The holiday season in Beverly Hills officially begins on Thursday, Nov. 19, between 5 and 8 p.m. That evening Rodeo Drive will count down, switch on its holiday displays and close with fireworks. The calendar keeps going after that. According to the Beverly Press, holiday decorations and programming will stay up across Beverly Hills through Jan. 3, 2027.
The lighting draws the biggest crowd and gets the most coverage. Most of the season's other dates are in the city's parks, the Farmers' Market and Greystone Mansion, and many of them are in daylight. For a household that lives here, the hardest thing to get is a $12 ticket with a set entry time on a December weekend.
A Street That Was Built on Purpose
This year's theme, "50 Years of Brilliance," marks the anniversary of the Rodeo Drive Committee. The Committee's own history gives the dates in two steps. The group began forming in 1976 and was founded in 1977. Fred Hayman, president of the Giorgio boutique, was its driving force and became its chairman. The founders included Donald Tronstein, a property owner and developer on the 400 block. He served as Committee president from 1984 to 1987, and colleagues called him the "Mayor of Rodeo Drive." On that timeline, this month's celebration opens an anniversary that peaks in 2027.
The Committee aimed high from the start. It wanted Rodeo Drive to be America's answer to Via Condotti in Rome, New Bond Street in London and the Faubourg St-Honoré in Paris. Its campaign worked fast. By 1980, according to the Committee's history, the City of Beverly Hills estimated that the Rodeo Drive shopping district accounted for as much as 25 percent of its sales tax revenues. The holiday lighting carries the same idea. Speaking to the Beverly Press, Committee President Kathy Gohari said Hayman "understood that Rodeo Drive could be much more than a shopping destination – it could be an experience that captures the imagination of the world."
The event is built for a large audience, and the Beverly Press reports that thousands of residents and visitors are expected. A resident's plan for the season starts with that.
Thursday, Nov. 19, From 5 to 8
The celebration is free and open to everyone, and the City of Beverly Hills has posted the date and hours. Love Beverly Hills says it covers all three blocks of Rodeo Drive, with live entertainment, décor, Santa and fireworks. Those are the three blocks between Wilshire Boulevard and Little Santa Monica.
The program:
- Host: vocalist, performer and entertainment reporter Ali Ward
- Performers: Dani Armstrong, six-time Grammy Award winner Daniel Ho, and DJ Lady Sha
- "Rodeo Drive Has Talent" winners: Ortal Edri and 8-year-old vocalist Marianna Kriuchenkova, chosen in the first year of the search
- Finale: a countdown led by Mayor Craig Corman, members of the City Council and the Rodeo Drive Committee Executive Board, then the illumination and fireworks
- Along the street: holiday characters, food trucks and wine gardens
Corman, quoted by the Beverly Press, said the theme "celebrates the extraordinary history of Rodeo Drive and its place at the heart of Beverly Hills." If you live near the Golden Triangle, plan errands and driving around the 5 to 8 p.m. window. The city's holiday page, beverlyhills.org/holidaysbh, is the place to check for current event details.
The Next Six Weeks Belong to the Parks
After Nov. 19, most of the season's events move off Rodeo Drive and into city spaces. Two of them are installations you can visit on your own schedule. The rest are fixed dates.
| What | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Lights on the Lily Pond | Beverly Gardens Park | 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., through the season |
| Glowing Gardens, with a large Christmas tree and oversized ornaments | Beverly Canon Gardens | Daily, 5 to 11 p.m., through Jan. 3, 2027 |
| Holiday Craft Fair | Beverly Hills Farmers' Market | Sunday, Nov. 22, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. |
| Holidays at Greystone | Greystone Mansion and gardens | Dec. 5, 6, 12 and 13, 9:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. |
| Menorah Lighting Celebration | Beverly Gardens Park | Monday, Dec. 7, 5:30 p.m. |
| Santa Paws Yappy Hour | Beverly Hills Community Dog Park | Sunday, Dec. 13, 10 a.m. to noon |
The Craft Fair falls three days after the lighting, on a Sunday morning. It may be the easiest of these events to fit into an ordinary weekend. Glowing Gardens stays open until 11 p.m., later than anything else on the list, so it works as a walk after dinner on any night through early January. Beverly Gardens Park hosts both the Lily Pond lights and the Dec. 7 menorah lighting, which makes it the main gathering spot of the season.
Greystone Is the Ticket With Limits
Holidays at Greystone is different from everything else on the list because space is set in advance. The city sells it through its recreation registration catalog, with these terms:
- Price: $12 general admission.
- Format: a 90-minute visit through the decorated mansion, with themed crafts in the courtyard, photo opportunities, live caroling and storytelling.
- Entry times: 9:15 to 10:45 a.m., 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. and 3:15 to 4:45 p.m.
- Bob Baker Marionettes: a 20-minute show during each visit, at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
- One slot per account: the city refunds duplicate bookings.
- Toy donation: the Recreation Division is working with the Beverly Hills Fire Department on its Spark of Love toy drive and asks visitors to bring a new, unwrapped toy.
Four days with four entry times each comes to 16 sessions for the whole season. The lighting fills three blocks of open street with no tickets. Greystone fits its season into a small number of fixed windows, and each household account can book only one. If you are planning around children, visiting family or a particular weekend, book Greystone first and fit the rest of the calendar around it. The marionette shows start 15 minutes into each session, so arriving at your entry time puts you in place for the show.
Getting There Without the Car
On Nov. 19 especially, the cheapest way to deal with crowds is to leave the car at home. Metro opened Section 1 of the D Line extension on May 8, 2026, adding underground stations at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega. This is the first holiday season with a subway stop at Wilshire/La Cienega. Section 2, which serves Beverly Hills and Century City, is still under construction.
For anyone who drives, Love Beverly Hills notes that the city's public parking structures offer two hours of free parking. Two hours covers a Glowing Gardens visit plus a stop at the Lily Pond. A 90-minute Greystone session leaves less spare time once you add the drive and the walk in.
Before or After, Within Walking Distance
Several of the rooms in the Beverly Hills Courier's September dining roundup are close to the holiday route. Vicky on Rodeo is at Two Rodeo Drive. Malka opened at SIXTY Beverly Hills in August. The Brothers Sushi has opened on South Beverly Drive. Any of them pairs with a late visit to Glowing Gardens on a night other than Nov. 19.
By 1980 the city estimated that the Rodeo Drive shopping district accounted for up to a quarter of its sales tax revenues. Fifty years of steady investment in how a place is presented is the same thing that drives value in Beverly Hills property. If you would like to talk through how presentation and pricing strategy apply to your own home, Hannah Laird Estates offers a discreet, finance-led view. Schedule a private consultation.
