The holiday season in Palo Alto

Palo Alto does not do snow, but it does the holidays well. The season here is a mix of neighborhood traditions and polished performances. On one street, neighbors have lined their sidewalks with lighted fir trees every December since 1940. A few miles away, a nonprofit keeps an outdoor ice rink running under the stars. Downtown, the city lights a tree in Lytton Plaza, while Stanford fills its concert hall and church with holiday music. With mild weather, you can do most of it on foot in a light jacket.

This guide covers the main events from Diwali in the fall through New Year's. We give 2026 dates only where organizers have published them. For neighbor-run traditions, we describe the usual timing and link to the source. For the full year, see our events calendar.

Holiday calendar at a glance

Christmas Tree Lane on Fulton Street

Palo Alto's best-loved holiday tradition is entirely homemade. In 1940, during a bridge game at Judge Edward Hardy's home on Fulton Street, Hardy and his neighbor George English hatched a plan with their wives to line the street with lighted trees. Neighbors joined in. The first season featured 54 small Douglas firs strung with lights. The display has continued nearly every year since. According to the local history site Palo Alto History, the lights were switched off in 1942 under wartime rules and again during the 1973 energy crisis.

Today the lane covers the 1700 and 1800 blocks of Fulton Street between Embarcadero Road and Seale Avenue. About 72 small firs line the sidewalks and the city swaps the white street lamp covers for red ones. Many houses add their own displays. The seven dwarfs have appeared at 1850 Fulton since the late 1940s and a Santa has climbed the chimney at Hardy's former home at 1830 Fulton since 1947.

In 2024, the 84th year, the lights came on Saturday, December 14 and stayed on nightly from 5 p.m. through December 31. Residents traditionally gather for coffee and brunch on opening Saturday. The lane is a neighborhood tradition with no official current website. The neighbors set the dates themselves and had not announced 2026 dates by late October, so expect the usual mid-December start. Our holiday lights guide covers the lane and other displays nearby.

• Walk if you can. Cars creep through with parking lights on and the two blocks are more fun on foot.
• Go on a weeknight for thinner crowds.
• Be a good guest. These are private homes. Stay on the sidewalk and keep the noise down late in the evening.

The downtown tree lighting

The city kicks off the season with a free Holiday Tree Lighting at Lytton Plaza, the small square at University Avenue and Emerson Street. In 2026 it is on Friday, December 4, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The city lists live music, performances and winter treats, with School of Rock, the Boost Class Merry Holiday Dancers and the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra among the performers. Details are on the city's event page. In 2025 the city also lit a tree on California Avenue. Check the city calendar for 2026 plans there.

Combine the lighting with dinner downtown and a stroll along University Avenue. Our downtown guide covers parking and the Caltrain station two blocks away.

Skating at the Winter Lodge

The Winter Lodge at 3009 Middlefield Road has kept an outdoor ice rink going since 1956. On a clear December evening, with the holiday tree lit beside the ice, it is the most wintry spot in town. The 2026 to 2027 season runs from October 16 to April 11. The rink is closed on November 26 (Thanksgiving), December 24, December 25 and January 1.

Public session tickets are sold online only and must be bought in advance, up to 30 days ahead. Holiday weeks are the busiest, so book as soon as your dates are set. Rental skates come in sizes from toddlers to adults.

Holiday shopping and decorations

Stanford Shopping Center is the region's big holiday shopping destination. Its open-air walkways are decorated for the season and Santa photo visits have been a long-running tradition there. Dates, reservations and any special sessions are posted on the center's website each November.

Gamble Garden's Winter Festival runs December 3 to 5, 2026, with a holiday marketplace among its events. For handmade gifts, the Palo Alto Art Center holds a holiday studio sale in winter. Downtown's independent shops along University Avenue round out the list. Our shopping guide covers both.

Hanukkah, Diwali and other celebrations

Hanukkah

In 2026 Hanukkah begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, the same evening as the downtown tree lighting. Chabad of Palo Alto has held a public menorah lighting in front of City Hall on Hamilton Avenue for about four decades, usually on or near the first night. Check with Chabad of Palo Alto for the 2026 time and location. Our Hanukkah guide covers all eight nights, from December 4 to 12.

Diwali

Diwali, the festival of lights, falls in October or November. The city has celebrated it since 2017. Recent editions of the Festival of Lights at the Mitchell Park Community Center, organized by Mitchell Park Library under the city's Celebrating Cultures initiative, have included classical dance, rangoli chalk art, henna, lantern making and clay diya decorating for kids. Watch the library's events calendar each fall. See our libraries guide for more on the branch.

Holiday performances

December is concert season at Stanford. Stanford Live's 2026 holiday lineup includes the Hot Club of San Francisco in The Studio on December 3, Canadian Brass at Bing Concert Hall on December 9, A Chanticleer Christmas in Memorial Church on December 10 and a Christmas show with Camila Fernández on December 13. Book early for the Memorial Church concert, which has fewer seats than Bing.

On stage at the Lucie Stern Theatre, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley plays Alice, Formerly of Wonderland from December 2 to 27. The Palo Alto Children's Theatre opens A Year with Frog and Toad on December 3 and the toddler-friendly The Gingerbread Man on December 19. Our theater guide has the details.

New Year's Eve and beyond

Palo Alto is a quiet place on New Year's Eve. We could not confirm a city-run countdown or fireworks show. Locals celebrate at restaurant dinners downtown or head to San Francisco, which stages a large fireworks show over the bay at midnight. If you go, take Caltrain and check its holiday schedule for late trains home. Our San Francisco guide has more. For closures, Caltrain and trash changes on January 1, see our New Year's Day guide.

Elsewhere nearby, Filoli in Woodside has run an evening Holiday Lights event in its gardens in recent winters. See our Filoli guide and check its site for 2026 dates and tickets.

Holidays through the rest of the year

The winter season is the busiest, but other holidays have their own guides. February brings Valentine's Day, with dinner bookings and classic films. March has St. Patrick's Day, when many locals ride Caltrain to the San Francisco parade. In May, Cinco de Mayo brings festivals in East Palo Alto and San Jose, followed by Mother's Day brunches and garden walks. Father's Day in June rounds out the list with steakhouses, golf and hikes.

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