Last November, a 70-foot fresh-cut tree rolled into Anthem from the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, on the California-Oregon border, ABC15 reported. Getting it upright took weeks of work and hundreds of hours. Crews used specially designed industrial wires to hold it steady, treated it with fire retardant, and then decorated it with thousands of ornaments, 10,000 LED lights and a three-foot copper star. A spokesperson for the event told the station that more than two dozen saplings would be planted to replace the tree where it was cut.
That was year 24. This Saturday, November 21, Outlets North Phoenix lights the tree for the 25th time. In Anthem, the holiday season has a fixed starting point at 4250 W. Anthem Way. Most of what follows through Christmas Eve happens on the same property, and the community's own park night sits in the middle of it.
A tradition older than the sign out front
The tree is older than the shopping center's current name. In 2018, KJZZ recorded a decorator stringing lights on an 80-foot tree at what was then the Outlets at Anthem. In 2023, owner Craig Realty Group renamed the center Outlets North Phoenix. ABC15 reported that the change reflected rapid growth and expansion in north Phoenix around the I-17 and Anthem Way site.
The tree's size has changed too. It was 80 feet in KJZZ's 2018 story and 70 feet in ABC15's 2025 coverage. Last year's tree was billed as the tallest fresh-cut tree in the state. The center's listing for the 25th lighting goes further and calls it "the Tallest tree in Arizona." In 2025 the tree arrived on a Wednesday morning, and the lighting followed on Saturday, November 15.
Saturday night: what the 25th lighting looks like
The 25th Year Tree Lighting & Concert runs from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 21, and the tree is lit at about 6 p.m.
- Emcee: Gibby Parra of Channel 3 News, back for another year
- Music: The Full Circle Boys, a five-member pop group
- Lighting: Santa appears for the official switch-on
The program is only an hour long, and the lighting happens near the end of it. If you're coming for the moment the tree goes up, plan to be there by the time the show starts. The lighting also falls just after sunset this late in November, so the tree goes on against a sky that's still getting dark.
The same night opens Santa's Cottage
Santa doesn't leave after the lighting. Santa Visits! starts the same day, November 21, and runs through December 24 at Santa's Cottage, on the north side of the food court. Visits are free and first-come. You don't need a reservation, and families can take their own photos. Santa is there on select dates, and the center posts them on that event page, so check it before promising anyone a visit.
The center's shopping promotions overlap with the lighting for a few days. Jingle Bucks runs November 1 through 25, which means it ends the Wednesday after the tree lighting. A Scratch & Shop Black Friday promotion follows on the center's events calendar.
December brings Art at Anthem and Winter in the Park
After Thanksgiving, the center becomes a craft fair. The 4th Annual Art at Anthem Holiday Festival at Outlets North Phoenix opens at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 11, and closes at 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 13. Admission and parking are free. The listing promises more than 60 juried artisans, plus live music, food, face painting, balloon tricks, train rides and a cookie vendor. Oak Creek Arts & Crafts Shows produces the event. With 60-plus makers, a holiday gift list can start and end there, at a center you can reach from I-17 without driving into the city.
The Anthem Community Council handles the other side of the season, a few miles west at Anthem Community Park, 41703 N. Gavilan Peak Pkwy. Winter in the Park is a Friday evening event in early December, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., on the upper park's northwest grass. It has live music, the North Pole Pass, food trucks and holiday gifts for sale. Look up the exact date on the council's event page before you plan around it. If it lands on Friday, December 11, you could spend the afternoon at the art festival and the evening at the park.
The two events cover different parts of the season. Outlets North Phoenix runs a long stretch of daytime events from mid-November through Christmas Eve. The council runs a single evening built for Anthem residents, at the park that already hosts much of the community's year.
The park's anniversary year
That park had a milestone of its own this fall. The Anthem Veterans Memorial at Anthem Community Park was dedicated on November 11, 2011, and became an Arizona Historic Landmark six months later. The council themed this year's Veterans Day ceremony "Legacy of Service: A Nation at 250 and A Memorial at 15." The morning culminates at 11:11 a.m., when the sun shines through the memorial's five military branch pillars onto the Great Seal of the United States. The ceremony was held on November 11. If you go to Winter in the Park, you'll be on the same grounds during the memorial's 15th anniversary year, and the council still sells pavers in the memorial's Circle of Honor through its Anthem Veterans Memorial page.
The season on one calendar
| Date | Event | Where | Cost noted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through Nov. 25 | Jingle Bucks | Outlets North Phoenix | Promotion |
| Sat., Nov. 21, 5–6 p.m. | 25th Year Tree Lighting & Concert | Outlets North Phoenix | Not listed |
| Nov. 21 – Dec. 24, select dates | Santa Visits! at Santa's Cottage | North side of the food court | Free |
| Black Friday | Scratch & Shop Black Friday | Outlets North Phoenix | Promotion |
| Early December, a Friday, 5–9 p.m. | Winter in the Park | Anthem Community Park, upper park | Not listed |
| Dec. 11, 10 a.m., to Dec. 13, 5 p.m. | 4th Annual Art at Anthem Holiday Festival | Outlets North Phoenix | Free admission and parking |
Planning around the busy nights
- Lighting night: Get there before 5 p.m. for the full hour. The lighting comes at about 6 p.m., right at the end.
- Santa: Check the center's event page for posted dates before you go. Visits are free and first-come, so there's nothing to book.
- Art at Anthem: It runs three days. It opens Friday at 10 a.m., closes Sunday at 5 p.m., and admission and parking are free.
- Winter in the Park: Confirm the date on the Anthem Community Council's event page, then head to the northwest grass of the upper park.
If you've just moved to Anthem or have family visiting this season, we're glad to tell you what we know about the holiday routines north of the Loop 101. Reach out to The Nelson Group any time you have a question about this corner of North Phoenix. We'll see you under the tree.
