Laguna Beach's Holiday Season Runs Five Weekends Long, and Dec. 4 Is When It All Lands Downtown

Friday, Dec. 4, is the one day this season when the canyon and downtown Laguna Beach both have holiday events on the calendar.

Laguna's 2026 holiday season runs Friday through Sunday only. For five weekends in a row, Sawdust Art Festival's Winter Fantasy fills the eucalyptus grove on Laguna Canyon Road, and the city adds two trolley routes timed to it. Mondays through Thursdays, none of this is running. On the first Friday of December, the city and the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce hold Hospitality Night downtown, on a day when the canyon festival is also open. Once you know that schedule, it's easy to choose which weekends to go, how to get there and when to leave the car at home.

Five Weekends, Three Days Each

Sawdust's Winter Fantasy runs Nov. 20 through Dec. 20, 2026, open Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. This is the festival's 36th winter season. It follows a summer in which Sawdust marked the 60th anniversary of its summer show, according to the Laguna Beach Independent.

The two trolley routes follow the same calendar. The city's Winter Express and Canyon Route both run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Nov. 20 through Dec. 20. Each weekend has its own events:

The opening weekend has the most going on outside Sawdust. On opening Friday, the Laguna Art Museum holds an evening session with Peter Zokosky, listed on Visit Laguna Beach's calendar for 4 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 20. Sawdust's opening-weekend tree lighting follows on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 5 p.m.

What the Canyon Holds This Year

The festival brings in more than 180 artists. Their work includes paintings, jewelry, ceramics, glass, sculpture, photography and textiles, and many of the artists give live demonstrations on the grounds. Sawdust president Jay Grant explained the appeal of buying in person to the Laguna Beach Independent:

"That connection is something you can't get from a gift bought online, and it's why so many families have made us part of their holiday traditions."

Away from the artist booths, the grounds have trees decorated by local community organizations, Candy Cane Lane, photos with Santa, carolers, roaming musicians, puppet shows and the Balloon Diva. Holiday-themed art classes and decor inspired by European holiday markets round it out. For food and drink, Sawdust is serving mulled wine in holiday mugs, alongside The Cove by Starfish, AhbA, Taco Laco and Espresso on the Go.

Ticket prices depend on how many times you plan to go. Sawdust's Winter Fantasy page lists single-day tickets from $5.50 to $12.50 depending on ticket type. Children under 5 get in free. The 2026 Winter Pass costs $35.50 and covers unlimited visits all season. The Independent reports $2 off admission for tickets bought in advance through Friday, Nov. 20, the same day the festival opens. If you're planning a quick visit for the tree lighting and another during Hospitality weekend, it's worth deciding before Friday.

Two Ways In That Skip Downtown Parking

The city runs two trolley routes for the festival, and they work differently:

• Winter Express. Parking and the ride are both free. The loop starts at a lot at 16355 Laguna Canyon Road in Irvine, near the I-405/SR-133 interchange, and leaves Irvine at :00 and :30 past each hour. It stops at the Sawdust Art Festival and in downtown Laguna Beach, where riders can switch to the Laguna Beach Trolley running both directions on Coast Highway.
• Canyon Route. Parking at Lot 16/Act V, 1900 Laguna Canyon Road, costs $5. A free trolley runs from there to Sawdust and downtown Laguna Beach every 30 minutes, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

You can track either route in real time on the Laguna Beach Trolley app. The city's Winter Express page has the full operating hours. Sawdust also notes limited metered parking on Frontage Road and Laguna Canyon Road, plus paid public parking near downtown.

The Canyon Route runs an hour past Sawdust's 7 p.m. closing, and on most weekends that extra hour is just time to get back to your car. On Dec. 4 it overlaps with Hospitality Night downtown.

Friday, Dec. 4, Hour by Hour

According to the City of Laguna Beach, the city and the Chamber of Commerce hold Hospitality Night on the first Friday of every December and call it "the best block party of the year." This year it runs about 5 to 9 p.m. and is centered on the Peppertree Lot, also called Lot 2. The city's tentative schedule:

1. 3:00 p.m. Street closures begin downtown. Parts of Forest Avenue, Ocean Avenue, Beach Street and Glenneyre, along with the Peppertree Lot, close to cars before and during the event.
2. 4:00 p.m. Free trolley and neighborhood on-demand service begins and runs until 11 p.m.
3. 5:00 p.m. The Thurston Middle School Band plays in the Peppertree Lot. Holiday crafts start and run until 7:30, and business open houses run until 9. Until 7 p.m., Laguna Beach Presbyterian has an art market, La Playa Tamales, homemade cookies and cider, an open sanctuary, Dinner2Go, prayer candles and caroling.
4. 5:30 p.m. Ukulele Academy performs in the Peppertree Lot.
5. 6:10 p.m. Santa arrives at the Peppertree Lot and lights the tree.
6. 6:15 p.m. The Laguna Community Concert and JaZz Band plays until 7:30.
7. 6:30 p.m. Santa's Beach House opens for children's wishes until 9, and Anneliese School performs on the Main Stage on Forest Avenue.
8. 7:00 p.m. Music on the Main Stage on the Promenade runs until 9.

The street closures start at 3 p.m., so anyone driving downtown that afternoon will run into them. The city posts a map of the closures.

That same Friday, Winter Fantasy is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the Canyon Route runs from Lot 16 until 8 p.m. So you can spend the afternoon at the Sawdust grounds and be downtown before the 6:10 p.m. tree lighting. The free trolley and on-demand service running until 11 p.m. covers the trip home after the Main Stage music ends at 9.

The Night Before Starts the Weekend

Dec. 4 is actually the second night of a four-day stretch. The First Thursdays Art Walk is on Dec. 3, from 6 to 9 p.m., according to Visit Laguna Beach. That gives you an evening of galleries on Thursday, the Hospitality Night block party on Friday, and Winter Fantasy open Saturday and Sunday. The closing weekend, Dec. 18 to 20, is the last chance this year to shop the artist booths. The Winter Express ends that Sunday too.

If the holidays have you thinking about your Laguna Beach home in 2027, the Christina Shaw Group can give you a confidential read on what it's worth before the new year. Request a Private Valuation, and we'll have your numbers ready by the time the Winter Fantasy tree comes down.