Hospitality Night

What Hospitality Night is

Hospitality Night is a downtown holiday evening held on the first Friday each December. The City of Laguna Beach and the Chamber of Commerce sponsor it together. The city’s page describes carol singing, time with neighbors and Santa lighting the tree. The Chamber’s own event listing for 2026 gives the same date and the same 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. window.

This page covers the downtown event. For the rest of the season, including Sawdust Winter Fantasy on Laguna Canyon Road, see holiday events in Laguna Beach.

2026 date and times

The 2026 Hospitality Night is Friday, December 4, from approximately 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The evening starts in the Peppertree Lot, which the city’s parking list calls Lot 2 at 322 Forest Avenue. Santa arrives there to greet the crowd, and the tree lighting follows at 6:10 p.m.

The city publishes its timetable under the heading “Tentative Schedule”. That label is still on the 2026 page, so treat every time below as subject to change and check the city’s page again in the days before the event. These are the entries on the current list:

• 3 p.m.: downtown street closures begin.
• 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.: free trolley and neighborhood on-demand service.
• 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.: Thurston Middle School Band in the Peppertree Lot.
• 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: holiday crafts and activities in the Peppertree Lot.
• 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Laguna Beach Presbyterian Art Market, cookies and cider, and caroling.
• 5:30 p.m. to 6:05 p.m.: Ukulele Academy in the Peppertree Lot.
• 6:10 p.m.: Santa arrives to light the tree.
• 6:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: Laguna Community Concert and Jazz Band in the Peppertree Lot.
• 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Santa at his Beach House, listening to children’s Christmas wishes.
• 6:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.: Anneliese School on the Main Stage on Forest Avenue.
• 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: music on the Main Stage on the Promenade.
• 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: business open houses.

Street closures

Street closures start at 3 p.m., two hours before the event. The city names these closures: portions of Forest Avenue, Ocean Avenue, Beach Street and Glenneyre Street, plus the Peppertree Lot itself. All close to vehicles before and during the event. The city links a map of the closures from the Hospitality Night page, and that map is the place to check a specific block.

Because the Peppertree Lot is the event’s starting point and it closes to vehicles, do not plan to park there for the evening. The parking guide lists the city’s other public lots.

Getting there

The city runs a free trolley and its neighborhood on-demand service from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. that night. That window covers the arrival, the tree lighting and the trip home. The getting around guide explains the trolley routes and the on-demand service in general. If you plan to come by car, expect the downtown closures and give yourself time to walk in.

The night before and the week around it

The First Thursdays Art Walk is held on the first Thursday of every month, which puts it on December 3, 2026, one day before Hospitality Night. The Chamber’s December calendar lists it on that date. The Art Walk page has the format. Sawdust Winter Fantasy is also running that weekend, and its own page covers dates, parking and admission.

Questions about the event

The city lists its Recreation division at (949) 464-6645 for event questions. The December guide covers weather, daylight and what else is on that month. If you need a room for the night, the Stay section lists lodging by area, including hotels in the Village.