Press Release: 12/3/2025

WCVB to air "Holiday Lights" Annual Tree Lighting Special on December 4 at 7pm

 



Holiday Lights



BOSTON —



Get ready to kick off the holiday season with “Holiday Lights,” WCVB’s award-winning, live broadcast of the City of Boston’s official tree-lighting! Sure to make your spirits bright, the star-studded show will feature a variety of musical performances and will be hosted by Chronicle co-anchors Anthony Everett and Shayna Seymour. The show will be televised live from the Boston Common on Thursday, December 4th from 7-8 PM and will stream live and on demand on WCVB’s streaming platform, Very Local. 



This year marks the city’s 84th annual tree lighting celebration on the Common and the 54th year that Nova Scotia has gifted a tree to the people of Boston. The ‘Tree for Boston,’ a 45-foot white spruce tree, is an annual gift from Nova Scotia as a thank you for sending emergency aid to the province after the explosion in Halifax Harbor over 100 years ago and will be displayed on the Boston Common throughout the holiday season. 



 



Advertisement



Performances Include:




  • Headliners, The Pointer Sisters! 3X Grammy Award–Winners including for “Fairytale” (1974)— Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, making them the first Black female group to win in a country category. They have been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and celebrated by the Smithsonian Institution for breaking genre barriers and their music influence. The group is now led by Ruth Pointeralongside daughter, Issa Pointer, and granddaughter, Sadako Pointer. They maintain a busy touring schedule and perform the music of The Pointer Sisters all over the world. They will sing the chart-topping, global hits “I’m So Excited” and “Jump (For My Love)” as well as their special holiday version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” 

  • From Nova Scotia, blues sensation, Matt Andersen

  • Nova Scotia’s alternative-pop singer-songwriter, Maggie Andrew

  • Disney on Broadway’s, Belinda Allyn, performing “Beauty and the Beast” presented by Broadway In Boston

  • A performance by The Handel and Haydn Society Youth Choruses



The special will culminate with a countdown to the lighting of the tree by event host, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. Mayor Wu will be joined by the Honourable Tim Houston, Premier of Nova Scotia, and Santa Claus himself, for the lighting and will close with a pyrotechnic display. 



This year’s tree hails from Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia and is a gift from Ronald and Claire Freener. The ‘Tree for Boston’ is a deeply rooted tradition in Nova Scotia. On December 6, 1917, two ships collided in Halifax Harbor, causing a devastating explosion. It killed nearly 2,000 people and left hundreds severely injured and homeless. This year marks the 108th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion. For over half a century, the ‘Tree for Boston’ has become the province’s annual thank you to Boston for sending medical personnel and supplies to Nova Scotia during a great time of need and within hours of the tragedy. 



The broadcast is made possible by a partnership with The City of Boston Parks and Recreation, WCVB , and The Province of Nova Scotia.



How To Watch:



WCVB: LIVE Televised “Holiday Lights” special on WCVB, Thursday, December 4th at 7-8PM. Encore Presentation on Sunday, December 21st at 12-1PM.



Very Local Powered By WCVB: LIVE Streaming as well as on-demand access to “Holiday Lights” will be available exclusively through the Very Local app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, or through the app store on your mobile device. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD



ABOUT WCVB



WCVB is Boston’s broadcast/digital media leader, providing news, weather, sports, community service and entertainment on multiple platforms including WCVB, wcvb.com, WCVB mobile and MeTV Boston. Founded by community leaders in 1972, WCVB is committed to its mission to serve the region with quality local content. In addition to 47 hours of NewsCenter 5 coverage each week, original offerings include Chronicle, the nation’s longest running local news magazine; CityLine, a weekly urban magazine program; and On The Record, a weekly political roundtable. WCVB, Boston’s ABC affiliate station, is owned by Hearst Television, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst, a leading media company whose global holdings include 33 television stations and two radio stations. Follow us on Facebook (wcvb5) and X (@wcvb).



ABOUT HEARST TELEVISION



Hearst Television owns and/or operates 35 television and two radio stations serving 27 media markets across 39 states reaching 24 million U.S. television households. Through its partnership with nearly all major networks, Hearst Television distributes national content over more than 120 video channels including programming from ABC, NBC, CBS, CW, MY Net, MeTV, Estrella and more. The radio stations are leaders in Baltimore news/talk and rock music listenership. Its Hearst Media Production Group unit produces original programming across linear and streaming platforms for domestic and international distribution. Its Very Local app, free to download on household OTT devices and available across popular streaming services, offers 24/7 access to local news, weather and an array of local and regional programming. Hearst Television is recognized as one of the industry's premier companies and has been honored with numerous awards for distinguished journalism, industry innovation, and community service. Hearst Television is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst.