Merry Healdsburg Tree Lighting & Night Market

Merry Healdsburg is the evening the town switches on its holidays. On a Friday in early December the Plaza fills for the lighting of its tree, with a night market of local shops, artisans and food makers set up around the square together with the Healdsburg Farmers' Market.

The evening also brings free horse-drawn carriage rides, free photos with Santa, a children's craft station and live holiday music, with the Healdsburg Community Chorus among the regular performers.

Healdsburg's Plaza is the town's living room, and this is the night it looks its best, with the tree lit and neighbors and visitors sharing the same square.

The night market is the practical reason to come: a chance to buy gifts from the people who make them, from local artisans to food producers, in a single stroll around the Plaza. Plan dinner in town and a night at one of the hotels around the square, and the tree lighting becomes the start of a December weekend rather than a quick stop.