Pioneer Courthouse Square
Portland Tree Lighting Ceremony Chauffeur Guide.
The Macy's Pioneer Courthouse Square Tree Lighting runs the Friday after Thanksgiving every year, with the formal lighting at 7 p.m. and an on-square program from about 5 p.m. The 75-foot Douglas Fir holds about 17,000 LED lights. Attendance runs 10,000 to 25,000 across the square and the four perimeter blocks. SW Broadway between Yamhill and Morrison closes from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the lighting night. The Marquee fix is a drop at SW Park Avenue and Yamhill, one block west of the square, with the chauffeur cleared to a holding point and the same-curb pickup on the family's text. The same booking can fold in a pre-lighting dinner at Higgins or Imperial, the downtown holiday windows, and a December 19 or later Peacock Lane drive-through on a return night.
Last updated: April 21, 2026
Bottom line: The Macy's Pioneer Courthouse Square Tree Lighting runs the Friday after Thanksgiving with the formal countdown at 7 p.m. on a 75-foot Douglas Fir. Attendance runs 10,000 to 25,000. SW Broadway between Yamhill and Morrison closes 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The chauffeur drop pattern lands at SW Park Avenue and Yamhill, one block west of the square, with the same-curb pickup on the family's text. Volvo S90 at $110 per hour for a family of four. Cadillac Escalade ESV at $135 per hour for a family of six on the downtown holiday windows pairing. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter at $165 per hour for 8 to 14 across two or three coordinated families. For the broader holiday pattern, see Christmas town car service.
01What The Ceremony Is
The Macy's Pioneer Courthouse Square
Tree Lighting On A 75-Foot Douglas Fir.
The Macy's Pioneer Courthouse Square Tree Lighting is downtown Portland's anchor holiday opening. The ceremony has run on the Friday after Thanksgiving every year since the late 1980s. The 75-foot Douglas Fir lands on the square in the early week of November, gets dressed across about ten days with roughly 17,000 LED lights, and lights at 7 p.m. on the formal countdown. The tree stays lit through the first weekend of January.
The on-square program opens around 5 p.m. with carolers, school choirs, brief speaking from the city and from Macy's, and the official countdown at 6:55 p.m. The square sits at SW Broadway and Yamhill, address 700 SW 6th Avenue. Tree-lighting context at travelportland.com. Square calendar at thesquarepdx.org.
The Friday after Thanksgiving
The 2026 ceremony falls on Friday November 27. The 2027 falls on Friday November 26. The lighting time has held at 7 p.m. for more than three decades. The on-square program opens around 5 p.m. and runs through about 8 p.m. with post-lighting carolers.
The 75-foot Douglas Fir
The tree typically arrives from the Mt Hood National Forest or a private timber-license parcel in the Cascades. Crews dress the tree across ten days with about 17,000 LED lights. The trunk sits in a steel-anchor base in the south-center of the square.
The on-square program
School choirs, the Pacific Youth Choir, and the Portland Symphonic Choir rotate through the on-square stage from 5 p.m. to about 8 p.m. The mayor and Macy's leadership share brief remarks at 6:45 p.m. The countdown runs from 6:55 p.m. through the lighting at 7 p.m.
The post-lighting evening
After the 7 p.m. lighting, families typically walk the perimeter for photos at the base of the tree, then move to the downtown holiday windows at Macy's at 621 SW 5th Avenue, Nordstrom at 701 SW Broadway, and the Pioneer Courthouse storefronts across SW 6th. The tree stays lit through the first weekend of January.
02The Crowd And The Sightlines
10,000 To 25,000 On The Square,
The 6:15 P.M. Arrival Window.
Attendance runs 10,000 to 25,000 across the square and the four perimeter blocks depending on weather. A clear 38-degree night fills the square plus all four perimeter blocks. A heavy-rain night holds attendance at about 6,000 to 8,000 with most of the perimeter clear and the square itself comfortable from 6:30 p.m. onward. The crowd density inside the square reaches its peak between 6:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.
The 6:15 p.m. arrival window puts a family at the southwest corner near the Powell's stairs with a clear sightline to the tree and a clear path back out after the lighting. Families arriving after 6:45 p.m. typically watch the lighting from the SW Yamhill perimeter or from the upper block of SW Broadway. For the broader event-night coordination, see Portland event transportation.
The clear-night attendance
A clear 38 to 42 degree night fills the square with about 18,000 to 25,000 across the on-square footprint and the four perimeter blocks. The on-square density peaks at the 7 p.m. countdown.
The wet-night attendance
A heavy-rain night with sustained showers holds attendance at about 6,000 to 8,000. The on-square footprint stays comfortable from 6:30 p.m. onward and the perimeter blocks clear. Families with younger kids often pick the wet years on purpose for exactly this density.
