Christmas in Laguna Beach

The big events come first

Most of the holiday programming in Laguna Beach happens before Christmas week. This page links those events and adds what changes on December 24 and 25.

• Hospitality Night is the city’s and the Chamber of Commerce’s downtown evening on Friday, December 4, 2026. See the Hospitality Night page.
• Sawdust Winter Fantasy runs on five weekends from November 20 to December 20, 2026, so it closes before Christmas Eve. See the Sawdust Winter Fantasy page.
• The city’s holiday palettes are painted wood palettes that the city displays in front of City Hall this winter, with others on lampposts around town. The city says lodging establishments and the city fund the program.
• The holiday events guide puts the whole season on one calendar.

Laguna Playhouse and a church concert

The Laguna Playhouse, at 606 Laguna Canyon Road, lists Aladdin & Yasmin’s Winter Wish from December 5 to 27, 2026. It is a panto from the Lythgoe Family with pop songs, comedy and dance, in the Playhouse’s description. The Playhouse also lists two pre-show holiday parties on December 12, at noon and at 4 p.m. Performance times and tickets are on the Playhouse’s page, so check it for any performance on December 24 or 25. The performing arts guide covers the town’s other stages.

Laguna Presbyterian Church, at 415 Forest Avenue, lists its Annual Christmas Concert on Sunday, December 13, 2026, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the sanctuary. The church accepts a freewill offering instead of selling tickets. As of October 28, 2026, the church’s events list showed no Christmas Eve service, so check its site in December.

City closures and services

The city’s 2026 calendar marks December 24 and 25 as holidays, with Christmas Day observed on the 24th, and lists December 28 to 31 as a holiday closure, marked tentative. City Hall otherwise keeps Monday to Thursday hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

• Trolley and Laguna Local. The city’s transit holiday table lists service from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and no service on Christmas Day. The table prints no year, so read the city’s trolley page before you plan a trip, and see the getting around guide for the routes.
• Trash and recycling. The city’s holiday table says there is no pickup on Christmas Day and that pickup is delayed one day for the rest of the week. It also lists no residential street sweeping that day. The table prints no year, so check the city’s holiday schedule that week. The trash and recycling guide has the contact numbers.
• Holiday greenery. The city’s recycling page says CR&R collects holiday greenery for a three-week period between December 26 and January 16, set in or next to the organics cart. The page gives no year and says more information will come closer to December.
• Parking. The city’s parking page gives enforcement hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and lists no holiday exception. The parking guide lists the lots.

Christmas dinner at restaurants

Restaurants post holiday menus on their own sites, and some post later than others. As of October 28, 2026, The Ranch had posted a dated 2026 Christmas Day dinner, and Montage had posted an undated holiday program.

• Harvest at The Ranch at Laguna Beach, 31106 Coast Highway. The Ranch lists Christmas at Harvest on December 25, 2026, from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Its page describes a slow-roasted prime rib, seafood specials and a butter cake dessert, and it says reservations open on November 1. The Ranch’s Christmas page has the details.
• Montage Laguna Beach, 30801 Coast Highway. Its holiday page lists Christmas Eve dinners on December 24 at The Loft and Studio Mediterranean and a Christmas Day feast in the Grand Ballroom on December 25. The page prints no year and says details will be refreshed as the holiday nears, so confirm with the resort. Montage’s festive page lists the seatings.

The Eat & drink section lists restaurants by area, and the Stay section lists lodging if you need a room for the week.

After Christmas

The city’s greenery pickup window opens December 26, and New Year’s Eve in Laguna Beach covers the city rules and services for December 31 and January 1. The December guide covers daylight hours and weather for the month.