‘Tis the season for Christmas tree lights! OK, let's have Halloween first, but it's not too early to at least start thinking about the National Christmas Tree Lighting outside the White House.
The event will feature musical performances before the live Christmas tree lights up the night on Thursday, Nov. 30 at President's Park (also known as the Ellipse), just south of the White House. The guest list and host haven’t been announced yet.
As usual, free tickets to the ceremony will be available through a lottery system. You can enter between Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. (yes, you'll still be eating leftover Halloween candy at that time) and Nov. 8 at 3 p.m.
To enter the lottery, visit recreation.gov and click/tap "TICKET LOTTERY" or call 877-444-6777, the National Park Service said. Lottery winners will be notified on Nov. 15.
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Important dates to know about the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony:
- Nov. 1: Free ticket lottery opens at 10 a.m. ET
- Nov. 8: Free ticket lottery closes at 3 p.m. ET
- Nov. 15: Lottery results announced
- Nov. 30: National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
- Dec. 2: The National Christmas Tree site opens to the public
- Dec. 15: CBS Network will broadcast the National Christmas Tree Lighting special at 8 p.m. ET
Last year was the ceremony’s 100th anniversary. The ceremony was first introduced by President Calvin Coolidge in 1923.
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