Burlingame's holiday tree has a new address this year.
Last December the Holiday Tree Lighting and Winterfest took place on Friday, December 5, 2025, at 5 p.m. outside Burlingame City Hall at 501 Primrose Road. City Hall's move around the corner to 1440 Chapin Avenue was set for no earlier than August 2026, and this year the event has a new name and a new place. Light Up the Square & Winterfest is on Friday, December 4, 2026. The tree lighting is at 5 p.m. at Town Square, and Winterfest follows on Burlingame Avenue from 6 to 8 p.m. with train rides for kids and photos with Mr. Claus, according to the Burlingame Lions Club events calendar. Final details are on the City's event page.
A new venue matters more than it sounds, because of what sits under and beside the Square. The underground garage opens to the public at 5 p.m., the restaurant facing the Square starts dinner at 5 p.m., and the tree goes on at 5 p.m. For the first time, the whole evening runs on one block and one clock.
The block the tree moved to
Town Square runs between Park Road on the west and Lorton Avenue on the east. It cost $6.4 million and includes seating, trees, a fountain and a public restroom, as the San Mateo Daily Journal reported when it opened in April. At the ribbon cutting, Mayor Michael Brownrigg told the crowd the Square had been in his campaign materials since 2009, and the paper quoted him: "What makes a great downtown isn't really great parking, it's great vitality."
The 220 Park development is right next door. It holds six floors of office space, Sweetgreen, Local Kitchens and the restored 1940s Burlingame post office. The tree lighting has been planned for this spot since spring. At an April 9, 2026 meeting of the City Council Economic Development Subcommittee, Parks & Recreation Director Margaret Glomstad said the Square would likely host the 2026 ceremony, and the Downtown Business Improvement District said it planned to put up holiday lighting from mid-November through mid-January.
How Friday, December 4 runs, hour by hour
Pieced together from the City-linked listing, the garage operator and the restaurant's published hours, the evening goes like this:
- Just after 5 p.m. The 220 Park garage switches from weekday business parking to public parking.
- 5 p.m. The tree lighting at Town Square.
- 5 p.m. The Old Post Office begins dinner service, which runs daily until 10 p.m.
- 6 to 8 p.m. Winterfest on Burlingame Avenue, with train rides for kids and photos with Mr. Claus. Downtown Burlingame's listing describes a little train ride around Burlingame Avenue and hot chocolate after the traditional tree lighting.
- 11 p.m. The garage closes. Cars can still exit after closing.
Because the tree, the garage and dinner all start at the same hour, the only real decision is the order. You can see the tree and then eat, or eat and then walk the Avenue.
Parking under the tree, and the 4:45 p.m. problem
The garage at 220 Park has two underground levels, with an elevator that comes up directly into Town Square beside the Old Post Office. The entrance is on the 200 block of Lorton Avenue, and the facility address is 215 Lorton Avenue.
The rates explain why arrival time matters on a Friday:
- Weekdays after 5 p.m. and weekends: $3.25 for every 10 hours
- Weekdays before 5 p.m.: private business parking at a $30 flat rate
- Lost ticket: $30 per day
- Payment: mobile payments only, no cash
On December 4 the public window opens right as the tree lighting begins. A driver who pulls in early to get a good spot is still inside weekday business hours. The operator's page also lists public hours as starting at 5 p.m. on weekdays.
The price has also gone up since the City first announced public access. At the April subcommittee meeting, City Manager Lisa Goldman described evening and weekend public parking at $3 all day, including holidays. The operator's page, updated October 28, 2026, now lists $3.25 per 10 hours. The page also explains the routine. You take your ticket with you, pay at the station in the plaza lobby before you go back to the car, and scan the same ticket at the Town Square entrance reader if you return after hours.
The restaurant on the Square has its first December
The Old Post Office opened on Thursday, October 1, 2026, Eater San Francisco reported. It comes from Bacchus Management Group, which the Daily Journal noted is behind The Village Pub in Woodside and Selby's in Atherton. Eater lists lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., weekend brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner daily from 5 to 10 p.m.
That makes December 4 the restaurant's first tree lighting and the Square's first tree lighting at the same time. Any party planning dinner before or after the ceremony will want the same 5 p.m. table as everyone else on the block.
The parade that stayed off the calendar
Holding the event at the Square also keeps the evening's scale where the downtown business district has said it can manage it. At the same April meeting, Councilmember Donna Colson raised community interest in bringing back a holiday parade. Jenny Kelleher of A Runner's Mind, who sits on the DBID board, said a parade takes significant DBID staff time to organize and that downtown stays lively during Winter Fest without one.
So the format is a fixed tree on a permanent plaza, followed by a stroll down the Avenue, with no route to close and wait along. The plaza also has a way to pay for its programming. Councilmember Colson pointed out that Town Square pavers are available for $20,000 each, engraved with a custom message or branding, with the money going to the Parks & Recreation Foundation for ongoing Town Square programming. The tree lighting is the first holiday event that money supports.
The weekend that follows
The December 4 evening opens a full weekend downtown, and one date comes before it.
- By Wednesday, December 2: The Holiday Toy Drive takes new, unwrapped toys for children from newborn to 12 at the Good Tidings Foundation, 1469 Rollins Road, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The toys go to more than 2,000 Bay Area kids at Good Tidings' Winter Wonderland.
- Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6: The City's Winter Market runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days at the Burlingame Community Center, 850 Burlingame Avenue, with handmade goods from small local businesses and free admission.
On those weekend mornings the 220 Park garage opens to the public at 8 a.m. at the same $3.25 rate.
Sandy Comaroto has watched this downtown change from the Planning Commission dais and from the sidewalk, and the Square's first holiday season is one of those changes that shows up in how a December evening actually goes. If you're thinking about how downtown Burlingame's new layout fits your own plans, Comaroto Properties is glad to talk it through. Request a personalized consultation.
