What Is the Downtown Missoula Holiday Decor Program? 

The Downtown Missoula Holiday Décor Program is a collaborative initiative led by the Downtown Missoula Partnership (DMP) and the City of Missoula to bring festive holiday decorations to Downtown.

What Kind of Holiday Décor Is Installed Downtown?

The DMP owns and maintains over 150 holiday decorations, including garland-wrapped lampposts, candles, Christmas trees, and white snowflakes. Each year, employees from the City’s Urban Forestry Division install and remove the decorations.

In the fall, DMP employees and volunteers prepare for the annual display by inspecting, cleaning, and testing each decoration—replacing burned-out or broken bulbs as needed. The City of Missoula Parks and Recreation team handles the installation and takedown, while the DMP funds the power, repairs, timer boxes, locks, and replacement bulbs.

In addition to the street light décor, Downtown Missoula is fortunate to have a live tree in the middle of Higgins Avenue that is decorated annually by Washington Corporation. The Lighting of the Tree takes place the first Saturday of December — during Holidays on Higgins. The holiday tree remains lit until mid-January each year.

How Did the Holiday Decor Program Start? 

Downtown Missoula’s holiday décor program began in 1981 with the purchase of garland-wrapped Christmas trees and candelabras. In 2006, these decorations were stripped down to their steel frames and rebuilt with new wiring and garlands, thanks to thousands of hours of volunteer work. In 2009, snowflake decorations were added, expanding the program to include all streetlights on the Hip Strip.

With the Downtown electrical infrastructure being over 30 years old, the Missoula Downtown Association and the Missoula Downtown Foundation partnered to raise funds for electrical upgrades. In 2016, all the electrical outlets on the street lights were replaced for $20,000. In 2017, fundraising efforts by the MDF and Missoula’s generous nature made upgrading and replacing all the electrical wiring between the street lights possible.

Who Else Participates in Downtown Missoula Holiday Decor?

Downtown Missoula property and business owners contribute to the creative and festive environment of the holidays by independently lighting up their buildings, decorating their windows, wrapping lights around the street trees and hanging lights across the sidewalks between the buildings and the trees. The Downtown Missoula Partnership hosts an annual Holiday Window Decorating Contest, encouraging the public to vote on several award categories. This contest normally begins around Small Business Saturday and ends mid-December. 

How Can I Support This Initiative?

The DMP is always looking for donations to fund and replace its holiday décor inventory, as well as volunteers to help install and remove decorations. If you’d like to support this program, donate today or reach out to [email protected] for volunteer opportunities.