The trees along Post Oak Boulevard are 20 feet tall. Each holds 250 LED light units that can produce more than 16 million color combinations, and together they run about two miles from the West Loop to Richmond Avenue. There are more than 300 of them, set among pedestrian lighting, stainless steel rings and more than 1,000 stars. Last season, as KHOU reported, the lights came on Sunday, Nov. 2, the day daylight saving time ended, and stayed on through the New Year.
Uptown's season now starts quietly on the street and gathers its crowd somewhere else. The public kickoff has moved inside The Galleria, to the ice rink, on Friday, Nov. 13.
The Night That Used to Open the Season
For years, the lights came on during an evening built around them. Uptown Houston's 2022 announcement described a free event on Thanksgiving night, Nov. 24, 2022. It had a holiday market starting at 4 p.m., a balcony contest at 6:30 p.m., and a tree-light show with fireworks at 7 p.m.
The next fall, the district posted its 2023 holiday season page on Oct. 23, 2023. It promised the same 300 trees and 1,000 stars and said Uptown would be lit "earlier than ever." It also included one short line in italics:
"Please note the Uptown Holiday Lighting event will no longer occur."
The page then told visitors to "catch the dazzling lights along Post Oak Boulevard throughout the holiday season." The lights became something to see whenever you are passing, with no single night to plan around.
| Thanksgiving night, 2022 | The current pattern | |
|---|---|---|
| When the boulevard lights begin | Lit during a 7 p.m. show on Thanksgiving night | Last season, Sunday, Nov. 2, the day daylight saving time ended |
| Where the crowd gathers | Post Oak Boulevard | Ice at The Galleria |
| Program | 4 p.m. market, 6:30 p.m. balcony contest, 7 p.m. light show and fireworks | 45-minute tree lighting with music, skaters and Santa |
| Cost | Free | No RSVP needed for the tree lighting |
The Lights Now Follow the Clock
Moving the switch-on from Thanksgiving to the end of daylight saving time adds about three weeks to the season. In 2022 the ceremony fell on Nov. 24. Last season the trees were lit by Nov. 2. The timing also makes practical sense. Once the clocks fall back, it is dark by the evening drive home, so a display that runs along a commuter boulevard gets seen at rush hour.
This year daylight saving time ended on Sunday, Nov. 1. Visit Houston's holiday lights guide lists Uptown's 2026 season as running from November through December, with the same 300 trees, 1,000 stars and two-mile stretch from the West Loop to Richmond Avenue.
With no evening event on the boulevard, the trees are something you see in passing, from a car on Post Oak, on a walk after dinner, or through a bus window. They no longer get one night of attention. The single night of attention now belongs to the mall.
The Ceremony Moved to the Rink
The Galleria's Holiday Tree Lighting is Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. at Ice at The Galleria. Simon lists live entertainment, professional figure skating and the official tree lighting, and no RSVP is needed.
PaperCity's event listing has the program. The 45-minute celebration, from 6 to 6:45 p.m., lights a 55-foot tree with 450,000 lights and 5,000 ornaments. Performers include the cast of Stages' The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical, The Rice Philharmonics and Space City Sound. Professional skaters Madison Vinci, Timmothy Dolensky, and Deanna Panin with Iarosla Savenko will perform, along with the Ice at The Galleria ensemble. Santa appears, and Houston Pets Alive joins as a community partner.
The date is a week later than last year's. PaperCity's 2025 listing put the ceremony on Nov. 6, also from 6 to 6:45 p.m.
Ice at The Galleria closed Monday, Nov. 2, through Thursday, Nov. 5, to install the tree. The rink reopens to the public today, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m., with public skating from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. and Learn to Skate at 5:30 p.m. Skating this afternoon means skating beside the new tree eight days before it is officially lit.
The rink is also selling tickets to Nutcracker on Ice 2026 at $70 each through its office at 832.643.0307. Seating is unassigned.
Nov. 5 Through New Year's Eve, in Order
The mall's calendar fills the time the old single night used to cover. Simon runs a season-long program called It's a Holiday Thing at The Galleria from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. These are the dates with times attached:
- Thursday, Nov. 5. Ice at The Galleria reopens at 3 p.m., with public skating from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 13. The tree lighting runs from 6 to 6:45 p.m. at the rink. Santa Photos begin the same day and continue through Dec. 24.
- Thursday, Nov. 26. The Galleria is closed for Thanksgiving.
- Friday, Nov. 27. Black Friday hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 6. A Special Visit With Caring Santa is offered for children with special needs. Reservations are required.
- Thursday, Dec. 24. Christmas Eve hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 25. The Galleria is closed.
- Thursday, Dec. 31. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thanksgiving night shows the change most clearly. In 2022 that evening drew a crowd to Post Oak for the market and fireworks. This year The Galleria is closed that day, and the boulevard season will already be well underway.
Seeing Both Without the Car
The two parts of the season sit close together, the mall's tree inside and the boulevard's trees outside. METRO's Route 433 Silver Line stops at Uptown Park, San Felipe, and Westheimer/Galleria. It runs every 20 minutes for most operating hours on weekdays and weekends, and the regular fare is $1.25. METRO's route page posts current alerts for anyone riding on a busy evening such as Nov. 13.
On tree-lighting night, the Westheimer/Galleria stop lets you arrive without driving.
If you are planning a holiday evening around the Galleria tree, the Post Oak lights or guests visiting from out of town, I'm happy to share how I'd fit Uptown's calendar together. Austin Oztan is available when you'd like to talk. Schedule a Consultation.
