At 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, the City of Menlo Park will light the oak in Fremont Park and call it the start of the city's Centennial Celebration. In June, that same event was on a list of proposed budget cuts.
Both facts point the same way. The city is not paying for a separate set of 100th-birthday events. It is running the centennial through events it already holds, and this winter's holiday series is the first place that plan meets a crowd.
In June, the tree lighting was a line item
In June, The Almanac reported that city staff had recommended ending the annual winter tree lighting at Fremont Park and the holiday tree at the Belle Haven Community Campus, which together would save $70,000. The same package proposed ending a $43,000 contract to maintain the decorative string lights on downtown trees. Under that plan, the existing lights would stay up but would not be repaired or replaced when they failed.
The numbers behind the proposal give it scale. Staff projected a $2.8 million deficit in a $90.5 million budget for the fiscal year that started July 1, 2026. The full list of recommended cuts came to an extra $700,000. Measured against that, the two tree lightings were about a tenth of the proposed savings. They were also among the most visible things the city does all year.
The council didn't simply approve the cuts as written. According to the approved minutes of the June 9 meeting, one public speaker urged the city to pay for the holiday tree lighting with non-public resources. The council's directions to staff included:
- Reducing tree lights in the Santa Cruz Avenue medians between University Drive and Doyle Drive
- Reviewing whether holiday tree lighting event funds could cover the cost of tree lighting
- Continuing the proposed library and community services reductions while prioritizing staff
By fall, the Fremont Park event was back on the city calendar, and it had picked up a bigger role.
A centennial built from events already on the calendar
Menlo Park's current incorporation dates to Nov. 23, 1927. The Menlo Park Historical Association's timeline notes an earlier incorporation in 1874. That makes 2027 the 100th anniversary of the city as it exists now.
The city's plan for the anniversary fits on one slide. At the City Council's March 21, 2026 priority-setting workshop, Assistant to the City Manager and City Clerk Judi A. Herren presented a centennial outline. It called for folding centennial activities into existing city events, with seven events between December 2026 and November 2027. The partners listed were the Menlo Park Historical Association, local businesses and community groups, and the outline ends with a centennial event in November 2027. The slide said more details would follow in August.
The full list of seven events hasn't been published. The Historical Association's Fall 2026 newsletter, dated Sept. 1, says the group "welcomes ideas on how to celebrate the city's 2027 incorporation centennial." So the first event of the year is set and most of the rest is still open. Residents who want a hand in what the centennial looks like have an organization asking for input.
The kickoff fits the plan. The city's event page describes a "winter wonderland" event in downtown Menlo Park with free family entertainment, youth performances, centennial and winter-themed photo opportunities, hot cocoa while it lasts, and the tree lighting. It runs rain or shine at Fremont Park, at Santa Cruz Avenue and University Drive, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event's full name, "Shop local! Light Up the Season," spells out its other purpose. The city's description asks people to shop and dine at Menlo Park small businesses while they're downtown.
The tree that stays dark
Longtime attendees will notice which tree gets lit. The city's listing puts it plainly:
"We will be lighting our beautiful Menlo Park oak tree as we give our beloved pine tree a well deserved break."
That break began before this year. In December 2024, The Almanac reported that city spokesperson Kendra Calvert said the city's Douglas fir was taking a break to protect its health while it recovered from a lightning strike more than 15 years earlier. The holiday oak was lit instead that year. When InMenlo announced the 2025 lighting, it described the conifer as "retired" the year before and said the oak would be in the spotlight. The 2026 kickoff will be the oak's third year as the centerpiece. The sources call the resting tree either a fir or a pine, but they agree it's taking time off.
It's a separate tree from the Italian stone pine in Fremont Park that came down in September 2014. In its Sept. 24, 2014 issue, The Almanac reported city arborist Brian Henry's explanation that the tree's roots had torn and its lean had worsened to the point of being a safety hazard.
The tradition itself has had a gap before. The Almanac reported that the event came back on Dec. 2, 2022, the first time it had been held since 2019.
The winter series is the first test
The city tracks attendance at its larger community events. A Sept. 23, 2026 staff report to the Parks and Recreation Commission puts Light Up the Season at 900 attendees in 2024 and 925 in 2025. Other events in the same table grew much faster. The Fourth of July went from 1,200 in 2024 to 3,000 in 2026, and Spring Fest and Egg Hunt went from 2,200 in 2025 to 3,100 in 2026. The tree lighting has been one of the city's steadier draws, and this year it carries a centennial label for the first time.
The same report shows the city treating its winter events as one package. Staff asked for feedback on a new sponsorship tier for event series, and one of the proposed series is a "Winter event series" of Light Up the Season, Photos with Santa and Cocoa at the Campus. That was a proposal for commission feedback, not an adopted policy. Still, it shows how the city is thinking about paying for these nights after the June budget debate: by asking local donors to back the whole season.
Here is that season, along with the nonprofit market at Allied Arts and the library book sale that fall in the same weeks.
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri. Nov. 13 and Sat. Nov. 14 | Friends of the Library Book Sale | Menlo Park Library | Thousands of items, most priced at $1 or $2 |
| Mon. Nov. 30, 6–7 p.m. | Cocoa at the Campus | Belle Haven Community Campus, 100 Terminal Ave. | Free; youth performances, hot cocoa, mini-churros and a small tree lighting |
| Fri. Dec. 4, 5:30–7 p.m. | Shop local! Light Up the Season | Fremont Park, Santa Cruz Ave. at University Dr. | Free; centennial kickoff, oak tree lighting, rain or shine |
| Sat. Dec. 5 and Sun. Dec. 6, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Allied Arts Guild Auxiliary Christmas Market | 75 Arbor Road | Free admission and parking; proceeds benefit Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford |
| Sat. Dec. 12 | Photos with Santa | Arrillaga Family Recreation Center | $5 per person; crafts and refreshments; reservations open Nov. 2 |
Cocoa at the Campus is the Belle Haven event that was paired with the Fremont Park lighting on the June cut list, and it's on the city calendar for the Monday after Thanksgiving. The Allied Arts market is a different kind of event. The Allied Arts Guild describes it as a two-day sale of handcrafted gifts, holiday décor and items from local vendors. It also says Café Wisteria serves holiday lunch during the market and recommends reservations.
Dinner on Santa Cruz Avenue before the lighting
The city's description of the kickoff asks people to shop and dine downtown, and Santa Cruz Avenue has a new option this season. In October, The Almanac reported that Mrs Khan at 712 Santa Cruz Ave. had reopened on Oct. 14 as Dragon General under chef-owner Minjun Li. The menu covers several Chinese regions, including Li's home region of Dongbei, plus housemade dim sum and Peking duck served whole or half. The Almanac also reported that Dragon General will offer beer and wine, which Mrs Khan did not. The Almanac listed hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m., Wednesday through Monday, so it's open on the Friday of the lighting. It also reported a 12% discount during the soft opening, with no grand opening date set yet.
The walk from Fremont Park down Santa Cruz Avenue also passes the medians the council discussed in June. Its direction was to reduce the tree lights between University Drive and Doyle Drive. When the oak lights up on Dec. 4, that stretch of street will show residents some of the year-one tradeoffs behind a centennial the city is paying for out of its regular calendar.
The centennial runs through November 2027, and most of its events still haven't been named. If you're curious how Menlo Park's 100th year might shape the downtown blocks around Fremont Park, or you just want to compare notes on the winter calendar, I'd love to hear from you. Liz Lanza is always glad to talk about the community side of the Peninsula. Let's Connect.