The 6:15 p.m. arrival window
A 6:15 p.m. arrival on the square from a 5:50 p.m. drop at SW Park and Yamhill puts a family in position at the southwest corner near the Powell's stairs with a clean sightline to the tree.
The post-7 p.m. perimeter view
Late arrivals after 6:45 p.m. typically watch from the SW Yamhill perimeter or from the upper block of SW Broadway. The view of the lit tree from the perimeter holds across the post-ceremony evening. Photo access at the base of the tree opens by 7:30 p.m.
03Road Closures And The Drop
SW Broadway Closes 4 To 9 P.M.,
The Park And Yamhill Drop Holds.
SW Broadway between Yamhill and Morrison closes from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the lighting night for the on-square stage build, the choir setup, and pedestrian overflow. The closure radiates a soft buffer across SW 5th and SW 6th from about 5:30 p.m. through 8 p.m. with rolling police direction. The SW Yamhill curb directly south of the square is pedestrian-only from 4 p.m.
The closest legal curb is SW Park Avenue at Yamhill, one block west of the square. Standard chauffeur drops at SW Park and Yamhill, the family walks east one block to the square, and the chauffeur clears north on Park to a holding point near the Schnitzer Concert Hall. Pickup is the same curb on the family's text. On heavy-snow or rain nights, dispatch shifts the drop to SW 10th and Yamhill at the Streetcar stop, which holds curb access throughout the evening. For booking, see book Portland chauffeur service.
The SW Broadway closure footprint
SW Broadway between Yamhill and Morrison closes 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the lighting night. SW 5th and SW 6th run rolling police direction from 5:30 p.m. through 8 p.m. The SW Yamhill block south of the square is pedestrian-only from 4 p.m.
The SW Park and Yamhill drop
SW Park Avenue at Yamhill sits one block west of the square. The curb holds across the lighting evening. The walk east is one block on flat sidewalk under the Powell's marquee, which doubles as cover on a wet night.
The chauffeur holding point
The chauffeur clears north on SW Park to a holding point near the Schnitzer Concert Hall block at SW Main, where the curb holds across the evening. Total transit from the holding point back to the pickup curb is 90 seconds. The family text triggers the stage.
The wet-night SW 10th alternate
On a heavy-rain or snow night, dispatch shifts the drop to SW 10th and Yamhill at the Portland Streetcar stop. The curb holds throughout the evening with covered overhead at the streetcar shelter. The walk east to the square is two blocks under the Powell's marquee.
04The Manifest
Vehicle Sizing For Family
And Multi-Family Bookings.
Tree-lighting bookings break into three vehicle profiles. The Volvo S90 at $110 per hour fits a family of three or four on a focused lighting evening. The Cadillac Escalade ESV at $135 per hour fits a family of five or six with strollers, car seats, and gift bags. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter at $165 per hour holds 8 to 14 with captain's chairs across two or three coordinated families on a single evening.
The Escalade is the workhorse for a family of six adding the downtown holiday windows after the lighting. The Sprinter swings two coordinated families on a single Friday, which removes the caravan question two SUVs running in parallel always face on a road-closure night. For pricing detail, see the Portland chauffeur pricing guide 2026.
Volvo S90 ($110 per hour)
Fits a family of three or four on the focused tree-lighting evening. A 5:30 p.m. pickup, a 5:50 p.m. SW Park and Yamhill drop, the lighting at 7, and a 7:45 p.m. same-curb pickup fits inside a 3-hour booking at $330 plus 20 percent gratuity.
Cadillac Escalade ESV ($135 per hour)
Fits a family of five or six on the lighting plus the downtown holiday windows. A 4-hour booking running the lighting, the windows at Macy's and Nordstrom, and a closing dessert stop fits at $540 plus 20 percent gratuity.
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter ($165 per hour)
Fits 8 to 14 across two or three coordinated families on a single tree-lighting Friday. A 4-hour multi-family booking running the lighting plus the windows plus a closing dessert stop fits at $660 plus 20 percent gratuity.
The held-vehicle hourly rate
The held-vehicle rate covers wait time at the holding point and the dinner-curb wait. Same chauffeur from pickup to final drop. Most lighting-night bookings run 3 to 4 hours, from a 5:30 p.m. pickup to an 8:30 or 9 p.m. drop.
05Pre-Lighting Dinner
Higgins, Imperial, Or
The Multnomah Whiskey Library Lobby.
Tree-lighting bookings often tuck a 5 p.m. dinner table in. The closest dinner blocks for a 5 p.m. pre-lighting reservation sit on SW Broadway, SW 10th, and the West End. Higgins Restaurant on SW Broadway, Imperial at the Hotel Lucia on SW Broadway, and the Multnomah Whiskey Library lobby on SW Alder all hold reservations 4 to 6 weeks ahead for the lighting weekend.
A 5 p.m. table at any of those clears by 6:15 p.m. for the walk to the square, leaving 45 minutes for sightline positioning before the 7 p.m. countdown. The held-vehicle hourly rate covers the dinner wait curbside. Booking 4 to 6 weeks ahead is the right window for both the chauffeur and the dinner table.
Higgins Restaurant
1239 SW Broadway, Pacific Northwest cooking from chef Greg Higgins since 1994. A 5 p.m. table runs 60 to 75 minutes for a focused two- or three-course pre-lighting meal. A short walk north on SW Broadway puts the family at the Powell's stairs by 6:15 p.m.
Imperial at the Hotel Lucia
410 SW Broadway, Vitaly Paley-led American grill in the Hotel Lucia. A 5 p.m. reservation clears by 6:15 p.m. with a 4-block walk south on SW Broadway to the square. Strong oyster and cocktail program for adults.
Multnomah Whiskey Library lobby
1124 SW Alder, the Library's lobby seating holds walk-in cocktails and a small plates menu without the second-floor membership wait. A 5 p.m. lobby seating clears by 6:30 p.m. with a 3-block walk south to the square. Adults-only.
Family-friendly alternatives
For families with kids under 10, Mother's Bistro on SW 2nd, Tasty n Alder on SW Alder, and the Pearl Bakery on NW 9th all hold a 4:30 p.m. or 5 p.m. table that clears in time. The chauffeur covers the transit on the held-vehicle rate.
06Post-Lighting Pairings
Downtown Holiday Windows
And A December 19 Plus Peacock Lane.
The post-lighting evening pairs naturally with the downtown holiday windows. Macy's at 621 SW 5th Avenue runs a holiday-window display through January. Nordstrom at 701 SW Broadway and the Pioneer Courthouse storefronts across SW 6th hold seasonal storefront displays through December. A 7:30 p.m. window walk on the lighting Friday adds 30 to 45 minutes to the booking.
The Peacock Lane drive-through opens December 18 and runs through December 31. The lighting Friday falls about three weeks before that opening, so the lighting-night booking does not pair to a lit Peacock Lane evening. The pairing that does work: a December 19 or later return booking that runs the Peacock Lane drive-through plus a return loop past the still-lit Pioneer Square tree. See Peacock Lane Portland Christmas lights chauffeur for the December pairing.
The Macy's holiday windows
Macy's at 621 SW 5th Avenue runs a holiday-window storefront from the lighting weekend through early January. The walk east from the square is one block on SW Yamhill. The display runs from sidewalk level with photo-friendly framing.
The Nordstrom and Pioneer Courthouse storefronts
Nordstrom at 701 SW Broadway and the Pioneer Courthouse storefronts across SW 6th hold seasonal displays through December. Both sit within a 2-block walk of the lighting curb. The full window walk runs about 25 to 35 minutes at family pace.
The December 19 plus Peacock Lane return
The Peacock Lane drive-through opens December 18 and the slow drive nights run nightly through December 31. A December 19 or later booking runs the Peacock Lane drive-through plus a return loop past the still-lit Pioneer Square tree on a single 4-hour evening.
The full Christmas-cluster sweep
The lighting opens the broader cluster: ZooLights at the Oregon Zoo, the Grotto Festival of Lights, the Christmas Ships parade, and the Pittock Mansion holiday tours.
07Weather And What To Wear
35-To-45-Degree Cold,
Even Odds Of Rain.
The lighting evening on the Friday after Thanksgiving runs 35 to 45 degrees with even odds of rain in late November. The crowd on the square holds standing positions for 60 to 75 minutes before the 7 p.m. countdown. Layers, a waterproof outer shell, warm socks, and shoes that take wet sidewalks all hold up.
Hats and gloves are the difference between a comfortable wait and a kid asking to leave 30 minutes in. The chauffeur cabin between the dinner stop, the lighting, and the downtown holiday windows sits at the family's preferred temperature with bottled water on multi-stop bookings, giving a warm reset between stops.
Layering for the November cold
A waterproof outer shell, an insulated mid-layer, and a moisture-wicking base hold up across the 60 to 75 minute on-square wait. Wool or synthetic mid-layers stay warm even when damp.
Hats, gloves, and the kid math
Most kids hit the cold-tolerance wall around 30 minutes outside without head and hand cover. With hats and gloves, the wall pushes to 60 to 75 minutes, which lines up with the on-square arrival window before the 7 p.m. countdown.
Waterproof footwear
Gore-Tex hikers, rubber boots, or waterproof sneakers all clear the test. Cotton-canvas shoes and standard running sneakers fail in the first 20 minutes of a wet wait on the square.
The chauffeur cabin reset
The cabin between the dinner stop, the lighting, and the downtown holiday windows sits at the family's preferred temperature, with bottled water and dry seats. The reset between stops keeps a 4-hour multi-family booking feasible for kids and grandparents.
08When To Book
Lighting Weekend Holds 1-2 Weeks,
Pair With A Holiday Hotel Stay.
The lighting weekend (Thanksgiving Friday through Sunday) holds same-week chauffeur availability on the Volvo S90 in most years. The Cadillac Escalade ESV holds 1 to 2 weeks ahead. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter holds 2 to 3 weeks ahead because there is one of it. Pre-lighting dinner reservations at Higgins, Imperial, or the Multnomah Whiskey Library lobby hold 4 to 6 weeks ahead for the lighting Friday.
Booking flow: confirm the dinner reservation first, then book the chauffeur to align with the dinner clear time and the 7 p.m. lighting. A 5 p.m. dinner table pairs with a 4:45 p.m. pickup from a downtown hotel block, or a 4:30 p.m. pickup from a southeast Portland home. For airport coordination on PDX-inbound holiday families, see PDX airport car service.
Lead time on the chauffeur
Volvo S90 holds same-week. Escalade ESV holds 1 to 2 weeks. Sprinter holds 2 to 3 weeks. Booking 3 to 4 weeks ahead clears the full vehicle range with a comfortable buffer for time-of-pickup adjustments.
Lead time on the dinner table
Higgins, Imperial, and the Multnomah Whiskey Library lobby all release lighting-weekend reservations on a 4-to-6-week rolling window. Booking the dinner first and then the chauffeur is the right order for a focused pre-lighting evening.
The booking flow
Confirm the dinner first. Then call Marquee dispatch at (503) 706-8662 with the dinner address, the dinner clear time, and the pickup address. Dispatch runs the route and stages the same chauffeur for the full evening.
PDX-inbound family coordination
Holiday families flying into PDX for the long weekend often book the lighting as the headline arrival night. The same chauffeur and vehicle hold across the visit: PDX to the downtown hotel on Thanksgiving Thursday, the lighting Friday, the Saturday or Sunday return back to PDX.
09Who It Fits
Downtown Hotel Families,
Multi-Family Groups, Photographers.
Tree-lighting bookings fit four profiles. Downtown hotel families staying at the Heathman, the Sentinel, the Nines, the Hilton, or the Hotel Lucia for the long weekend, who want a polished arrival to the lighting Friday without the cab line on the closure block. Multi-family groups coordinating two or three sets of cousins on a single Sprinter for the headline opening night. Grandparents joining for the holiday weekend without driving in the cold-rain dark. Photographers working a holiday-card frame at the 5:30 p.m. blue hour before the on-square crowd density peaks.
The fit that does not hold: a single adult or couple looking for a fast walk-up. The MAX runs to Pioneer Courthouse Square station on the Red, Blue, and Green Lines at $2.80 a fare. The chauffeur math holds when the booking covers a family of three or more, a multi-family group, or a multi-stop pairing where the held-vehicle rate carries across the night. For the broader pattern, see Christmas town car service.
Downtown hotel families
Families on long-weekend stays at the Heathman, the Sentinel, the Nines, or the Hilton skip the cab line and walk straight from the hotel valet into the chauffeur cabin. The same vehicle covers the lighting and the post-lighting downtown holiday windows on a 3-hour booking.
Multi-family Sprinter groups
Two or three coordinated families across 8 to 14 in one Sprinter on the lighting Friday. One pickup, one drop, one named chauffeur. Removes the caravan question two SUVs always face on the road-closure night.
Grandparents and mobility-restricted members
Grandparents joining for the long weekend often skip the cab line and the closure walk and go straight to the SW Park and Yamhill curb drop. The Escalade ESV second-row captain's chair sits at a comfortable entry height.
Photographers working the blue hour
Sunset on the lighting Friday lands at 4:30 p.m. The 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. blue-hour window pairs with the dressed-but-unlit tree on the square for a quiet holiday-card frame before the 6:30 p.m. crowd density. Drop at SW Park and Yamhill at 5:00 p.m. for that window.
Frequently Asked
Questions, Answered.
Reserve Your Chauffeur
Reserve a Portland
Chauffeur Now.
Book your Pioneer Courthouse Square tree lighting chauffeur. Marquee Chauffeur at (503) 706-8662, 24/7. Volvo S90 at $110 per hour for a family of four. Cadillac Escalade ESV at $135 per hour for a family of six on the lighting plus the downtown holiday windows pairing. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter at $165 per hour for a multi-family group of 8 to 14. The drop pattern at SW Park Avenue and Yamhill, one block west of the closure footprint, with the same-curb pickup on the family's text after the 7 p.m. countdown. Pre-lighting dinner-table coordination at Higgins, Imperial, or the Multnomah Whiskey Library lobby. PDX hotel-block coordination, late pickup through 1 a.m. on the standard hourly rate. Oregon PUC licensed since 2018, $1 million commercial liability, chauffeurs on W-2 payroll.