Workers spent this week scaling the Deeds Carillon tower in Dayton, stringing the wires and lights that will transform the 151-foot structure into a 200-foot holiday beacon. Preparations for this year's A Carillon Christmas began Friday, with crews working above and below the tower to install the framework for what organizers call Ohio's largest musical tree of light.
The tree, built around the historic tower at Carillon Historical Park, is contracted out to Wilcon Corporation, according to Dayton Daily News. Mark Robinson, an employee of the company, told the paper that Friday's crew included two people working above the tower and two below as they secured and tested the tree lighting lines, a task he handled alongside colleague Carl Boyd.
The carillon’s origins predate the holiday display by decades. Edith Walton Deeds was inspired to bring carillon music to Dayton after hearing it in Bruges, Belgium, and she and her husband, National Cash Register chairman Col. Edward A. Deeds, established an organization to build the tower. Completed in 1942, the 151-foot structure began with 32 bells; it now houses 57. Dayton History’s account of the tower’s history traces its creation to the Deeds family’s musical and civic ambitions.
Installing the wires alone takes between two and three days and requires anywhere from four to 12 people, the Dayton Daily News reported. Electricians then need another two to three days to string and test the bulbs before the tree is ready to switch on. When finished, the structure will include 100 strands and 20,000 lights, extending 50 feet above the carillon tower itself.
A Decade-Plus Tradition Returns to Carillon Park
A Carillon Christmas is scheduled to run Nov. 24 through Dec. 30, according to Dayton History's event listing. The 65-acre, open-air history museum has turned the holidays into a signature draw for roughly ten years, per Spectrum News 1's coverage, with the Tree of Light and the broader Carillon Christmas celebration becoming, as described by WYSO, holiday staples across the Miami Valley.
The holiday display builds a towering tree of lights around the Deeds Carillon.
The tower is also a recognized historic structure, not just a seasonal canvas for lights. The National Park Service lists the Deeds Carillon on the National Register of Historic Places, with significance in entertainment and recreation and the performing arts; its architectural style is identified as Moderne. The register entry dates the listing to July 27, 2005, and identifies architects Reinhard and Hofmeister. The National Register record documents those designations and details.
Past versions of the display have carried similar dimensions. A 2024 report from Dayton 24/7 Now described that year's tree as 200 feet tall with 20,000 bulbs, while WYSO's 2023 account put the annual total at 20,000 lights strung down from the bell tower. Dayton 24/7 Now also noted that the park's 2024 Ringing in the Holidays event, marking its 29th annual celebration, served as the kickoff for that year's Carillon Christmas, and that the tree was lit for the first time that year by the highest bidder in a silent auction before switching on nightly at sundown for the rest of the season.
New Additions and Holiday Hours for 2026
This year's event promises more than 44,000 additional lights illuminating the park's historic buildings and grounds, according to Dayton History. New for 2026 are a Christmas-themed scavenger hunt called The Search for Scipio and appearances by Victorian carolers, the organization says on its event page.
Beyond the lights, Spectrum News 1 reports that guests can expect hot cocoa, cider, gingerbread cookies and visits with Santa during their visit to the park. A Carillon Christmas will run Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., with the event closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Admission is set at $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $10 for children ages 3 to 17, while kids under 2 get in free. Dayton History members also receive free admission, and all proceeds support Carillon Historical Park, which Dayton History describes as a privately funded nonprofit.
