The tree at Old School Square goes up as a stack of aluminum rings. Each ring is a little smaller than the one under it, a crane lifts them into place, and the star goes on last. Work starts in mid-October. The frame and the houses take 10 to 14 days to set, and then volunteers and City staff spend about a month on the inside. So for weeks before the lights come on, the tree is already finished on the outside while the real work happens inside.
That work has one deadline. On Tuesday, December 1, Santa lights the tree at 7 p.m., and December starts for downtown Delray Beach. The tree was put there in the first place to bring people downtown, and the City's 2026 calendar still works that way. Nearly every December event is either at the tree or on the stretch of Atlantic Avenue it sits on.
The Tree Started as a Plan to Bring People Downtown
The tree arrived in 1993 for business reasons. The Palm Beach Post reported that the Downtown Development Authority bought a 50-foot tree that year to help grow downtown's economy, at a time when downtown "wasn't always as buzzing with people as it is today." According to Old School Square, the first tree came from a park in Miami.
Two years later, for the city's centennial in 1995, the DDA bought another 50 feet. The DDA's own event listing calls it "100 feet for 100 years." The height has been 100 feet ever since.
The current frame dates to 2017. The Post reported that city leaders found the original steel frame had rusted and cracked to the point of being unsafe. The aluminum replacement cost taxpayers nearly $800,000 and has gone up every year since on North Swinton Avenue, built with help from volunteers, some of whom have been doing it for decades. The Post's comparisons give a sense of the size. The tree is about 20 feet taller than the one at Rockefeller Center and twice the height of Bryant Park's.
The City counts 2026 as the tree's 33rd year.
Inside, the Tree Shows Delray's Own Buildings
The tree is hollow, and walking through it costs nothing. The City's tree page counts 18,000 ornaments and 217,980 LED lights, plus six houses in and around the tree, each decorated down to small details. The DDA says the inside of the tree tells the story of Delray as the "Village by the Sea" through animated holiday scenes.
Local institutions decorate those houses. This year the City credits:
- Spady Cultural Heritage Museum for decorating the "Spady House" inside the tree
- Amanda Perna for decorating the "Cornell Museum" inside the tree
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church for providing the crèche
- Volunteer decorators Jeff Maul, Mary "Mike" Williams, Donna Webber, Ginny Hyde, Judy Giovino, Joan Mead, Carol Jehle, Sue Revi, Diane Aldofio and Charles Rhein
Old School Square's event page for the 2023 walk-through also listed the Train Depot and Sundy House among the Delray landmarks visitors could learn about inside. All of these are real downtown buildings shown at holiday scale, inside a structure meant to bring people to the actual ones.
The City says its most frequently asked question is whether the tree is real, and its FAQ answers it this way.
"It may not have grown from mother nature, but the blood, sweat and tears building it is real... So, 'is the tree real?' Yes."
On December 1, Atlantic Avenue Becomes Part of the Event
The lighting runs well beyond Old School Square. On December 1, the Yuletide Street Fair closes Atlantic Avenue to traffic from Swinton Avenue to NE 5th Avenue, from 6 to 9 p.m. The City's event listing puts more than 60 vendors along Atlantic Avenue, Old School Square and Pineapple Grove, food trucks on Swinton Avenue, a silent disco and LED games.
The same listing says there will be a sensory-friendly room in the Old School Square Creative Arts School, and The Creative Arts School is sponsoring the craft area.
Holiday Village opens around the tree that night with a carousel, ice skating, mini golf and Santa's House. Prices are:
| Activity | 2026 price | Holiday exceptions |
|---|---|---|
| Walk through the tree | Free | None listed |
| Holiday Carousel | $6 per ride | Free rides December 24 and 25 |
| Ice skating | $6 | Closed December 24 and 25 |
| Mini golf | $6 | Closed December 24 and 25 |
| Ride All Day Wristband | $20 | None listed |
| Santa photo | $10 take-away photo | None listed |
Tickets are sold at the Gingerbread Ticket House. On lighting night the last ticket sells at 8:30 p.m., and the City says that may change with the crowd. Refunds aren't offered. Before a weeknight visit later in the season, check the City's tree page for village and Santa's House hours.
The Rest of December Comes Back to the Same Corner
After opening night, the City's calendar keeps bringing people back to the tree. Three of the six City holiday events after December 1 are listed at Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., and the parade runs past the tree on Atlantic Avenue:
- Saturday, December 5, 6 p.m.: Holiday School Spectacular, Old School Square
- Sunday, December 6, 5 p.m.: Grand Chanukah Festival and Menorah Lighting, Old School Square, presented with Chabad of East Delray
- Thursday, December 10, 6 to 8 p.m.: Cocoa, Cookies and Crafts
- Friday, December 11, 6 p.m.: Holiday Boat Parade on the Intracoastal Waterway
- Saturday, December 12, 6 p.m.: Holiday Parade, "Neon North Pole," on Atlantic Avenue
- Thursday, December 17, 5 to 9 p.m.: Twilight Tree Market, Old School Square
The Twilight Tree Market is billed as a one-night pop-up next to the tree, with vendors selling handcrafted holiday goods, ornaments, decorations, winter wear and seasonal treats.
The Parade Passes the Tree, and the Boat Parade Raises the Bridges
The Holiday Parade on December 12 runs along Atlantic Avenue from the Intracoastal bridge to NW 5th Avenue, so it crosses Swinton Avenue right at the tree. The City lists more than 70 floats, marching bands, dance teams and walking groups. Awards go to the Grand Float, Best Non-Profit, Best Dance/Cheer Group, Best Business/Commercial and Best Marching Band, and Santa rides along on a Delray Beach Fire Department truck.
The boat parade the night before is the only event on the City's list that takes place on the water. Its route starts in Lantana, where the boats are expected to head south at about 6:30 p.m. They pass through Boynton Beach and finish at the C-15 Canal south of Linton Boulevard. Guests are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Toys for Tots collection. The City lists these places to watch:
- Deck 84, 840 E. Atlantic Ave.
- Veterans Park, 802 N.E. 1st St.
- Knowles Park, 1001 S. Federal Hwy.
- Boynton Harbor Marina, 735 Casa Loma Blvd., in Boynton Beach
Drivers should plan for the bridges. The drawbridges stay up while the boats pass under them, and the City gives estimated times based on past years:
| Bridge | Estimated time |
|---|---|
| George Bush Boulevard | 7:45 p.m. |
| Atlantic Avenue | 8:00 p.m. |
| Linton Boulevard | 8:15 p.m. |
The City calls these times estimates and says it is hard to predict exactly when each bridge will reopen. If you're driving between the beach and the mainland on December 11, the Atlantic Avenue bridge around 8 p.m. is the one to avoid.
The tree and Santa's Holiday Village stay up through New Year's Day, according to the DDA. For questions, the City's Parks and Recreation staff are at 561-243-7250, option 3.
At Premiere Realty, we live and work around these same blocks, and we keep track of what changes on Atlantic Avenue year to year. If you own a home near downtown and want to know what it's worth this season, request a free home valuation from Stephen and Michael Aron and our team, or browse our Delray Beach neighborhood guide.
