View as Webpage

Tree lighting fun!

Downtown Anaheim is gearing up for a festive day with the joyful return of the Nutcracker Christmas Tree Lighting and Holiday Village this weekend!

This cherished annual celebration brings holiday magic to the heart of the city. Join us for a tree lighting at City Hall, holiday village along Center Street Promenade, live choir performances and more!

Guests of all ages can enjoy a visit with Santa, watch Santa and Mrs. Claus make their merry processional down Center Street Promenade and enjoy plenty of family fun — including train rides for kids, games, crafts, delicious treats and more.

What to know:

• When: Sunday, Dec. 7
• Time: noon to 6 p.m. (schedule below)
• Where: Center Street Promenade, City Hall
• Parking: downtown structures along Center Street, City Hall at Broadway and Mito Way

Here’s the day’s schedule:

• 12-5 p.m.: kids holiday entertainment
• 12-7 p.m.: vendors and crafts along Center Street Promenade
• 3-5 p.m.: visit with Santa (bring your cameras)
• 5:45 p.m.: Santa and Mrs. Claus march to the main stage
• 6 p.m.: tree lighting at City Hall with Anaheim Ballet, Anaheim Union High School District choirs and indie-folk holiday classics from Jordan Smith Reynolds



For more, follow @anaheimtreelighting

For our west Anaheim neighbors — let's kick off the season together!

Join us for a festive tree lighting celebration at Twila Reid Park on Friday, Dec. 5, from 6-8 p.m.

Bring your family, friends and neighbors to the northwest corner of the park along Halliday Street as we welcome the holiday season.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there to help celebrate this big moment as we enjoy refreshments, caroling and fun activities for kids.

'Tis the season to compost

As holiday gatherings fill your home with family, food and leftovers, now is the perfect time to give uneaten food a better place than the trash bin.


Organic waste, including food scraps, yard trimmings and food-soiled paper, belongs in your yard waste bin, not your regular trash.

Your yard waste bin can take more than just leaves and branches. You can also include:

• leftover food scraps: bones, meat, vegetables, fruit, coffee grounds and tea bags
• food-soiled paper: greasy pizza boxes, paper napkins, paper food containers and paper plates
• yard trimmings: leaves, weeds, grass, small branches and plants


Just be sure to place items in the bin and not in plastic or compostable bags. Newspaper is OK if you're using it to line a kitchen pail.


If you’re hosting or cooking big meals, keep a container or sealable bag in the freezer for scraps like turkey bones, fruit peels and spoiled leftovers. Then put the frozen scraps in your yard waste bin on collection day.


Residents in multifamily communities may have a different process. Check with your property manager to find out how your building handles organic waste.


Food and yard waste make up nearly half of what Californians send to landfills.


When this waste breaks down in landfills, it produces methane — a super pollutant more powerful than carbon dioxide.


By using your yard waste bin, you’re helping reduce harmful emissions and protect the environment. It’s a small step that makes a big difference, especially during the season of giving.


If you're interested in composting at home, you can buy a composting bin from the city for $20. Call (714) 765-6883 for more details.


Find guides to residential and multifamily waste and recycling services at Anaheim.net/OrganicWaste.

Merry and bright fire safety tips

Living in the hills of east Anaheim is great, but with it comes an always present risk from wildfires.

Rains in October and November have brought a better outlook for peak fire season, which runs from fall into the new year.

But fire risk, and being fire ready, is a year-round necessity in the hills, especially during the holidays.

And many tips for our friends in the hills are also good for those across our city.

If you do a real Christmas tree, make sure it's fresh, green and sticky to the touch at the trunk and base.

Other tree safety tips:

• Look for a 45-degree cut at the base for best water absorption
• Water your tree daily
• Check light strands for fraying or other damage
• Never put candles on a tree or place trees near any heat source
• Turn off tree lights while sleeping or away
• Set out your tree for curbside pickup after Christmas
• Never use as firewood

Beyond holiday best practices, you'll want to be wildfire alert, aware and ready in east Anaheim.

Watch weather for any strong seasonal, dry winds. We'll post alerts on our social media.

During dry, windy conditions, put off yardwork or other activity that can generate sparks. Don't use outdoor firepits, barbecues and indoor fireplaces during wind and never drive or park on vegetation.

Follow us on social media for updates on any fires in our area or our region.

As always, Anaheim Fire & Rescue will be fully staffed, staged and ready to respond to any concerns during the holidays and beyond.

Holiday scams: don't fall for them

For many, the holidays are the most favorite time of year — and that includes scammers.

Scammers step up activity to take advantage of those preoccupied and distracted with the holidays.

Anaheim Public Utilities is our city's trusted, not-for-profit provider of water and power.

We never make unsolicited calls asking for payment information and we never go to your home asking for payment.

A common fraud here in Anaheim and across the country is for scammers to pose as utility employees by phone, email, text or at your door.

Scammers will threaten to shut off water and power unless payment is made immediately.

If you get a scam call or visit, hang up or close the door and call Anaheim Public Utilities at (714) 765-3300 or the Anaheim Police Department at (714) 765-1900.

Remember, we won't call or show up asking for payment. If there is an issue with your account, you'll receive advance notification by mail.

If you call us to pay a bill, our agents won't take any financial information from you but instead connect you with a secure automated payment system.

In contrast, scammers will try to have you buy a prepaid card at a store, which they use to scam you out of money.

Scammers may even use spoofing software that allows them to falsely display the Anaheim Public Utilities phone number on your caller ID.

From there, scammers will ask someone to call them back at a different number than the (714) 765-3300 customer service number on your bill.

If you have made a payment to a scammer, report the crime to the Anaheim Police Department or file a report in person for financial fraud at Main Station on Harbor Boulevard or East Station on Santa Ana Canyon Road in east Anaheim.

We work closely with Anaheim Police to combat fraud and report false 800 numbers to regulators for shutdown.

But prevention and awareness is always the best practice.

And if you are struggling to pay your bill this holiday season, call Anaheim Public Utilities and we will work with you on assistance or payment plans to help out.

Be our next Anaheim Poet Laureate

Do you have a passion for poetry and a love for Anaheim?

We are looking for Anaheim's 2026-28 poet laureate.

Our poet laureate is a literary ambassador helping to inspire appreciation of poetry, reading, writing and the arts in our city.

The poet laureate serves a two-year honorary, volunteer appointment as the official poet for our city.

It's a tradition that goes back centuries, with the precursor to our nation’s poet laureate dating back to 1937.

Anaheim is proud to be one of only a handful of cities in California to have a poet laureate, including Los Angeles, Fresno, Santa Barbara and Laguna Beach.

To be eligible for consideration as Anaheim’s poet laureate, applicants must be a published poet, a resident with strong ties to the city for the past five years, be at least 21 years old and be able to host public poetry readings.

Anaheim’s poet laureate holds free workshops at Anaheim libraries, leads poetry readings at city events and heads up community gatherings that promote poetry, literature and the arts.

Apply by Thursday, Dec. 18, at 5 p.m.

For more information and to apply, visit Anaheim.net/poet.

Contact Art Varela at (714) 765-5250 or Avarela@anaheim.net for questions about the application process.