Downtown Chandler’s iconic Tumbleweed Tree will be up soon

PHOENIX – A holiday tradition going on its 63rd year in downtown Chandler is now under construction.

The city’s Tumbleweed Tree will be built over the next two weeks by park employees who are tasked with adding hundreds of tumbleweeds to a wire frame before covering it with 45 gallons of gloss white paint, 70 pounds of glitter and approximately 1,200-holiday lights.

The 35-foot-tall holiday spectacle will make its 2019 debut during the free lighting ceremony and parade on Saturday, Dec. 7.

Festivities last from 4:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. with the parade taking place at 6:45 p.m.

The event is expected to bring many people to the area as VisitChandler.com estimates 15,000 individuals will join Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke and members of the council to flip the switch at 8 p.m.

The website added activities during the evening include music, entertainment, arts and crafts, food and beverage carts as well as free pictures with Santa.

Parking and street closure information can be viewed here.

The process to create the Tumbleweed Tree begins in October as crews search for 600-800 tumbleweeds.

Chandler resident Earle Barnum began the tradition in 1957 when he got the idea for the Tumbleweed Tree after seeing a similar tree in Indiana built with chicken wire.

Chandler is the only city in the southwestern United States to feature a Tumbleweed Tree.

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