Volunteers won't build Milford's best-known harbor Christmas tree until Dec. 5. Its frame will be lobster traps lent by BriarPatch Oyster Fishery. Its ornaments are buoys decorated by residents, the same people who will walk down to Lisman Landing in December to find their own buoy on the tree.
That's the reason to plan this season around Nov. 18. The Milford Arts Council's Holiday Buoy Tree takes its decorations from the community, so the deadline for a hand-painted buoy comes almost three weeks before the tree is lit.
The ornaments are due before the tree exists
The Milford Arts Council asks for decorated buoys to be dropped off before November 18, 2026, at its main office at 40 Railroad Ave. The office is open Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Buoys are also sold at festivals and through that office, and you can submit a 2026 buoy online. The MAC says more drop-off dates will be announced at the Firehouse Gallery, 81 Naugatuck Ave.
Counting from this Thursday, the Railroad Avenue office has three afternoons left before the deadline:
- Thursday, Nov. 12, noon to 5 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 13, noon to 5 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 17, noon to 5 p.m.
The office is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. Anyone painting this weekend should plan to drop off on Tuesday.
Who can take part is what sets Milford's tree apart from others like it. The MAC says most buoy trees are decorated with authentic buoys or with buoys designed and painted by artists. Milford invites everyone: "every person, every age, artists, craftspeople, friends, residents, families, and businesses."
Why the buoys go home in January
The plan didn't start that way. The tree began in 2021, when resident Makayla Silva brought the idea to Milford after seeing similar trees during her travels. The MAC's history says she saw them on a family trip to Maine and Massachusetts. The Downtown Milford Business Association and the Milford Arts Council took on the project together, and the first tree was lit on a Sunday in December 2021.
According to CT Insider's coverage of that first tree, the organizers first planned to auction off some of the donated buoys after the display. MAC Executive Director Paige Miglio told CT Insider the plan changed once she saw what residents had made:
"we knew we had to keep them 'in the family' and hope they will be collected and cherished for generations."
That decision shapes the tradition now. When the tree comes down in mid to late January, families pick up their buoys, and the MAC says families build their own collections that way. A household that has taken part since 2021 could hang its sixth buoy this year, because 2026 is the tree's sixth year. "Every year it is different, every year it grows," the MAC writes.
So the tree works more like a yearly community exhibit, put up on the harbor for about six weeks, than like a decoration someone else hangs for the town. The buoy painted this week may be the first of a set that comes out every December after this.
What the buoys hang on
The frame is working gear. MAC volunteers stack genuine used lobster traps into a tree form 20 to 30 feet tall, and the MAC notes that some traps still come with seaweed, rocks, weights and line. BriarPatch Oyster Fishery lends the traps to the arts council.
Next the traps are wrapped in white lights. Boatline goes over them, knotted with the community's hand-painted and decorated buoys. At the top sits a giant lit star donated by sponsor Mager & Mager Law Firm.
The location matters as much as the materials. Lisman Landing sits right on the harbor, so a tree made of lobster traps stands at the water's edge, and Santa arrives there by oyster boat.
One downtown weekend, three days long
Once the buoys are in, the season leads into a single weekend in early December. Three events fall on three straight days, starting on the Green and ending at the harbor.
Friday, Dec. 4: Lamplight Stroll, 5 to 9 p.m. The Downtown Milford Business Association's 24th Annual Lamplight Stroll fills the Milford Green, 84 S. Broad St., and the downtown storefronts. The DMBA lists 60+ local vendors, carolers, horse-drawn carriage rides, Santa and his elves, and a bonfire with hot chocolate. Admission is free.
Saturday, Dec. 5: The tree build at Lisman Landing. Volunteers put the tree together, and the MAC says the public is welcome to stop by and watch. For anyone who dropped off a buoy, this is the day to watch it go up on the boatline.
Sunday, Dec. 6: The lighting, 2 to 6 p.m. The MAC lists the afternoon this way:
- 3 to 6 p.m.: A new market under Lisman Landing Pavilion, with 15 vendors selling small items, stocking stuffers and ornaments, plus food trucks and hot cocoa and coffee
- 4 to 4:45 p.m.: Music, including choraling with Emily Mager
- 4:45 p.m.: Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by oyster boat
- 5 p.m.: The Mayor of Milford lights the tree
The pavilion market is the change this year. The MAC calls it an expansion of the event. You can spend an afternoon there, shop for ornaments, and grab dinner from a food truck before the 5 p.m. countdown.
The rest of the downtown calendar
The DMBA has scheduled more holiday dates around that weekend, and the first one is tonight. Each is a reason to head downtown, though the buoy is the only part of the season residents make themselves.
| Date | Event | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 12 | Milford Holiday Market, hosted by Ethan Allen Milford with the DMBA | Ethan Allen, 1620 Boston Post Road | 4 to 7 p.m. |
| Tue., Nov. 17 | Last office afternoon before the buoy deadline | Milford Arts Council, 40 Railroad Ave. | Noon to 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Small Business Saturday | Milford Green, 84 S. Broad St., and participating storefronts | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | 24th Annual Lamplight Stroll | Milford Green and downtown storefronts | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Buoy Tree Lighting Ceremony | Lisman Landing | 2 to 6 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | Sip and Shop | Participating downtown storefronts | 5 to 8 p.m. |
The DMBA lists more than 60 vendors on the Green for Small Business Saturday, the weekend after Thanksgiving. Sip and Shop on Dec. 17 moves indoors to participating storefronts for one weeknight of last-minute shopping.
All of those dates are easy to make on the day. The buoy has to be decided this week. Paint it, drop it at 40 Railroad Ave. by Tuesday afternoon, look for it on the harbor in December, and pick it up in January.
At iVision Real Estate, we love the Milford traditions that neighbors build with their own hands, and the Buoy Tree is one of the best examples on the shoreline. If you're thinking about your next chapter in Milford, or just want to talk through what's happening around town, we'd be glad to hear from you. Get Your Free Consultation.
