Between Friday, November 20 and Saturday, December 12, 2026, four different organizers will run holiday programming in Hermosa Beach. The Hermosa Beach Chamber Foundation and the City share the opening weekend. The City runs the Sand Snowman Contest on its own. The Jewish Community Center hosts a menorah lighting, and Mychal's Learning Place leads a walk to Manhattan Beach. Three of the four start on Pier Plaza, and the fourth is on the sand a short walk north. Over 23 days, one stretch of pavement passes from host to host, and the most crowded hours of the whole run fall on a single Sunday afternoon.
The season at a glance
| Date | Event | Host | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 20 to Sun, Nov 22 | Hermosa for the Holidays | Hermosa Beach Chamber Foundation and City of Hermosa Beach | Downtown, centered on Pier Plaza |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Sand Snowman Contest | City of Hermosa Beach | 15th Street and the shoreline |
| Sun, Dec 6 | Community Chanukah Celebration | Jewish Community Center | Pier Plaza |
| Sat, Dec 12 | California Great Santa Stroll | Mychal's Learning Place | Starts at Pier Plaza, ends at the Manhattan Beach Pier |
The Chamber's Hermosa for the Holidays page lists the opening weekend as November 20 to 22, produced by the Hermosa Beach Chamber Foundation with the City of Hermosa Beach. The December dates come from the City's own event calendar.
Friday is short, and the Ferris wheel is the whole of it
The opening weekend builds slowly. On Friday, November 20, the Chamber's schedule lists two things: the Elf on the Shelf Scavenger Hunt running all day through local shops and restaurants, and the Ferris wheel on Pier Plaza from 5 to 9 p.m. The wheel sits near the end of the pier. Tickets are $8 each and are sold only at the on-site booth, card only, with no cash accepted. On Saturday and Sunday the wheel runs from noon to 9 p.m., so Friday's four hours are the shortest window of the weekend.
The scavenger hunt appears on the schedule as an all-day item on each of the three days. Participants find the elves hidden in participating Hermosa Beach businesses, fill in the elves' names on a postcard, and turn it in for a prize drawing. A postcard needs at least 22 of the names to qualify. The Chamber's own advice is to check each business's hours before heading in.
Saturday spreads up Pier Avenue
On Saturday, November 21, the event moves beyond the plaza. The schedule puts retail pop-ups, brand activations and a Letters to Santa station on Pier Plaza from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Beach Cities Health District sponsors the letters station. The Chamber says it supplies the paper and crayons, along with a red box for sending the letters to the North Pole.
Three Saturday stops take place off the plaza:
- Java Man, 157 Pier Ave. Ford plays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by Hugh DeFrance from 1:30 to 3 p.m.
- Upper Pier Avenue sidewalk. The Kids Creationz Market runs from 3 to 6 p.m., selling work by young entrepreneurs from TK through eighth grade. Paisano's Pizza & Pasta sponsors it.
- Back on Pier Plaza. The Family Fun Fest, presented by Coast Music, runs from 3 to 8 p.m.
The 3 p.m. hour is when Saturday splits in two directions. The children's market draws families up the hill toward the upper end of Pier Avenue, while the Coast Music program and the Ferris wheel keep the lower plaza busy until evening.
Sunday is the busiest day of the season
Sunday, November 22, packs more into one afternoon than any other date on the calendar. In schedule order:
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Brand activations on Pier Plaza, Photos with Santa in his sleigh on Pier Plaza, and an hourly Storytime Tent in the Uncorked parking lot at 302 Pier Ave.
- Noon to 1:30 p.m. Craig Machen plays at Java Man.
- Noon to 9 p.m. The Ferris wheel runs.
- 1 to 6 p.m. The Nonprofit Giving Village opens on Pier Plaza, with hot cocoa, cookies and activities.
- 3 to 5 p.m. South Bay Music Connection performs the Community Concert.
- 5 to 8 p.m. The Rock for Tots Concert.
- 5:45 to 6:15 p.m. The Tree Lighting Ceremony, with Santa's arrival, sponsored by Skechers.
