What is left to light on November 22 when the trees on Washington Street have been glowing every evening since last November?
In October 2025, the Town of Yountville signed an agreement with Stafford Lights to buy and install lighting across town on trees, buildings, walkways and bridges. Except for the holiday sparklers and balls, those lights have stayed on since the 2025 Town and Tree Lighting. On October 20, the Town Council made that permanent in practice. It directed staff to keep the trees, buildings, bridges and pathways lit year-round, according to the Napa Valley Register.
That changes what the holidays mean in Yountville. For years, the season began when the town lit up. Now the lights are part of the town year-round, like the sidewalks. The season is marked by the holiday tree, the seasonal sparklers and balls, and the run of gatherings at the Community Center between Halloween and the new year.
What has been lit since last November
The original Stafford Lights contract covered the installation and a year of maintenance through the end of 2026. The lit sites include:
- The trees along Washington Street
- Town Hall, Yountville Commons and the Community Center, which all have permanent building lighting
- The Hopper Creek bridge at the French Laundry Garden
- The bridge at Villagio Vineyard
- The walkway wall in front of Bardessono on Yount Street
The tree cabling was designed for year-round use. According to the staff report prepared for the October 20 meeting, it stretches as the trees grow so it doesn't harm them. Staff can monitor the whole system from an app, change it, switch it on and off, and set timers by time of year. The Register reported that the lights currently turn off at midnight and come back on 90 minutes before dawn. Anyone walking Washington Street before sunrise on a winter morning will see them on.
What the council actually decided, and what it costs
The staff report asked the council three questions. Should the town stay lit 365 days a year? If not, should the buildings, bridges and Yount Street wall stay lit while the trees go dark? And should anything change about where the lights are installed, given that some sites have limited power access? The council chose to keep everything lit.
Staff described the electricity cost as "nominal," since every fixture is LED and the lights run only part of each day. The bigger cost is upkeep. The contractor visits monthly. Continuing the current setup under an annual contract would cost roughly $25,000 to $30,000 a year, covering replacement lights, maintenance and support for the tree-lighting event. That money isn't in the town's fiscal 2026-27 budget. Staff will run a procurement process and come back with a budget adjustment, and the new contract would start in 2027 when the current one ends.
For comparison, a preliminary fiscal 2025-26 spending plan for Yountville's tourism improvement district listed $25,000 for "Holiday/Festive Year Round Lighting" on the town's side of the ledger. That puts the idea of year-round lighting on paper before the lights went up.
Both comments in the Register's coverage were in favor. Natalie Leighton, president and CEO of the Yountville Chamber of Commerce, said visitors "think it adds good ambiance and adds to the kind of 'Hallmark look' of Yountville." Resident Doyaline Marchbanks said, "I would like to see the lights all year long, if the budget permits it." The full agenda and the meeting recording are on the town's meeting portal.
What November 22 still turns on
The Town & Tree Lighting is set for Sunday, November 22, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington Street. Admission is free. The town's event listing lays out the evening. Children's holiday crafts and activities run indoors from 4 to 5:45 p.m. Shortly before 6, everyone moves outside for special performances and the lighting of the Town and Holiday Tree. Leave pets at home. One Chamber schedule lists the event from 6 to 8 p.m. Go by the town's 4 to 7 p.m. listing, since the town is running the event.
So this year's switch-on is the holiday tree and the seasonal sparklers and balls, the only pieces that have been dark since last season. The Chamber is also asking Yountville businesses to put white lights on their exteriors in the countdown to the 22nd.
The event already had a long run before the lights became permanent. The Yountville Sun called the 2025 event the ninth annual Town and Tree Lighting and noted that lighting up the town had been an occasion for decades before that. Mayor Margie Mohler told the paper that night, "Yountville is truly the brightest town in Napa Valley during the holidays." The Chamber was already using the "Brightest Town in Napa Valley" line by 2020. When the lights are on all year, the tagline describes the town every month, not just in December.
The calendar that now marks the season
With the lights on all year, the town's own event calendar does more of the work of marking the season. Most of these events are run by the Town of Yountville and held at or near the Community Center, and the lineup starts before the tree goes up.
| Date | Event | Where and when |
|---|---|---|
| Through Oct. 30 | Pumpkin Hunt: pick up a map, find eight hidden pumpkins, return the map for a prize | Community Center, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Through Nov. 1 | Voting for your favorite scarecrow on display around town | Around town |
| Oct. 31 | Halloween Block Party, with a costume contest at 7 p.m. | North end of Washington Street, 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Nov. 17 | Local History Talk: Yountville, A Community of Families, Part 1, with historian Rebecca A. Yerger | Community Center, noon to 1 p.m. |
| Nov. 20 | Glow Pickleball under black lights | Community Center, 6 to 8 p.m. |
| Nov. 22 | Town & Tree Lighting | Community Center, 4 to 7 p.m. |
| Nov. 25 | Community Thanksgiving gathering | Community Center, 3 p.m. |
| Dec. 3 to Jan. 8 | Yountville Arts Youth Art Show | Steve Rogers Gallery, opening 5:30 p.m. |
A few of these need planning ahead. Children's activities at the Halloween Block Party run from 5 to 7:30 p.m., and local businesses are taking part. Earlier that morning, Yountville Fit is holding a Halloween Pop-Up Boo-Tcamp from 9:15 to 10 a.m. Register through Mindbody, and costumes are welcome if you can move in them. Glow Pickleball has limited space. The Thanksgiving gathering is for residents who might otherwise spend the holiday alone. Vice Mayor Reeves, the Yountville Chamber of Commerce and volunteers are organizing it, guests may bring a plus-one, and it asks for an RSVP. The Youth Art Show takes work from artists ages 5 to 18, and submissions are due Tuesday, November 10.
The Community Center gallery has a show up now as well. It's About Color: Selected Works by Betty Priolo runs through November 20.
Where the Chamber's season fits
The Chamber of Commerce runs the business side of the holidays. Holidays in Yountville goes from November 22, 2026, through January 1, 2027. The Chamber's holiday calendar says more than 100 seasonal events are planned. From Small Business Saturday on November 28 through December 9, the Chamber's 12 Days of Yountville Cheer campaign features limited-time offers from local businesses in wine, food, lodging, retail and experiences.
The Sip Yountville program also continues through the season. Drinks in town-approved cups can be carried within the downtown zone daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The zone covers Washington Street between Champagne Drive and Jackson Street, plus connecting stretches of Yount Street and Finnell Road. On a December evening, that means a walk from the Community Center past the lit Washington Street trees, with a stop at one of the participating spots. As of July, those included Bottega, Ciccio, Pancha's, North Block and The Yount Room. For dinner after the tree lighting, Clementine at 6525 Washington Street serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, so it's open on that Sunday.
The Chamber's season ends January 1. The Youth Art Show stays up through January 8. The Washington Street trees, the Hopper Creek bridge and the wall in front of Bardessono will stay lit, with a new maintenance contract expected in 2027.
If you'd like to know which streets and homes sit closest to the lit stretch of Washington Street and Yount Street, or how the lights look from a Yountville property you own or are considering, Yvonne Rich would be glad to walk Washington Street with you after dark. Contact Yvonne.
