the only Saturday of the three, which makes it the easiest to fit around school and work.
Dec. 4: Memorial Park ends the run with a free movie night
The last kickoff is the longest and the most informal. Memorial Park Conservancy's Neighborhood Nights presented by H-E-B: Holiday Edition is Friday, Dec. 4, from 5 to 9 p.m. on the Clay Family Eastern Glades, 6502 Memorial Drive.
What to know before you go:
- Cost: free. RSVPs are encouraged but not required, and you can RSVP on Eventbrite.
- Movie: Frozen starts at 6 p.m., after sunset.
- Food: local food trucks will be on site.
- What to bring: the Conservancy suggests blankets.
This is also the night the park switches on its own holiday lights. The Conservancy says the event kicks off its Deck the Park lights, which stay up for the public through early January 2027. Memorial Park sets aside an evening to turn its lights on, which Post Oak no longer does, and then leaves them up for about a month of visits on your own schedule.
How the season fits together
By Dec. 4, all four major displays near Tanglewood will be lit. Visit Houston lists the Post Oak trees for the full November-to-December season, with no ceremony attached. The Galleria tree gets its official lighting over the ice Nov. 13. River Oaks District lights its tree Nov. 21. Memorial Park's Deck the Park lights come on Dec. 4 and stay up into early January.
If you want an evening that starts the season with a crowd, a countdown and a switch, the choice is now among the Galleria rink, the River Oaks District plaza and the lawn at the Clay Family Eastern Glades. Post Oak stays lit through the holidays whenever you want to see it.
The rink's holiday schedule, the Saturday tree lighting and the free night at the park are the kinds of details CB Realty Team keeps track of because they're part of everyday life near Tanglewood. If you're thinking about what your home here is worth this season, we're happy to give you an honest number. Get a Free Home Valuation.
