Christmas trees on water – the magic of double light

Christmas trees on the water – sometimes anchored on a steel platform in the middle of the lagoon, other times floating on the quiet and calm surface of the lake or drawn with light on the mast of a sailing ship. Thanks to them, it is not the city square, but just the water mirror that becomes the main scene of December illuminations. The light not only illuminates the space, but also returns from the depths in the form of a shimmering reflection.

History of the tradition of floating Christmas trees

Ideas for floating Christmas trees have their origins in local customs that have evolved into global attractions. The first known examples date back to the mid-20th century. In 1949 in Long Beach, California, restaurateur Don May placed a Christmas tree on a raft in the waters of Alamitos Bay, starting a tradition that continues today. A similar story happened in 1961 in Tuckerton, New Jersey. On the initiative of local Girl Scouts, a Christmas tree floats on Lake Pohatcong every year.

The greatest momentum, however, came in the 1990s in Rio de Janeiro – that’s when the first giant structure was anchored in the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon. Since then, floating Christmas trees have ceased to be just a local custom and have become a global phenomenon, combining engineering, art, holiday magic and drawing crowds.

The most spectacular floating Christmas trees

Rio de Janeiro delights with Christmas trees on water

One of the most recognizable places where a floating Christmas tree appears is right here in Rio de Janeiro. It all started in 1996, when a steel structure resembling a tree – tens of meters high and sprinkled with thousands of lights – was first anchored in the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon. Year after year, the installation grew, until in 2007 it made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s tallest floating Christmas tree – at the time it measured about 85 meters and was decorated with nearly 3 million lights.

Due to problems with securing sponsors, the previous floating Christmas tree in the lagoon lit up in 2019. – The project disappeared from Rio’s landscape. After a five-year hiatus, the decoration returned this year in a new design on Rodrigo de Freitas. The 60-meter-long structure with some 900,000 LEDs and 20 kilometers of light wires was ceremonially lit up on December 6. Its illumination is reminiscent of Van Gogh ‘s Starry Night – each star symbolizes one of Brazil’s states – and the light show is complemented by a projection running in an illuminated trail all the way to the Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado. The Christmas tree is turned on daily from 7 p.m. to midnight (until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays), once again becoming one of the most important holiday landmarks on Rio’s map.

Luminous flotilla in Long Beach

In Long Beach, on the calm waters of Alamitos Bay and around Naples Island, for more than 70 years there have been floating… Christmas trees. The tradition, which was started in 1949 with a single tree by restaurateur Don May, has today taken the form of a whole series of decorations. Each year, the city launches dozens (now just over 70) of the structures: lightweight, cone-shaped frameworks of aluminum or stainless steel, laced with artificial branches or a dense mesh of green, needle-like material, followed by hundreds of LED lights. Each stands on a pontoon anchored in the bay, canals and harbor – from Alamitos Bay to Rainbow Harbor.

After dark, they form a luminous flotilla. They can be admired from waterfront houses, piers and promenades, but also from water level – from a canoe or small boat. Each tree has a slightly different decoration – some classic, others with additional baubles, stars or nautical accents. This is an example of how relatively simple but sturdy structures can turn an entire bay into a festive setting.

New decorations in Newport Beach every year

A dozen miles away, in Newport Beach, the Newport Dunes Bay is lit up every year. As part of the Lighting of the Bay event, more than 50 floating Christmas trees are set up on the calm, wave-sheltered water. Each tree stands on a separate platform – usually a pontoon or lightweight floating platform – anchored so that together they form an arc running from the beach into the bay. The structures take the form of metal cones or mast-like frameworks overlaid with artificial branches or nets illuminated by dozens of meters of LED wires.

Decorations change from year to year. Some Christmas trees feature classic white lights emanating warm light, others flicker in blue and green, and some are decorated with nautical motifs. From the shore, it looks like a patch of forest growing directly out of the water – a row of luminous cones reflects in the bay, creating a dense network of reflections. Seating areas and bonfires appear along the beach, and some spectators choose to admire the decorations from boats, kayaks or SUP boards. The bay becomes a floating Christmas decoration for many December evenings, with the light reflected on the water as its main element.

Lights on the water also in Asia

In the Taguig district, in metropolitan Manila, festive atmosphere is combined with Venice-inspired architecture. An artificial canal with gondolas, bridges and pastel-colored buildings runs along the Venice Grand Canal Mall, reminiscent of an Italian lagoon. During the holiday season, a tall Christmas tree is set up in the central part of the canal on a floating platform – from the shore it looks as if the tree is floating peacefully among the passing gondolas.

After dark, reflections of the Christmas tree and illuminated facades line the surface of the canal in a dense mosaic of lights. The Philippines is famous for its exceptionally long Christmas season – decorations appear here as early as September, and festive installations are often maintained until the new year.

Polish accent among Christmas decorations on the water

Finally, our own Polish accent – more modest than the Brazilian giant, but no less spectacular. In Gdynia, at the Pomeranian Quay, the Dar Młodzieży, a school ship of the Maritime University, was moored for several winters, turning into the tallest Christmas tree in Pomerania for the holidays. The tradition of lighting the lights was born in 2018, back during the Independence Cruise, when the sailing ship was off the coast of Los Angeles, and later established itself in Gdynia for good – every year chains of lights were arranged in the shape of a Christmas tree on the grotmast, up to about 60 meters above the water level. Thousands of lights entwined masts, shrouds and rudders, forming a slender triangle reaching to the sky, visible from afar: the hull became a trunk, masts – branches, and a luminous star shone on the topmost top.

By 2024, all it took was a few minutes of walking along the waterfront to see a truly festive atmosphere in the white frigate. For now, that image is a thing of the past, as in December 2025 the Dar Młodzieży went to the dock in Szczecin for its first-ever comprehensive overhaul outside the Tri-City.

---

pic. main: Leandro Neumann Ciuffo/Wikimedia