In 1994, an Encinitas resident named Luis Ortiz asked the Danforth family if he could decorate their tree. They said yes. He paid for the decorations himself, got neighbors to help, and started what the Encinitas Historical Society now calls a cherished holiday tradition. The tree is a Norfolk Island pine that brothers Peter and John Danforth planted as a 3-foot sapling in 1952. Today it stands more than 90 feet tall at the corner of Fourth and C streets, above Moonlight Beach. The City of Encinitas named it one of its two official Heritage Trees in 2011.
Thirty-two years later, that one resident's idea anchors a full weekend. On Friday, Dec. 4, the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce is building a whole afternoon around the lighting. That makes the first weekend of December a three-day run, and it now starts at Moonlight Beach.
The tree lighting now comes with an afternoon
The Historical Society has organized the lighting since 2015, with support from the city, local sponsors, the Encinitas Union School District and volunteers. Last year's event was the 31st. It drew about 500 people to the Moonlight Beach parking lot on Dec. 5, 2025, with four children's choirs, music from the Free Verse band, and a countdown timed to the last colors of sunset over the Pacific.
This year the new Encinitas Holiday Village & Market runs from 2 to 7 p.m. in part of the same parking lot, so the lighting falls in the middle of a five-hour afternoon. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the market takes its cue from European Christmas markets and will have about 20 local artisan and small-business vendors, hot chocolate and warm cider, strolling carolers, gingerbread house decorating, a holiday photo backdrop and children's activities. Lighting festivities begin at 4 p.m.
The market is "designed to enhance the Heritage Tree Lighting celebration by encouraging families to arrive early, stay longer." Chamber CEO Carol Knight told the paper she pictures families "strolling through a beautiful holiday village, discovering unique gifts, enjoying festive activities and then gathering for the Heritage Tree Lighting." Historical Society president Carolyn Cope said the market "will add another wonderful reason to gather and celebrate."
The city has put money behind it as well. The Coast News reported that on Sept. 9 the City Council approved a memorandum of understanding covering about $1,600 in event costs. Vendor booths cost $200, with preference for Chamber members. Sponsorships run from $500 to $2,000. Single features such as the Hot Chocolate Station and the Strolling Carolers can be sponsored on their own. Admission is free.
How the weekend fits together
Once Friday has a full afternoon, the rest of the weekend lines up behind it. The Union-Tribune describes the market as the kickoff of a holiday weekend that continues with the parade on Saturday and Kringle Mingle on Sunday. Here is the order:
- Friday, Dec. 4, 2 to 7 p.m.: Encinitas Holiday Village & Market in the Moonlight Beach parking lot, with Heritage Tree Lighting festivities starting at 4 p.m. Overflow parking is at Pacific View Arts Center.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 5:30 p.m.: The Encinitas Holiday Parade heads south on Coast Highway 101 between D and J streets.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Cardiff Kringle Mingle on Aberdeen Drive, with a makers market, children's crafts, live music and Santa photos from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is free.
All three events are within a short drive of each other. The Friday and Saturday events overlap almost exactly. The market lot is at the foot of the bluff below the Heritage Tree, and the parade covers the downtown stretch of the 101 just inland. Sunday moves south to Cardiff. The Friday market and Sunday's Kringle Mingle are both makers markets, so a weekend of shopping local now opens and closes with one.
Saturday's parade marks 40 years
This year's parade theme is "40 and Still Fabulous." The city says the theme reflects "on our history and looking forward to our future" and asks participants to celebrate Encinitas history and culture. The timing fits. Encinitas incorporated in 1986, and the city has billed 2026 as a celebration of 40 years. Its 40th-anniversary program included an Oct. 3 celebration with a sandcastle exhibition at Moonlight Beach and a Historical Society exhibit on how Encinitas became a city.
The tree in Friday's lighting went into the ground 34 years before the city incorporated. Saturday's floats will be marking the city's own 40th year.
If your group, nonprofit or business wants to march, the timing is tight. Parade applications close Friday, Nov. 13. Late applications are accepted if space remains, with a $25 late fee. Entry fees are $75 for nonprofit groups, $150 for private groups and $200 for commercial businesses. Card payments carry a 3.7% convenience fee.
For context on parade-night traffic, here is how the city handled it last year. In 2025, Coast Highway 101 closed at 4 p.m., parking was set up at San Dieguito Academy and Ecke Sports Park/YMCA, and free shuttles ran to the route. Those were 2025 arrangements. Check the city's parade page for 2026 details closer to the date.
The three weeks leading up to it
The weekend comes at the end of a busy stretch on the 101, and most of the run-up happens on the same roadway the parade uses. Coast Highway 101 hosts a street fair, a Thanksgiving race and a small-business Saturday before the floats arrive.
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 20 to Jan. 3 | Lightscape, fifth season | San Diego Botanic Garden | Adults from $28, children from $18, 2 and under free. Parking $15 in advance, $20 on-site |
| Sun., Nov. 22, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Encinitas Holiday Street Fair | Downtown Coast Highway 101 | Free. Encinitas 101 has coordinated it since 1984 |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Encinitas Turkey Trot | Starts and finishes under the Encinitas sign on 101 | 10K at 7:30 a.m., Kids-K at 7:40 a.m., 5K at 8 a.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28, noon to 3 p.m. | Shop Small Saturday | Downtown Encinitas | Live music, sidewalk sales, limited-edition print giveaway |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Small Business Saturday; Holiday Passport begins | Cardiff-by-the-Sea | Limited-edition Cardiff poster with purchase at participating shops |
| Nov. 29 to Dec. 6 | Deck the Windows: Downtown Encinitas Holiday Art Week | Downtown Encinitas | Starts 1 p.m. Nov. 29, ends 3 p.m. Dec. 6 |
Thanksgiving morning has the biggest effect on daily routines. The Encinitas Turkey Trot closes the north- and southbound lanes of Coast Highway 101 from Encinitas Boulevard to Chesterfield during the race. Base registration is $68 for an adult 5K and $78 for an adult 10K, plus fees. The youth price is $49 for ages 12 to 17, the child price is $19 for ages 5 to 11, and the 1K fun run is free.
On the Cardiff side, the Holiday Passport to Savings offers discounts at more than 20 local businesses from Nov. 28 through Jan. 31, 2027. You can pick one up at the Cardiff Farmers Market, the Cardiff library, California Coast Credit Union's Encinitas branch, or Kringle Mingle itself. If you get the passport at the market on Dec. 6, you can still use it for almost two more months.
Deck the Windows is the link between the run-up and the weekend. Its art week starts the day after Shop Small Saturday and ends at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6, so it overlaps all three days of the holiday weekend.
Getting to Friday's market
The market and the lighting share one parking lot, and the market is using part of it. The Chamber has named Pacific View Arts Center as overflow parking. Booths open at 2 p.m. and festivities start at 4 p.m. Last year the countdown came as the sunset faded, so an early-December sunset is a good guide for when the tree will light up. To see the tree itself, look up from the lot toward Fourth and C. The Danforth brothers planted it 74 years ago, and it now stands more than 90 feet above Moonlight Beach.
At Folio Real Estate, we pay attention to what holds an Encinitas block together year after year: a 1952 pine, a street fair coordinated since 1984, a parade themed to the city's 40th year. If you'd like to talk about owning or investing in this part of the coast with people who know its calendar as well as its comps, Build Your Folio With Us.
