Monterey's holiday season moves through town in order. Each historic district holds its own lighting night, starting at Cannery Row the evening after Thanksgiving. Colton Hall and Old Fisherman's Wharf light up together a week later. The harbor follows that Sunday, then the adobes, and the last new district event is at Cooper-Molera Adobe in mid-December. Treat it as one route through town and you can see the whole season without trying to cram it into a single night.
It helps to know the order first. The tree lightings, the Wharf weekends and the boat parade are free, the adobe tour is the district night that needs a ticket, and the Fridays are where the districts overlap.
| Date | District | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov. 26 to Sun, Jan. 3 | Custom House Plaza | Ice Skating by the Bay | Daily season |
| Fri, Nov. 27 | Cannery Row | Tree lighting, Steinbeck Plaza | Lighting 5:45 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov. 28 | Old Monterey | Small Business Saturday | Daytime |
| Fri, Dec. 4 | Colton Hall Lawn | Historic Downtown tree lighting | 5 to 6 p.m. |
| Fri, Dec. 4 to Sun, Dec. 20 | Old Fisherman's Wharf | Christmas on the Wharf | Weekends |
| Sun, Dec. 6 | The harbor | Brighten the Harbor Lighted Boat Parade | 5:15 to 7 p.m. |
| Fri, Dec. 11 and Sat, Dec. 12 | Old Monterey adobes | Christmas in the Adobes | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Tue, Dec. 15 | Cooper-Molera Adobe | Old Town Navidad and Holiday Farmers Market | 4 to 7 p.m. |
Before the Lights, One Early Morning in November
Old Monterey, New Monterey and Cannery Row get one early-morning road closure before any of the holiday events. The Monterey Bay Half Marathon starts on Del Monte Avenue downtown at 7 a.m. on Sunday, November 8. Roads in those three districts close from 3 to 11 a.m. If you have an early errand or airport run that Sunday, plan around it, because the race passes through the same streets the holiday events will use a few weeks later.
Cannery Row Goes First, the Night After Thanksgiving
The season starts on Friday, November 27, at 700 Cannery Row. The Cannery Row tree lighting is free and takes place in Steinbeck Plaza. The listed program has balloon artists and family entertainment, carols from I Cantori di Carmel, and the tree lighting itself between 5:45 and 6 p.m., followed by visits with Santa. The 5:45 lighting is the time to plan around, because the listing gives different end times in different places.
Cannery Row is a natural opener. It's the busiest district on a holiday weekend, and lighting it the day after Thanksgiving starts the season while family is still in town.
The Long Weekend Fills In Between
The rest of that Thanksgiving weekend fills in the gap before the next lighting. Ice Skating by the Bay opens its outdoor rink at Custom House Plaza, behind the Portola Hotel & Spa, on November 26 and runs until January 3, 2027. The rink operator lists November 26 as opening day, so trust that date if another calendar shows something different. With a five-week season, the rink stays open through every other event on this list.
The next morning, Saturday the 28th, is Small Business Saturday in downtown Monterey. It runs around Alvarado and Franklin streets in Old Monterey, and the merchant offers haven't been posted yet. It's the same stretch we wrote about in August in what Alvarado Street sounds like the rest of the year, when the street is running on a normal week.
Winter Wonderfest Monterey is the one big event away from the water. It runs nightly from 5 to 9 p.m., November 21 through December 27, at the Monterey County Fair & Event Center on Fairground Road, and this year adds a new Frosty's Carnival. Since it isn't tied to one night, you can fit it into any evening the districts leave open.
December 4 Is When Two Districts Light at Once
Friday, December 4, is the one night two districts begin within the same hour. Downtown's traditional tree lighting takes place on the Colton Hall Lawn at 570 Pacific Street from 5 to 6 p.m. That same evening, the 10th annual Christmas on the Wharf starts at Old Fisherman's Wharf. Santa is at his Santa House from 5 to 8 p.m., and Peninsula Harmony Company sings in vintage costume from 6 to 7 p.m.
That timing lets you do both in one evening. See the lawn at Colton Hall, then walk to the Wharf, and the carolers will still be singing when you get there.
