Holiday events in Laguna Beach

The December calendar

The holiday season in Laguna Beach is a set of separate events run by the city, the Chamber of Commerce, Sawdust and the Laguna Playhouse. Sawdust Winter Fantasy runs on weekends from November 20 to December 20, 2026, and Hospitality Night is one evening, December 4, 2026. Everything below comes from the organizer or the city, and each section says what year its dates belong to.

Hospitality Night, December 4, 2026

The City of Laguna Beach and the Chamber of Commerce sponsor Hospitality Night on the first Friday each December. The 2026 evening is Friday, December 4, from about 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. It starts in the Peppertree Lot (Lot 2), where Santa arrives before the tree lighting at 6:10 p.m. Downtown streets close to vehicles from 3 p.m., and the city lists a free trolley and neighborhood on-demand service from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The city labels its timetable “Tentative Schedule”, so check the city’s page close to the date. The full list of performances, closures and times is on the Hospitality Night page.

Sawdust Winter Fantasy, November 20 to December 20, 2026

Sawdust runs its holiday art festival on five three-day weekends, Friday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The grounds are at 935 Laguna Canyon Road. Sawdust says the festival is open rain or shine, offers live music and entertainment every day on three stages, and does not allow pets on the grounds. Tickets are sold online in advance or at the ticket booth.

Parking in Lot 16, at 1900 Laguna Canyon Road, was $5 a day as of October 2026, and Sawdust lists a free trolley from Lot 16 that runs between downtown and the festival from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the show. Admission, discounts and dates are on the Sawdust Winter Fantasy page. Because the festival runs every weekend through December 20, it overlaps Hospitality Night: December 4 to 6 is the third of the five weekends.

City holiday palettes

The city’s Arts Commission selected two winning designs in the 2026 Holiday Palette Competition, out of 18 submissions. The artists paint their designs onto 3-by-4-foot wood palettes that go on display in front of City Hall this winter. Other palettes in the city’s collection hang on lampposts around town. The city says lodging establishments and the city fund the program. The city’s news item does not give a start date for the display, so treat the timing as “this winter holiday season” until the city posts one.

Laguna Playhouse, December 5 to 27

The Laguna Playhouse lists Aladdin & Yasmin’s Winter Wish from December 5 to 27, 2026. The Playhouse’s page carries the performance times and ticket links. It is a 2026 production listed by the theater, and the page does not say it repeats every year. The performing arts page covers the Playhouse and other stages year-round.

First Thursdays Art Walk, December 3

First Thursdays Art Walk is held on the first Thursday of every month, which falls on December 3, 2026, the night before Hospitality Night. The Chamber’s December calendar lists it on that date. The Art Walk page explains how the monthly evening works.

After the holidays

Residents who put out a tree or wreaths can use the city’s holiday greenery collection. CR&R picks up greenery for a three-week period between December 26 and January 16, and the city says to place it in or next to the organics cart. The city’s recycling page does not state the exact dates for each year, so look there for the current notice.

Getting around in December

Hospitality Night closes downtown streets, and Sawdust sits on Laguna Canyon Road. The city links a Holiday Schedule for Transit Services from its trolley page, so check it if you plan to ride on or near a holiday. The getting around guide explains the trolley routes and the on-demand service, and the December guide covers daylight hours and weather for the month.