Union Square's towering Christmas tree has long carried the Macy's name on its price tag, but not this year. The department store will not pay for a tree in the plaza after more than three decades of underwriting the tradition, and San Francisco is stepping in to fund a real tree in its place.
According to KRON4, the city-funded tree will be up and illuminated by Black Friday, with a holiday market and other activities still planned for the square. The outlet reports that Macy's involvement had stretched more than 30 years, though KQED has previously put the length of Macy's sponsorship at 25 years, a discrepancy the two outlets have not reconciled.
This is not the first holiday tradition Macy's has stepped back from. The retailer stopped financially backing a Santa in Union Square last year, the station's report notes, and this year it says its Christmas presence will come solely through its own store decorations and its annual SF SPCA pet windows.
City Says It Will Keep the Holiday Spirit Going
San Francisco has said it remains committed to keeping the city's holiday traditions alive even without Macy's backing the tree. Per the same account, the city framed the move as part of a broader goal: bringing joy to residents and visitors while supporting local businesses and driving economic activity throughout downtown.
Shoppers interviewed for the story had mixed feelings about the switch. Natali Impezzeeri said people visit Union Square to take photos and that the tree draws tourists' attention, which matters to the city. Janet Cobb said a real Christmas tree gives a good feeling in major cities, while Laura Alonso said the change feels both new and old, depending on how the tree ends up decorated.
From Real to Artificial and Back Again
The Union Square tree's history has already seen one major transformation. KQED reports the tree has been going up annually since 1990, and that Macy's opted to switch to an artificial tree in 2011 — the same fake tree described as 86 feet tall, weighing 35,000 pounds, and covered in 33,000 LED bulbs. This year's shift to a real, city-funded tree effectively reverses Macy's 2011 switch to an artificial tree, made 15 years before 2026, though it comes under different sponsorship entirely.
The tree lighting has carried symbolic weight for the neighborhood before. In 2020, the tree was lit by Make-A-Wish Foundation recipient Kiera, a moment that underscored how central the lighting ceremony has become to the square's identity beyond simple decor.
Part of a Broader Downtown Push
City officials have tied the holiday display to a larger effort to revive foot traffic downtown, according to KTVU, which also reported that the mayor's office cited crime in Union Square as down 40% from the previous year. KTVU's coverage of a past tree lighting also noted it marked the 36th year of the city's signature holiday tradition, underscoring how long the event has anchored the neighborhood's calendar regardless of who foots the bill.
Past holiday programming for the square has included Macy's Great Tree, presented by Ripple, which was scheduled to light up from November 11 through January 19 during the 2025 season, according to the San Francisco Recreation and Parks department. That same announcement said Macy's SF SPCA holiday windows, featuring rescue animals, were set to return for their 39th year from November 21 through December 31 — the same pet-window tradition Macy's says will now represent its primary holiday presence in the square going forward.
