MCCS Holiday Festival
Marketing & Communications
Integrated Marketing Campaign / Event Marketing
Brand Development
Campaign Strategy
Social Media Marketing
Graphic Design
2025
The MCBQ Holiday Festival was a strategic rebrand of Marine Corps Base Quantico’s former Tree Lighting event, transforming a traditional holiday ceremony into a family-centered winter wonderland experience.
The campaign focused on increasing visibility and participation through a cohesive visual identity, social media strategy, digital and print promotion, and a condensed 18-day promotional campaign. Creative messaging shifted the focus from simply attending a tree lighting to experiencing an evening of holiday magic, family fun, and community connection.
From the initial “Something magical is coming” teaser to the final countdown, each touchpoint was designed to build curiosity, reveal the experience, and drive attendance.
Summary
MCBQ Holiday Festival 2025
November 17–December 4, 2025 | Event Marketing & Rebrand
The MCBQ Holiday Festival was a strategic rebrand of Marine Corps Base Quantico’s traditional Tree Lighting event, repositioning it as a family-centered winter wonderland designed to increase community awareness and participation.
The project included brand development, campaign strategy, graphic design, social media, digital advertising, signage, and promotional materials across an 18-day campaign. The creative direction shifted the focus from a single tree-lighting ceremony to a full holiday experience featuring Santa, ice skating, snowball fights, a Holiday Market, Trees for Troops, community tree decorating, hot cocoa, food trucks, Toys for Tots, and more.
The campaign was created to give the event a stronger identity and communicate its value to families and children. With a limited promotional window and a $40 paid media budget, the strategy centered on building anticipation and gradually moving audiences from curiosity to attendance.
The campaign launched with the teaser “Something Magical Is Coming,” followed by the event reveal, experience-focused content, and a 3-day countdown leading into the December 4 event.
The result was a cohesive campaign that transformed the perception of the former Tree Lighting into a broader holiday experience built around family, community, and magic.
Scope: Brand Rebrand • Campaign Strategy • Creative Direction • Graphic Design • Social Media • Paid Social • Digital Advertising • Event Promotion • Print & Signage
Project Goal: Increase visibility, engagement, and participation while establishing a new identity for the annual holiday event.
Challenge
What was previously known as the Tree Lighting needed a fresh identity.
The event had evolved beyond a traditional tree-lighting ceremony. With activities designed for children, families, and the broader Quantico community, the existing name no longer fully communicated the experience.
The challenge was to transform the perception of the event from a single holiday ceremony into a full family-centered holiday experience, while increasing awareness and participation within a limited promotional window.
Historical event performance showed an opportunity for growth:
2021: 78 reach
2022: 270 reach
2023: 580 reach / 88 responses
The 2025 campaign needed to build on that momentum while introducing an entirely new event identity.
Solutions
The Rebrand:
From Tree Lighting → MCBQ Holiday Festival
The new identity positioned the event as a winter wonderland for the whole family.
Rather than making the tree the sole visual focus, the creative direction centered around:
Family • Childhood • Wonder • Holiday Magic • Community
The visual system incorporated playful holiday imagery, snow-covered landscapes, snowflakes, festive sweaters, Santa, hot cocoa, ornaments, and joyful children.
The result was an identity that felt less like a formal ceremony and more like an experience families would want to attend and share.
Brand Direction
The creative aesthetic was designed to feel:
Magical. Playful. Inclusive. Festive. Family-focused.
A winter-inspired palette of icy blues, white, holiday red, evergreen, and subtle gold created a recognizable visual world across campaign materials.
329 Responses
2,169 reach
