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The free, public ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, December 5. After fireworks, visitors are invited inside for seasonal displays, including the volunteer-decorated Fallen Heroes Holiday Tree.
All times are local to the venue · America/Chicago
A volunteer-decorated Fallen Heroes Holiday Tree is among the indoor displays visitors are invited to see after the 2026 Arkansas State Capitol Lighting Ceremony and fireworks. The ceremony marks the 88th anniversary of a tradition that began with a small cupola display in the late 1930s.
The Arkansas State Capitol’s lighting tradition dates to the late 1930s. Secretary Crip Hall, working with a staff electrician, mounted strips of lights on sheet metal around the building’s cupola. An early display also included a fir tree sprayed silver and lit with rotating lights.
For the 2026 ceremony, Secretary of State Cole Jester is inviting the public to mark the tradition’s 88th anniversary. That history gives the annual lighting a specifically local thread: a modest early display developed into the Capitol ceremony held today.
Further reading: Arkansas State Capitol Christmas Lights 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗
After the ceremony and fireworks, the event listing invites visitors into the Capitol for holiday decorations. The Fallen Heroes Holiday Tree is decorated with help from volunteers; Santa’s workshop and the Capitol Gift Shop are also listed as stops. The listing names the tree but does not describe a separate program or timing for these indoor visits.
There is a year discrepancy for the Capitol Christmas Ornament: the annual event page identifies the 2026 ornament, while the separate event listing names the 2025 ornament. If the ornament is a deciding reason to attend, check which edition is available before making plans.
Further reading: Arkansas State Capitol Christmas Lights 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗ · Arkansas State Capitol Lighting Ceremony 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗
The Capitol is an early-20th-century neoclassical building, with displays about the structure and Arkansas history in its marbled halls. Its grounds include the Arkansas Gold Star Families Memorial, Arkansas Medal of Honor Memorial, Arkansas Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, Testament: The Little Rock Nine Monument and Arkansas Fallen Firefighters Memorial.
Those details add context to the setting, but the event information does not specify which history displays or memorials are included in the ceremony route.
Further reading: Arkansas State Capitol | Little Rock, AR ↗
The published sequence places the fireworks after the ceremony and the Capitol visit afterward. It gives no separate start times for the fireworks, Santa’s workshop or entry to the interior displays.
The published time is the ceremony’s start. No separate end time is given.
Arkansas State Capitol Christmas Lights 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗ · Arkansas State Capitol Lighting Ceremony 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗
The event listing reports extended holiday hours beginning after the lighting: Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–9 p.m., and Saturday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m. These are holiday hours, not a published end time for the ceremony.
Arkansas State Capitol Lighting Ceremony 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗
500 Woodlane Ave, Little Rock, AR 72201.
Arkansas State Capitol Lighting Ceremony 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗
The event is described as family-friendly. The listing does not state a specific age policy.
Arkansas State Capitol Christmas Lights 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗ · Arkansas State Capitol Lighting Ceremony 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗
The event page proposes the Little Rock Holiday Parade at 3 p.m. as a same-day pairing before the 5:30 p.m. Capitol ceremony.
Arkansas State Capitol Christmas Lights 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗
The event is at the Arkansas State Capitol, 500 Woodlane Ave, Little Rock, AR 72201. The event information does not identify a specific public entrance or provide event-night transit, parking, road-closure or accessible-viewing details. Use the map links to calculate directions from your own starting point.
Arkansas State Capitol Lighting Ceremony 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗ · Arkansas State Capitol Christmas Lights 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗
It is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday, December 5, 2026. No ceremony end time is listed.
Arkansas State Capitol Christmas Lights 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗ · Arkansas State Capitol Lighting Ceremony 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗
The published sequence is fireworks, followed by an invitation inside to see holiday decorations, including the Fallen Heroes Holiday Tree, and visit Santa’s workshop.
Arkansas State Capitol Christmas Lights 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗ · Arkansas State Capitol Lighting Ceremony 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗
The listings disagree: the annual event page names the 2026 ornament, while the separate event listing names the 2025 ornament. Verify the edition if it matters to your visit.
Arkansas State Capitol Christmas Lights 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗ · Arkansas State Capitol Lighting Ceremony 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗
The event page suggests the parade at 3 p.m. before the Capitol ceremony at 5:30 p.m.; it does not provide travel or route-planning details between them.
Arkansas State Capitol Christmas Lights 2026 | Little Rock, AR ↗
500 Woodlane Ave, Little Rock, AR 72201
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.
Images from the linked sources. Each caption identifies the context of the image.
Event, planning and background information checked 2026-10-31 against the linked sources.