The tree that will light up Millennium Plaza on December 6 hasn't been picked yet. The City of Yakima and the Downtown Association of Yakima are taking nominations of evergreens on private property, and they will make a final selection on Monday, November 9. That is four days after this post goes up. Downtown's holiday centerpiece is a neighbor's tree. It gets chosen by whether a crane can reach it, it has been getting taller every few years, and this season it will stand across the street from a theater that goes dark for construction in 2027.
What the City Is Asking For
The October 23 announcement from the City of Yakima is specific. A good-looking tree is only part of it. The tree needs to be:
- A well-shaped evergreen standing 35 to 50 feet tall
- Easy to get to for removal
- In a spot with room for a 25-foot by 45-foot crane
- Close to enough space for a 50-foot trailer
To nominate a tree, call Cally Price, Assistant to the City Manager, at 509-575-6040. A representative from the Downtown Association will then contact the owner to set up a time to look at the tree and check access. For general questions, the Downtown Association takes calls at 509-571-1328 and email at [email protected].
The owner of the selected tree pays nothing for its removal.
A Crane Decides Which Trees Qualify
Many people picture the trees on the edges of their lot or along the back fence when they think about a tall evergreen. The access rule takes most of those out right away. Taking down a 45-foot tree in a residential yard would usually mean a chainsaw and a lot of cleanup. Here the tree is cut and lifted out by crane instead of felled, and the city says the whole removal is done the same day. The 2026 lift is scheduled for Wednesday, November 18.
That kind of lift takes a crew. The Downtown Association coordinates it with the City of Yakima, the Yakima Police Department, Russell Crane and Carrell Crane. A tree that fits the height range but sits behind a house, under power lines or down a narrow side yard may never get past the first site visit. A front-yard spruce with an open driveway and a wide street out front has a much better shot. The real requirement is a tree that is tall enough and that a crane can reach.
The Trees Have Been Getting Taller
The Yakima Herald-Republic traces the plaza tree lighting back to 2001, when it started as the end of the downtown parade. The tree has been lit at the plaza after the parade every year since. Over the past decade, the trees have come from all over town:
| Year | Tree | Where it came from |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | About 40 feet, spruce | A Terrace Heights resident |
| 2018 | 25 feet, evergreen | A local family |
| 2022 | 30 feet, evergreen | Near 30th Avenue and Tieton Drive |
| 2023 | Not reported | A local couple |
| 2024 | Not reported | The same couple, two years running |
| 2025 | 45 feet, over 7,000 pounds | Nominated by a downtown resident |
The 2022 tree was 30 feet. The one that went up last November was 45 feet, and NBC Right Now reported that it was the largest community tree the city had put up. The same report explains how it fit. The Millennium Plaza Foundation paid to make the hole for the tree bigger, which made room for a larger display. This year's call asks for 35 to 50 feet. The bottom of that range is taller than the 2018 and 2022 trees, and the top is five feet taller than last year's record. Thanks to the bigger hole, a tree that would have been too large a few years ago can now be accepted.
Curt Wilson, executive director of the Downtown Association of Yakima, described the effort behind last year's tree to NBC Right Now:
"The community comes together to make it happen and our partners come together."
A Month of Downtown Dates, With the Tree in the Middle
Between selection day and the lighting, the rest of the downtown calendar fills in around the tree. Here is how the next month lines up:
- Saturday, November 7. The 10th annual Sip and Stroll runs noon to 5 p.m., rain or shine, with Yakima beer, wine, cider and spirits producers pouring at businesses around downtown. Check in at the Downtown Association office, 14 S. First St., between noon and 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and include a commemorative glass and five tasting scrips. Extra scrips cost $3 on site. The event is 21+, so bring ID. The office you check in at belongs to the same organization that will be scouting nominated trees that week.
- Saturday, November 7, evening. The Yakima Symphony Orchestra plays the Beethoven Violin Concerto at the Capitol Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Adult tickets range from $20 to $96, and child and student tickets from $0 to $14, facility fees included.
- Monday, November 9. Final selection of the Community Christmas Tree.
- Wednesday and Thursday, November 11–12. The Music Man plays the Capitol Theatre at 7:30 p.m. both nights, with tickets from $34 to $100, facility fees included.
- Wednesday, November 18. The chosen tree is cut, lifted by crane, and moved to Millennium Plaza.
- Saturday, November 28. The Downtown Association hosts Small Business Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a Shop Small Passport raffle. The 2026 list of participating businesses is still being finalized.
- Sunday, December 6. The Holiday Lighted Parade starts at 6 p.m. in front of the Salvation Army on Sixth Avenue, heads down Yakima Avenue and finishes in front of the Capitol Theatre. The tree lighting is the finale. Entries are free, and the parade is presented by the Sunfair Parade Association, the City of Yakima and the Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce, according to the Yakima Parades portal.
The Theater Behind the Tree
Millennium Plaza, at 22 S. Third St., sits across from the Capitol Theatre. That means this year's tree will be lit in front of a building whose own schedule is about to change.
The theater's Your Capitol Theatre campaign has a $16 million goal, with $5 million expected from government support and $11 million from the community. The plan includes:
- New seats in a reconfigured layout, accessible aisles and seating, a replacement elevator, and an ADA-compliant family restroom on the lower level
- Backstage artist space in the 4th Street Theatre, updated audio, video and lighting systems, and a new balcony rail for lighting and projection
- Roof-leak repairs, plaster cleaning and repair, new lobby and auditorium carpet, restored poster windows on the façade, stained-glass repairs, and LED lighting inside the building and on the façade
The theater's FAQ lays out the schedule. The Capitol Theatre and the 4th Street Theatre both stay fully open for the 2026–27 season. Construction in the historic theater starts in June 2027, and that venue stays dark through summer 2028. The 4th Street Theatre keeps hosting performances and events through the 2027–28 season. The Capitol is set to reopen in November 2028, 50 years after its first grand reopening in November 1978. The building first opened on May 5, 1920, as campaign chair Susie Temple notes on the campaign page.
If that schedule holds, next December's parade will end in front of a theater that is closed for construction, and the Capitol won't light up again behind the plaza tree until the 2028 holidays. The December 6 lighting this year is the last time the tree goes up across from a fully open Capitol for a while. The season's shows, from the November 7 symphony concert to The Music Man the following week, are part of that last full season before construction.
So if you have a 40-foot evergreen with clear access from the street, you have until November 9 to call it in. The tree that gets picked will be lit this December across from the Capitol Theatre during its last full season before the work begins.
Whether you're calling the city about a tall spruce in your front yard or just planning a December evening on Third Street, the team at CB Cascade keeps up with downtown Yakima's calendar all year. Connect with a local expert today.
