Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned Christmas tree lighting to kick off the holiday season? Especially in Nevada’s capital, Carson City, which has a small-town feel and is well-known for its events of civic pride that attract residents from all around the surrounding region.
Carson City’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony is dubbed “Silver and Snowflakes” in a nod to Nevada’s status as the Silver State and its tendency to have snowy winters. Did you know that the Spanish word Nevada means “snow-covered?”
Silver and Snowflakes takes place on Friday, December 1 at the Nevada State Capitol building. It starts at 4:30 p.m. with free and fun electric sleigh rides (which have replaced the carriage rides from earlier years), and the Christmas tree lighting occurs at 6 p.m. The lighting itself will be led by Nevada’s governor, Joe Lombardo, and afterward Carson City’s 5th grade singing ensemble will sing carols and other Christmas songs. Finally, the rest of Carson City will be lit up, after which festivities will continue throughout downtown for the remainder of the evening.
Local businesses will help to usher in the holiday spirit and warm the crowd’s hearts by offering free cookies and hot cocoa. For those with little kids — or just with a little kid inside themselves — there will be free photo ops of Santa and the Grinch at McFadden Plaza.
This Carson City downtown event is family friendly and is a great occasion to corral together the whole crew — big kids and little, mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, friends and acquaintances — to enjoy the quaintness of a town that packs a lot of character and all the spirit a state capital should have in a small footprint.
As the evening gets cold and dark, the town will turn into a splendid wonderland, a shining display of lights between the snowy mountain ranges, the Sierras along Lake Tahoe to the West and Lyon Peak to the East. What better way to partake of a feeling of friendship, family and civic community than to join in this celebration in Carson City?
See you at Silver and Snowflakes for northern Nevada’s finest Christmas Tree Lighting.
Want to go?
Silver and Snowflakes Christmas Tree Lighting
Nevada State Capitol, Carson City
Friday, December 1, 5:30 p.m.
For more information, click here.
All images courtesy of Silver & Snowflakes Annual Tree Lighting Facebook. For more holiday events in the region, see our Everything Carson Events listings.
About the Author Dan Bablinskas
Dan Bablinskas is a relentlessly curious person with a passion for travel, foreign languages, affordable food and lodgings, well-fashioned cappuccinos and refreshing craft brews. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in creative writing, he traveled through Europe and South America while working as an English teacher and travel blogger. After trying a number of different careers, he settled into technical and content writing for his day job. In his spare time, he enjoys exploring the Reno-Tahoe area by foot, car, bike and ski. He lives in Reno with his wife and two kids. 
