Holiday lights in and near Palo Alto

Palo Alto's holiday lights are more homemade than spectacular. There is no theme park light show inside the city. Instead there is a street where neighbors have lined the sidewalks with lighted firs every December since 1940, a tree lighting in a small downtown plaza and an outdoor ice rink glowing under the oaks on Middlefield Road. For the big displays, drive 20 minutes up to Filoli in Woodside or take Caltrain to San Jose's Christmas in the Park.

This guide covers each option with the 2026 dates organizers had posted by Halloween. For concerts, Hanukkah and the rest of the season, see our holiday season guide.

The 2026 season at a glance

Christmas Tree Lane on Fulton Street

Palo Alto's favorite holiday display started at a bridge game. In 1940, at Judge Edward Hardy's home on Fulton Street, Hardy and his neighbor George English came up with a plan with their wives to line the street with lighted trees. Neighbors joined in and the first season had 54 small Douglas firs strung with lights. The lights have come back nearly every year since, with breaks in 1942 under wartime rules and 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 for the season. 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.

When to go

The neighbors set the dates themselves. In 2024, the 84th year, the lights came on Saturday, December 14 and stayed on nightly from 5 p.m. through December 31. Expect a similar mid-December start in 2026, but no 2026 dates had been announced by late October. The long-running christmastreelane.org site has not been updated in years, so do not rely on it for current dates. Local news and the city's events calendar usually report the opening night.

How to visit

• Walk it. The two blocks take 15 to 20 minutes on foot. Cars creep through with parking lights on, but you see more from the sidewalk.
• Go on a weeknight. Weekend evenings close to Christmas draw the biggest crowds.
• Park nearby and walk in. Use side streets off Embarcadero Road and keep driveways clear.
• Be a good guest. These are private homes. Stay on the sidewalk and keep voices down later in the evening.

Downtown Palo Alto and the tree lighting

The city opens 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., with performers listed by the city including School of Rock and the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra. The tree stays lit through the holidays. In 2025 the city also lit a tree on California Avenue, so check the city calendar for 2026 plans there.

After the lighting, walk University Avenue for window displays and dinner. At the Stanford Theatre, a Christmas Eve showing of It's a Wonderful Life has long been a local tradition. Confirm this year's plans on the theater's website. Our downtown guide covers parking and the walk from the Caltrain station.

Stanford Shopping Center and campus

Stanford Shopping Center decorates its open-air walkways for the season and has long hosted Santa photo visits. The center posts its Santa schedule each November. Holiday hours in 2026 are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Black Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. It is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

On campus, the holiday glow is mostly musical. Stanford Live's December lineup includes A Chanticleer Christmas inside Memorial Church on December 10, when the gold mosaics shine under the church lights. Book early, since the church holds fewer seats than Bing Concert Hall.

Across town, the Winter Lodge at 3009 Middlefield Road sets up a holiday tree beside its outdoor rink. Skating under the lights on a cold December night is the closest Palo Alto gets to a winter scene. Sessions sell out in holiday weeks, so buy tickets online in advance. The rink closes December 24, December 25 and January 1.

Filoli Holiday Lights, Woodside

The largest light display near Palo Alto is at Filoli, the 1917 estate and garden in Woodside, about 20 minutes away. According to Filoli's website, Holiday Lights runs from November 14, 2026 to January 10, 2027, from 4 to 10 p.m., with about 350,000 lights in the garden and fireside treats. A Merry and Bright preview night is on November 13.

Filoli also runs Holiday Daytime visits on the same dates from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with the house decorated and a Thistlewyck Village display in the redwoods. Holiday teas are held on select days from December 1 to 18. All tickets are timed and special event tickets cannot be exchanged, so pick your date with care. Some evenings sell out, as the separate Nightfall event already had by late October.

• Dress for cold. Woodside evenings in December often drop into the 40s °F.
• Arrive at the start of your time slot. The paths get crowded as the evening goes on.
• Check the forecast. Rain changes the experience on the garden paths.

Christmas in the Park, San Jose

For a free, big-city display, Christmas in the Park fills Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown San Jose. Its official site lists the 2026 season from November 27, 2026 to January 1, 2027, opening with a community tree lighting the day after Thanksgiving. It is open daily from noon to 10 p.m., including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The plaza holds more than 40 animated displays, a forest of decorated trees and a giant Christmas tree. Santa photos are free and there is live entertainment nightly. The tradition dates its current form to 1980, with roots in a lawn display that Don Lima began building in the 1950s. Admission is free, with donations welcome. The Downtown Ice rink nearby and the carnival rides along Paseo de San Antonio are separate operations with their own fees.

From Palo Alto, Caltrain to San Jose Diridon is the easy way. The plaza is about a 15 to 20 minute walk east of the station. Our San Jose day trip covers dinner downtown.

What about Hakone Gardens?

People often ask whether Hakone Gardens in Saratoga runs a holiday lights event. Its website did not list one for 2026 when we checked. The garden is raising money to buy its own event lighting, which it currently rents. Its evening events so far include the spring Hanami night viewing, a fall Moon Festival and the summer lantern floating ceremony. Hakone switched to winter hours on October 31, 2026 and closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

Tips for a lights night

1. Start early. Sunset in December comes before 5 p.m., so the lights are on by dinner time.
2. Combine two stops. The Lytton Plaza tree and Christmas Tree Lane are about a mile and a half apart.
3. Bring layers. Clear December nights are cold even in Palo Alto.
4. Use Caltrain for San Jose. Parking near the plaza is tight on weekends.

Visiting for the holidays? You can compare Palo Alto hotels close to downtown and walk to the tree lighting.

Frequently asked questions