Murrieta's Tree Lighting Traded Sponsored Trees for Wreaths Anyone Can Decorate

"After the event, take your wreath home to enjoy throughout the holiday season!" That line comes from the City of Murrieta's Festival of Wreaths participant application, and it describes a real change to one of the city's longest-running December traditions.

On Saturday, December 5, Town Square Park will host the Tree Lighting & Festival of Wreaths 2026. The display around the city's tree will be made of wreaths decorated by community members, families, businesses and organizations. Each one costs $20, and each goes home with whoever decorated it. Last year's version had a different name, different rules and a different price, and it was built mostly around local businesses. This year, the display is something any household can help build.

Last December, the Trees Mostly Came From Sponsors

In 2025 the event was called the Festival of Trees. It was held on December 6, 2025, from 5 to 8 p.m. at 11 Town Square, and Explore Murrieta's listing described it as free and open to all ages. The centerpiece was a park full of decorated trees "sponsored by local businesses, families, and organizations," along with a Dessert Lane, photos with Santa and the lighting of the city's tree.

Businesses were at the center of that setup. According to the city's 2025 business vendor and tree sponsor application, non-food vendors had to sponsor a tree as well as run a booth. The $100 bundle covered one festival tree with a stand, an extension cord for LED lights and a 10-by-10 booth space. Sponsors brought their own decorations and had to finish setting up between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on festival day.

What happened to the trees afterward was part of the appeal. A sponsoring business could do either of two things:

• Take the tree back to its storefront as a stop on the Holiday Tree Trail. This was part of the Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber's Shop Small this Season campaign, and visitors checked in at each stop with the Chamber's digital holiday passport.
• Donate the tree to a local family of its choosing, then handle pickup or delivery with that family on Sunday, December 7.

Individuals could take part too. Patch reported a $40 tree sponsorship for non-business individuals, families, community groups and nonprofits. The Chamber's 2025 Shop Small this Season page ran the campaign from November 29 to December 31. Shoppers uploaded receipts through Proxi for prize entries and scanned QR codes at decorated stops on the trail. After the event, Valley News reported that the lighting took place December 6 and that visitors could see holiday lights on the trees in Town Square Park.

This Year, a Wreath Gets You In

The 2026 setup is simpler and costs less. Here is how the two years compare, based on the city's applications and listings:

At $20, a wreath costs half of last year's $40 individual tree sponsorship. It also changes where the decorating happens. In 2025, sponsors spent festival day setting up trees in the park. This year you can pick up a wreath, decorate it at the kitchen table over several evenings, and carry it in already finished. The application also lets you decorate on event day if that suits your schedule better.

The application also changes where the decorations end up. The 2025 trees could go to a local family or to a storefront on the Chamber's trail. The 2026 application says wreaths "must be brought to the event for display and may be taken home following the event," and asks each applicant whether they plan to keep theirs.

The city's decorating guidelines are short:

• Keep decorations family-friendly.
• Use decorations that can handle being carried around and displayed outdoors.
• Attach everything securely to the wreath.
• Use battery-operated lights only.
• Bring your own decorations. Holiday themes, colors, handmade pieces and personal touches are all welcome.

The application also asks you to name your wreath and describe its theme. With that, a family's or scout troop's entry becomes a named piece in the display, the way business trees were last year.

The Dates That Matter Fall Before December

The festival itself is one evening, but most of the deadlines fall in November, and the first one is right at hand. Here is the sequence:

1. Food vendor applications. The city's food vendor page lists the deadline as 12:00 a.m. Pacific on November 13, which makes Thursday, November 12 the last full day to apply.
2. Business vendor applications. The business vendor page lists 11:00 a.m. Pacific on Friday, November 13.
3. Wreath applications. These close Monday, November 23, at 11:45 p.m. PST.
4. Wreath pickup. Pickup begins as early as Monday, November 30, which leaves five evenings to decorate before the festival.
5. Festival night. Saturday, December 5, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Town Square Park & Amphitheater, 11 Town Square. The city's tree lighting is at 6 p.m.

For Local Businesses, the Booth Now Stands on Its Own

Last year a Murrieta shop that wanted a booth also had to sponsor and decorate a tree. In 2026 the booth stands alone. Both the food and business applications charge $100 for a 10-by-10 space. A business that still wants something on display can enter a wreath for $20, the same as everyone else.

The vendor pages spell out the logistics:

• Vendors bring their own canopy, table and other equipment.
• Vehicles can unload at the booth but must move right away, and no one can park beside a booth.
• The food application says the event goes on rain or shine and that no water or electrical hookups are available.
• Vendors who are not Murrieta residents and don't operate in the city need a $13.25 temporary vendor permit. Vendors who can't provide the required minimum insurance pay $50 for one-day liability coverage. Murrieta residents and businesses need a current city business license.
• All listed fees are nonrefundable. Vendors are chosen from qualified applicants, and applying doesn't guarantee a spot.

The city says it selects vendors "to maintain variety and balance for the overall event experience," so the vendor rows should vary in what they offer.

What Festival Night Holds

The city's event listing promises live music, local vendors, photos with Santa and "a festive display of wreaths decorated by our community," with the tree lighting at 6 p.m. Last year's listing had a Dessert Lane. This year's listing links separate applications for food vendors and business vendors.

This year's evening runs 5 to 7:30 p.m., half an hour shorter than 2025's 5 to 8 p.m. With the lighting at 6, arriving by 5:30 gives you time to find your wreath on its stand, or a neighbor's, before the crowd gathers at the tree.

If your family is entering a wreath this year, I'd love to see what you make. Murrieta has been home for more than 30 years, and evenings like this one are a big part of why. If anything about your own home is on your mind this season, whether it's a question about value or a closing coming up in the new year, Sabrina Maricic is always happy to talk it through. Let's Connect.