When is the Montana Capitol Christmas tree lighting?

It moves each year but has fallen on a weekday evening in the first week of December (Dec. 1, 2025; Dec. 2, 2024; Dec. 4, 2023). The 2026 date has not been announced.

Is the Capitol tree lighting free?

Yes, it is free and open to the public in the Capitol rotunda at 1301 E. Sixth Ave.

Where does Montana's Capitol Christmas tree come from?

A different Montana national forest each year; the 2025 tree was a 29-foot Douglas fir cut near Seeley Lake.

Is the Original Governor's Mansion open for the holidays?

In past years the Montana Historical Society has held a free Holiday Open House there in early December, and after reopening from construction in fall 2026 it scheduled a holiday-themed event for Nov. 27, 2026, with registration required.

Is there a candlelight tour of the Governor's Mansion?

No candlelight-specific tour was found in current Montana Historical Society programming; the confirmed holiday offering is a daytime self-guided Holiday Open House.

Community

Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting and Original Governor's Mansion Holiday Open House

The governor lights a Montana-grown Douglas fir in the Capitol rotunda most years in early December, and the Montana Historical Society opens the Original Governor's Mansion for free holiday tours the same week.

When

Tree lighting is a weekday evening in the first week of December; the Mansion holiday open house is a Saturday afternoon in early December

Dates not announced yet

Where

Montana State Capitol rotunda; Original Governor's Mansion

1301 E 6th Ave, Helena, MT 59601 (Capitol); 304 N Ewing St, Helena, MT 59601 (Original Governor's Mansion)

Cost

Both events are free

By Governor's Office (tree lighting); Montana Historical Society (mansion open house)

About Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting and Original Governor's Mansion Holiday Open House

Montana's governor holds an annual tree-lighting ceremony in the State Capitol rotunda, typically on a weekday evening in the first days of December. The tree is a Douglas fir cut from a different Montana national forest each year (the 2025 tree, a 29-foot fir, came from near Seeley Lake); crews string it with thousands of lights and hundreds of ornaments before the governor leads a public countdown, often with a school choir performing carols. The Montana Historical Society separately runs a Holiday Open House at the Original Governor's Mansion at 304 N. Ewing St., a Queen Anne house that served as the residence for Montana's first families from 1913 to 1959.

Both events are free and open to the public. The tree lighting is inside the Capitol at 1301 E. Sixth Ave. and draws a walk-up crowd of families; recent years have paired it with the governor's '12 Days of Giving' charity push. The Mansion's open house has run as a self-guided visit from roughly noon to 4 p.m. on a December Saturday, with piano music, holiday decor, and cookies and hot drinks for kids. The Mansion closed for porch and balustrade construction on Nov. 1, 2025 and reopened in fall 2026 with Saturday tours at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. by registration. For 2026 the Historical Society scheduled a holiday-themed event there on Nov. 27, also by registration.

What happens

Governor-led countdown and lighting of a Montana-grown Douglas fir in the Capitol rotunda
Free self-guided holiday viewing of the decorated Original Governor's Mansion
Piano music, cookies and hot drinks for kids at the Mansion open house
School choir performances (Carroll College choirs sang at the 2025 tree lighting)

Tips

The exact tree-lighting date moves year to year (Dec. 1 in 2025, Dec. 2 in 2024, Dec. 4 in 2023) and is usually announced by the Governor's Office in mid-to-late November
Mansion tours and the 2026 holiday event on Nov. 27 require registration through the Montana Historical Society
Capitol parking fills up for the tree lighting; the building is a short walk from downtown Last Chance Gulch

Official site & tickets →