The holiday lights at the easternmost point of New York State have their 2026 date. Lighting the Lighthouse returns to Montauk Point on Saturday, November 28, with the gathering starting at 4 p.m. and the lights on the lighthouse switching on at about 5:15 p.m., just after dusk settles over the point. There is no charge to attend, though the Montauk Historical Society, which runs the lighthouse, welcomes donations.

What the evening looks like

The crowd assembles on the grounds at 2000 Montauk Highway in the late afternoon, and live singalong holiday music from Sarah Conway and the Playful Souls carries the wait until the main event: the moment the tower and grounds light up against the dark Atlantic. Hampton Coffee donates hot chocolate for the evening. The lighting lands on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the same weekend holiday seasons open across the East End.

Santa at the Lighthouse on Sunday

The weekend continues the next morning. Santa at the Lighthouse runs Sunday, November 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with Santa Claus posing for pictures at the lighthouse and more hot chocolate from Hampton Coffee. Between the two days, the point gets a family evening and a family morning back to back, with the drive out along the final stretch of Montauk Highway as much a part of the outing as the events themselves.

The oldest lighthouse in New York State

The Montauk Point Lighthouse was authorized by the Second Congress under President George Washington in 1792 and first lit in 1796, which makes it the oldest lighthouse in New York State and one of the oldest still operating in the country. The Montauk Historical Society operates the tower and its museum, and the site is a National Historic Landmark. The annual lighting is the society's holiday opener at the point, a counterpart at land's end to the village tree lightings that run across the Island the same weekend.

How to go

Lighting the Lighthouse is Saturday, November 28 from 4 p.m. at the Montauk Point Lighthouse, 2000 Montauk Highway, Montauk, with the lighting at about 5:15 p.m. Santa at the Lighthouse follows Sunday, November 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Both are posted on the Montauk Historical Society's events calendar, and the society can be reached at 631-668-2544.

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