The Santa photos are sponsored by Marlin Equity Partners, and pets are welcome. The Chamber says free digital photos will be available one week after the event.
From 3 to 4 p.m., six listed activities overlap: brand activations, Santa photos, Storytime, the Ferris wheel, the Giving Village and the Community Concert. No other hour of the season has that much happening at once. The evening is shorter but has the season's centerpiece, with Rock for Tots, the Giving Village's last hour and the Ferris wheel all running around the 5:45 p.m. tree lighting.
The Giving Village is where the rest of the season starts
The Giving Village roster explains why the December dates matter. Ten local nonprofits are listed for Sunday afternoon: the Hermosa Beach Sister City Association, Hermosa Beach Pride, Leadership Hermosa Beach, the Peter Zippi Memorial Fund, Soroptimist International of South Bay, St. Cross Episcopal Church, Mychal's Learning Place, the Hermosa Beach Friends of the Library, the Woman's Club of Hermosa Beach, and Southbay Boardriders.
Mychal's Learning Place, on that list, also runs the season's final event. Mychal's Learning Place hosts the California Great Santa Stroll on Saturday, December 12, from 9 a.m. to noon. The City describes it as the organization's annual fundraiser, and the walk starts at Pier Plaza, 1 Pier Avenue, and goes from the Hermosa Pier to the Manhattan Beach Pier. A table on November 22 and a walk on December 12 are two appearances by the same local organization, one at each end of the season.
December belongs to smaller hosts and earlier hours
After the Ferris wheel comes down, the season changes character. The opening weekend runs into the evening and depends on sponsors. The December events are run by a single host each and finish by early afternoon or soon after.
Saturday, December 5: the Sand Snowman Contest. The City runs this one itself, at 15th Street and the shoreline. Registration opens at 9 a.m. and judging starts at 11:15 a.m., and the event wraps at noon. The City's event listing sets the tone:
"The weatherman says it's nothing but sand! Bring your shovels, scarves and mittens because in Hermosa Beach, we make SANDSNOWMEN!"
The contest is open to all ages and abilities. Prizes go to Hermosa Beach favorite, most unique, most traditional, best dressed and funniest, and the City suggests arriving early to claim a good spot. Questions go to the Community Resources Department at (310) 318-0280.
For lunch after judging, Chicas Tacos is also on The Strand, at The Deck, 1272 The Strand. The Daily Breeze reported that the restaurant held its Hermosa Beach grand opening on August 15, 2026. It has a limited menu of tacos, burritos, bowls and ceviche, kiosk ordering, and a dining tent on The Strand. This will be its first holiday season on The Strand.
Sunday, December 6: the Community Chanukah Celebration. The next afternoon, the plaza changes hosts again. The Jewish Community Center holds its annual celebration on Pier Plaza from 3 to 5 p.m., with entertainment, activities and the lighting of the menorah. That puts the season's two lighting ceremonies, the November 22 tree and the December 6 menorah, on the same plaza two weeks apart.
Saturday, December 12: the Santa Stroll. The last event of the season starts at 9 a.m. at 1 Pier Avenue and heads north toward Manhattan Beach. Details on taking part are posted by Mychal's Learning Place at mychals.org.
Four hosts, one plaza, four weekends
Put on one page, the calendar shows a season built in stages. The Chamber and City weekend draws sponsors such as Skechers, Marlin Equity Partners, Beach Cities Health District and Paisano's to Pier Avenue. The City then takes the season down to the sand on December 5. A community organization holds the plaza on December 6, and a local nonprofit uses it as a starting line on December 12. Pier Plaza has listed events on three of the four weekends from November 20 to December 12. The one open weekend, November 28 and 29, falls right after Thanksgiving.
For anyone planning around it, the Chamber's Hermosa for the Holidays page has the weekend map and the full list of sponsors and nonprofits. The City's November entry is here, with the December listings linked above.
The team at Merritt & Sanderson lives and works along this same stretch of coast, from Pier Plaza to the Manhattan Beach Pier where the Santa Stroll ends. If you are weighing what a downtown Hermosa address means across a full year, including weekends like these, we would be glad to talk it through with you. Work With Merritt & Sanderson.
