What To Expect At Buffalo's Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony

Outside of a bit of snow we had earlier in the month, there hasn't been a whole lot of holiday-related weather in the greater Buffalo area. If you were to take a walk around downtown Buffalo or any of the suburbs over the last few days, you would find cool temperatures and partially cloudy skies, but not a bit of snow. While there are tons of signs that Thanksgiving and Christmas is on the way, you aren't seeing it in the forecast.

Which is why on Thursday, November 20, 2025, it was a night sight to see workers in downtown Buffalo along Main Street putting in an honest day's work setting up a huge evergreen tree at Fountain Plaza on Main Street near Huron Street.

Downtown Buffalo's Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony Date Is Set

Fountain Plaza in the middle of Buffalo's central business district is often a hub of fun during the winter with ice skating and all sorts of other great activities going around. A key event that helps to kick off the winter and holiday season is the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony.

This year's ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, December 6th at Fountain Plaza in downtown Buffalo.

Festivities, which are set to get started at 5 pm, will feature free ice skating in Rotary Rink, holiday activities like hanging with Santa, and the tree lighting, which is set to happen at 6 pm. Once the tree is lit, the crowd will be treated to a fireworks show in downtown.

Ice Skating at Rotary Rink is free, but if you need to rent skates, adults can do so for $3, while the rental cost for kids is $2.

Community Bank is the lead sponsor for this year's tree lighting ceremony in partnership with the City of Buffalo and Buffalo Place.