Pacific Grove's biggest holiday events this year fall within nine days. The City lights its tree at Jewell Park on Monday, November 30, and the Chamber of Commerce's Holiday at the Inns closes the stretch on Tuesday, December 8. Between those two dates come a parade, a First Friday, and a Saturday with two events running at once.
Most of it happens along a short stretch of Central Avenue. The Chamber office where inns tickets are picked up sits at 584 Central, across from the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. The City groups the museum and Jewell Park as one event site on its calendar. Caledonia Park is at Caledonia and Central. The season may be short, but two of its events need planning in November, well before the first lights go on.
| Date | Event | Where | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Holiday Tree Lighting, from 4:30 p.m. | Jewell Park | City of Pacific Grove |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Holiday Parade of Lights, 6 p.m. | Lighthouse Avenue | Chamber of Commerce |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | First Friday, 6 to 9 p.m. | Downtown | First Friday Pacific Grove |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Stillwell's Holiday Fun in the Park, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Caledonia Park | Kiwanis |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Holiday Wreathmaking, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Museum garden and classroom | PG Museum of Natural History |
| Tue., Dec. 8 | Holiday at the Inns, 5 to 9 p.m. | Inns across town | Chamber of Commerce |
The Deadlines Come Before the Lights
The season's earliest deadline is Sunday, November 15. The Chamber's ticket page for Holiday at the Inns says mailed checks must arrive by that date, sent to the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce at PO Box 167. Paying by check or cash avoids the 5% processing fee the Chamber charges on credit card payments. Tickets are $30 per person. Event listings describe the supply as limited. The Chamber can be reached at (831) 373-3304 for current availability.
Paid tickets are picked up in person at the Chamber office starting Tuesday, December 1, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. That window opens the day after the tree lighting.
The other early decision is the museum's wreathmaking. The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History requires reservations, says the event sells out, and added time slots this year to make it easier to get a spot.
A Monday Start at Jewell Park
The City's FY 2026–27 special events calendar, updated September 30, puts the Holiday Tree Lighting at Jewell Park on Monday, November 30, starting at 4:30 p.m. The City has used the Monday slot before. In 2024 the lighting was on Monday, December 2, with holiday entertainment at 4:30 p.m., the tree lit at 6 p.m., and a visit from Santa and his elves afterward.
With the lighting on the last day of November, the parade, First Friday and the Saturday park events all fall in the first week of December.
Thursday on Lighthouse, Friday Downtown
The Chamber's 23rd annual Holiday Parade of Lights moves down Lighthouse Avenue on Thursday, December 3, at 6 p.m. This year's theme is "A Storybook Christmas." The Chamber's listing promises marching bands, holiday floats, dance teams, animal groups and Santa Claus, and says the parade runs rain or shine. Entry is free for groups that want to march, using the Chamber's 2026 application.
The next night, First Friday Pacific Grove fills downtown from 6 to 9 p.m. on December 4 with live music, art openings, sales and restaurant specials.
Saturday, December 5, on Both Sides of Central
Saturday is the one day when two events overlap, and they are only a short walk apart. At Caledonia Park, the Kiwanis host Stillwell's Holiday Fun in the Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with bounce houses, face painting and games, carriage rides and a petting zoo. Santa arrives at noon. The City's calendar lists Chautauqua Hall alongside Caledonia Park as the event site.
The museum's wreathmaking runs at the same time, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the museum garden and classroom. The details for families planning around both events:
- Start times: 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. Each booking includes two hours to make a wreath.
- Cost: $20 for museum members, $25 for general wreathmakers, and $8 for helpers who join in without making a wreath.
- Ages: 6 and up. Children younger than 6 can come along with an adult who is making a wreath.
- Supplies: wreath molds, freshly picked evergreens and florals, ribbons and all tools are provided, along with homemade non-alcoholic mulled cider and holiday snacks.
Because the slots are two hours long, a family could book 11 a.m. and still reach Caledonia Park before the park event ends at 2 p.m. A 12 p.m. slot also runs until 2 p.m., so those families would get to the park around closing time, after Santa's noon arrival.
Tuesday Evening at the Inns
The 44th annual Holiday at the Inns runs Tuesday, December 8, from 5 to 9 p.m. Pacific Grove's inns and properties decorate for the holidays and open their doors for tours, with music and refreshments. Listings say each stop will have live music and holiday treats. The 2026 list of participating properties is still provisional:
- Asilomar's Phoebe Hearst Social Hall
- Centrella Inn
- Gosby House
- Green Gables Inn
- Old St. Angela Inn
- The Charles Pacific Grove
- Seven Gables Inn
- St. Mary's by the Sea Episcopal Church
The Charles is the newest name on the list, though the building is old. It is the former Pacific Grove Inn at 581 Pine Avenue, and the house was built in 1904 as the Frank LaVerne Buck House. According to KSBW, it reopened under its new name after eight months of renovations. Monterey County NOW reported that hotel designer Charles Gruwell opened it with partners Don and Jay Desai at the end of June 2025. It was also on the 2025 tour, so this is its second December on the route. The inn's history page covers the house in more detail.
The Charles is on Pine Avenue and the Social Hall is out at Asilomar, so this is the one event of the season that moves from building to building across town, over four evening hours.
After the Nine Days
Two dates come later in the month. The Arthritis Research Coalition's Rudolph Run 1K and 5K walk/run starts at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 12, at Lovers Point and along Ocean View Boulevard.
On Saturday, December 19, Stories with Mrs. Claus takes place beside the historic hearth in Asilomar's Social Hall, 800 Asilomar Boulevard. Mrs. Claus will read traditional and contemporary holiday tales starting at 1 p.m. The program is free and drop-in, and it runs until 3 p.m., with hot cocoa and cookies courtesy of Asilomar's concessionaire, Aramark. The same Social Hall will already have been a stop on the inns tour eleven days earlier. Its story hour fits the parade's storybook theme, and unlike the inns tour, it needs no ticket.
For Pacific Grove events this December and other local updates, the team at Monterey Coast Realty follows the Peninsula's calendars closely. If you are thinking about your own plans in town for the year ahead, we would be glad to hear from you. Contact Us.