The Wharf is celebrating its 181st anniversary this year, according to the Fisherman's Wharf Association. Its display includes a classic wooden "under the sea" scene, a 23-foot Christmas tree, a ceiling of cascading lights, the Santa House and an assortment of holiday inflatables. The event is free and covers three weekends. Leashed, well-behaved dogs are welcome, and the Association suggests bringing a folding chair for the performances. Santa's full schedule:
- Fridays, December 4, 11 and 18: 5 to 8 p.m.
- Saturdays, December 5, 12 and 19: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Sundays, December 6, 13 and 20: 1 to 6 p.m.
Santa's House is also a toy drop for the Salvation Army's Monterey Peninsula Corps, and there's a red kettle at the head of the Wharf. The first Saturday, December 5, is the busiest daytime schedule of the run. Pacific Pop 'n Jazz and Saxophonia play from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Monterey Police and Fire departments hold a Holiday Safety Afternoon at the front of the Wharf from 1 to 4 p.m., with a fire engine on display. Carmel Dance's Musical Performance Troupe follows from 3 to 5 p.m.
The Harbor Takes Sunday
On Sunday, December 6, the season moves out onto the water for the Brighten the Harbor Lighted Boat Parade. The Fisherman's Wharf Association, which co-hosts it, lists the parade from 5:15 to 7 p.m. Boats pass Old Fisherman's Wharf at about 5:30 p.m. and pass again on the way back. The event listing describes the decorated boats as coming from Monterey Yacht Club. If you've seen December 7 on another calendar, the Wharf Association's October announcement gives Sunday, December 6.
The parade itself is one evening, but the lights stay up. According to the Association, many of the participating boats keep their lights on for the rest of the holiday season. So you can still see a lit-up harbor from the Wharf any evening through the end of December.
The Adobes Are the District Night That Needs a Ticket
The second weekend goes back inland to Old Monterey, where the season started downtown. The 42nd annual Christmas in the Adobes runs Friday, December 11, and Saturday, December 12, from 5 to 9 p.m. The historic adobes are lit with luminarias and holiday décor, with music and refreshments inside. California State Parks describes it as a candlelight walk through 20 decorated historic buildings, with lanterns and live entertainment themed to Monterey's history. The tour is underwritten by the Monterey State Historic Park Association.
Of everything on the calendar, this is the event you'll want to buy for ahead of time. MSHPA's ticket prices:
- Adult single night: $30, or $25 if purchased before November 1.
- Adult two-night Gold Pass: $45.
- Youth 17 and under: free.
Military and MSHPA member discounts are only available in person at the Custom House Store, not online. The Old Monterey Business Association says ticket proceeds support Monterey State Historic Park's children's education and school history programs.
MSHPA hasn't posted its 2026 map yet. An event calendar listing gives a tentative list of stops, marked to be confirmed. It includes Larkin House, the Custom House, Colton Hall, Cooper-Molera Adobe, the Robert Louis Stevenson House, California's First Theater, the Old Whaling Station and the Royal Presidio Chapel. The Wharf will also be a featured stop on the tour, according to the Fisherman's Wharf Association. Peninsula Harmony Company sings on the Wharf from 6 to 7 p.m. on both of those nights.
This is the second Friday when the districts overlap. On December 4 you walked from Colton Hall to the Wharf. On December 11 the Wharf is part of the adobe route itself.
The Last New District Is Cooper-Molera, on a Tuesday
The last district event falls on a weeknight. The Old Town Monterey Navidad and Holiday Farmers Market is Tuesday, December 15, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Cooper-Molera Adobe, 506 Munras Avenue. Cooper-Molera may also be on the adobe tour four days earlier, so you could visit it twice that week, once by lantern on the tour and again for the market.
The Wharf keeps going for one more weekend after that. Santa is back December 18 through 20, and the Carmel Presbyterian Church Choir sings on Saturday the 19th from 2 to 3 p.m. The rink stays open at Custom House Plaza until January 3.
If you're mapping out your own holiday evenings this year, or have family coming who want to see Monterey at its most festive, I'm glad to share the spots I'd fit between these dates. For more about the city itself, the Monterey neighborhood page is a good place to start, and Katy Harrison is always happy to hear from neighbors. Let's Connect.
