Sarasota annual tree lighting takes place at Selby Five Points

By Ian Swaby
| 5:24 p.m. December 6, 2025

Debi and Mike O'Leary take a look at the tree.

Sarasota
Neighbors

Crowds filled the street the night of Dec. 6 as the public prepared for the lighting of the Christmas tree at Selby Five Points Park.

It was the second year for the Downtown Improvement District's (DID) new, larger Christmas tree at the location, and the lighting was part of the Fresh Fridays Light Up the Night block party hosted at the location.

JT Grano of NextMark, which hosts the block parties, said the company expected a turnout of about 4,000 to 5,000 people. He also said the community had now come to expect the event.

"It's great because now it's a landmark, it's a community event, and honestly, one of the things that we look forward to is just seeing as many people here as possible," he said.

The evening also featured live music by The Rockefellers, an inflatable Santa sleigh, and bites and drinks from local establishments.

Nick Perrine, Michael Sobotka and Austin Oakes await the tree lighting.

Autumn Tselios of The Rockefellers performs on stage.

Tom Pratt and Steph Abbati get into the holiday spirit.

Lexi Zook, Justin Zook, and Zealand Zook, 1, await the tree lighting.

Sagan Shinn, 8, Charis Hogue, 9, and Isla Shinn, 6, look at the snowflake necklaces given out to attendees.

Nicole Stuzman of Brick's Smoked Meats brought the festive spirit.

Living statue performer Joe Abel (center) poses with Wayne Liese and Levi Liese, 8.

Joshua Fortney, 10, Kelley Fortney and Wyatt Fortney, 10, enjoyed playing in the snow.

Rick and Tina Walters, and Tom and Cindy Bourdon share a table.

Samuel Munroe sits with Blaze in front of the spot where the tree will be lit.

Commissioner Kyle Battie speaks before the lighting of the tree.

The tree has become a fixture of Selby Five Points Park.

Valerie Flores and Julian Flores, 4, watch as the moment of the lighting arrives.

Emilie Campos and Slawek Kaszubowski take a selfie in front of the tree.

Basia Kozak enjoyed spending time in the snow.

Teagan Rose, 4, and her grandmother Jean Anderson, stand by Santa's sleigh.

Taking to the stage for the lighting were Commissioner Kyle Battie and members of the Downtown Improvement District board including Chris Voelker, Vice Chair Wayne Ruben, Harmoni Krusing and Eileen Hampshire.

The tree is now a fixture of Selby Five Points Park.

author

Ian Swaby

Ian Swaby is the Sarasota neighbors writer for the Observer. Ian is a Florida State University graduate of Editing, Writing, and Media and previously worked in the publishing industry in the Cayman Islands.