With Thanksgiving over, and the leftovers dwindling in the fridge, it's officially the holiday season — and D.C. is celebrating this week with a couple of major tree lighting events.
The District officially welcomed in the holiday season as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress lit the Capitol's Christmas tree on Tuesday evening.
On Wednesday night, it's the White House's turn.
While the lights on the trees may be merry and bright, the lights of the bumper-to-bumper traffic that might accompany the events aren't. Here's what to know about road closures near the Capitol and the White House, so you can avoid a traffic nightmare before Christmas.
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When Is the White House Christmas Tree Lighting?
The Christmas tree outside the White House, also known as the National Tree, is officially getting lit up Wednesday in its home on the White House Ellipse in President's Park.
It's a living, 27-foot white fir planted last October, after the previous live tree designated as the National Christmas Tree was removed in May 2021 due to a fungal tree disease.
Unlike the Capitol tree ceremony on the West Lawn, the outdoor White House tree lighting is only open to those who were granted tickets via a lottery system, which closed Nov. 1. The ceremony will be televised on CBS on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. and will appear online the next day, according to the National Park Foundation's news release about the event.
The 100th lighting ceremony for the outdoor White House tree will be hosted by LL Cool J and will feature on-stage performances by Grammy-winning gospel singer Yolanda Adams and Oscar-winning actress Ariana DeBose. Other performers include Gloria Estefan, Andy Grammer, Joss Stone and Shania Twain.
If you're already getting into the Christmas spirit, you can visit the tree in-person before the ceremony on TV. After the lighting ceremony on Wednesday, the National Tree will be open to the public starting Dec. 2, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, according to the NPF.
The tree is free to visit and will stay up until Jan. 1, 2023.
There's also an indoor tree traditionally set up in the Blue Room of the White House. If you remember last week's delivery of a massive, 18-foot-tall tree to first lady Dr. Jill Biden, that's the concolor fir from Auburn, Pennsylvania, that now takes up so much space that the chandelier had to be removed from the room.
This year's tree was "presented by the Shealer Family of Evergreen Acres Christmas Tree Farm, the 2022 Grand Champion Grower in the National Christmas Tree Association’s annual contest," according to the White House.
What Are the Roads Closures for the White House Christmas Tree Lighting?
The White House's National Tree Lighting ceremony is the one likely to cause a huge traffic snarl.
These streets will be marked as "Emergency No Parking" Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to the Metropolitan Police Department:
- 17th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue to Constitution Avenue NW
- Constitution Avenue between 18th and 14th streets NW
- 15th Street between F Street and Constitution Avenue NW
Meanwhile, these streets will be closed Wednesday from 1 p.m. until about 7 p.m., with a warning from the MPD that "all street closures and listed times are subject to change based upon prevailing or unexpected conditions":
- 17th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Independence Avenue SW
- C Street between 17th and 18th streets NW
- D Street between 17th and 18th streets NW
- E Street between 17th and 18th streets NW
- F Street between 17th and 18th streets NW
- G Street between 17th and 18th streets NW
- New York Avenue between 17th and 18th streets NW
- Constitution Avenue between 18th and 14th streets NW
- 15th Street between F Street and Independence Avenue SW
- Pennsylvania Avenue between 14th and 15th streets NW
MPD also warned drivers to be careful, as there will likely be more pedestrians in those areas.
When Is the Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting?
The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree was lit on Tuesday night, in a ceremony on the West Front Lawn.
The 78-foot-tall red spruce from North Carolina, nicknamed "Ruby," arrived in D.C. on Nov. 18, and spent the past week and a half getting decked out by employees from the Architect of the Capitol's Grounds and Arboretum team. According to the Architect of the Capitol, the tree is decorated with "thousands of handcrafted ornaments from the people of North Carolina."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will light this year's tree during Tuesday's free, open-to-the-public ceremony. No ticket is needed for those who want to attend.
After that, the lights will be on every night from nightfall to 11 p.m., until Jan. 1, 2023.
What Roads Will Be Closed During the Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting?
According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Capitol Police, the following road closures begin Tuesday at 4 p.m., and last through the end of the Capitol tree lighting ceremony:
- First Street between Constitution Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW
- Pennsylvania Avenue between First Street NW and Third Street NW
- Maryland Avenue between First Street SW and Third Street SW
Drivers in the area, such as Capitol Hill staffers, will be able to drive out of the closed roads, but no traffic can enter the closed areas until after the ceremony.
