The first light of the Pacific Grove holiday season goes on in Jewell Park at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, November 30. The season's first deadline comes about two weeks earlier, on Sunday, November 15. That's the last day a mailed check for Holiday at the Inns can reach the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce.
Between those two dates sits the shape of December here. The town's holiday events fall within nine days this year, from November 30 through December 8. Only one of them, the evening walking tour of decorated historic inns, is sold by ticket. In 2024 it sold out. So the planning for a Pacific Grove holiday starts this week, well before the season does.
The nine days, start to finish
The City of Pacific Grove's FY 2026-27 special events calendar, updated September 30, lists the season in order. The Chamber's event pages fill in the hours and details.
| Date | Event | Time | Where | Run by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Holiday Tree Lighting | 4:30 p.m. | Jewell Park | City of Pacific Grove |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | 23rd Annual Holiday Parade of Lights | 6 p.m. | Lighthouse Avenue | Chamber of Commerce |
| 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. | PG Museum of Natural History, 165 Forest Ave. | PG Museum |
| Tue., Dec. 8 | 44th Annual Holiday at the Inns | 5 to 9 p.m. | Inns and historic properties around town | Chamber of Commerce |
The table shows a short season that starts and ends on weeknights. The tree lighting is on a Monday, the parade on a Thursday and the inn tour on a Tuesday. The only weekend day is Saturday, December 5, and two events share it. Four days after that, on Saturday, December 12, the Arthritis Research Coalition's Rudolph Run 1K and 5K starts at 7:30 a.m. along Lovers Point and Ocean View Boulevard.
The one night that runs on a different clock
The evening events are listed by date and time. Holiday at the Inns also comes with a purchase window, a payment deadline and a pickup counter.
Here is how the Chamber's 2026 Holiday at the Inns page and its registration page set it up:
- Price: $30 per ticket.
- Card payments: A 5% processing fee is added to each ticket, which is $1.50 on a $30 ticket.
- Cash or check: Either one avoids the fee. Checks must be received by November 15 and mailed to the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 167, Pacific Grove, CA 93950.
- Pickup: Tickets are picked up at the Chamber office, 584 Central Avenue across from the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. The Chamber says they will be ready after Tuesday, December 1, during office hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The dates fit together tightly. This post goes up on Thursday, November 12, three days before the check deadline, so a check mailed today has very little time to arrive. Paying by card avoids that risk for the cost of the fee. For a couple, the card route comes to $63 instead of $60.
The pickup window adds a second errand during the busiest week. The Chamber lists pickup as opening after December 1, which is the day after the tree lighting, and the tour follows on December 8. That leaves only a few weekdays to get to 584 Central Avenue between 9 and 5, and one of them is parade day.
Tickets for this tour have sold out before. The Chamber's listing for the 2024 tour, held Tuesday, December 10, 2024, went up under a headline reading "SOLD OUT!" Tickets that year were also $30, and the page said there were no refunds.
"Experience the magic of the holidays and a festive walking tour of the historic Inns, Asilomar Conference Grounds and St. Mary's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church of Pacific Grove." The Chamber's listing for the 2024 tour
The 2026 page describes the evening the same way: inns and properties decorate for the holidays and invite visitors to tour, with music and refreshments.
Who has opened their doors before
The tour's lineup changes from year to year. In 2024 the Chamber listed nine stops:
- Asilomar's Phoebe Hearst Social Hall
- Centrella Hotel
- Gosby House
- Green Gables Inn
- Martine Inn
- Old St. Angela Inn
- Pacific Grove Inn
- Seven Gables Inn
- St. Mary's By-the-Sea Episcopal Church
The next year, SFGate's November 2025 holiday inn tour roundup described the 43rd edition as a self-guided walking tour of seven decorated hotels. They were Gosby House Inn, Green Gables Inn, Seven Gables Inn, Centrella Hotel, Old St. Angela Inn, Martine Inn and the Charles Pacific Grove, along with the Hearst Social Hall and St. Mary's. SFGate noted that the Social Hall dates to 1913 and is one of more than two dozen buildings Julia Morgan designed. It also noted that St. Mary's was modeled on a church in Bath, England, and dedicated in 1887.
Comparing the two years, most of the core held steady: Green Gables, Seven Gables, Gosby House, Martine, Old St. Angela, Centrella, the Social Hall and the church. The Charles Pacific Grove appeared in the 2025 list, and the Pacific Grove Inn appeared in 2024's. A few doors swap from year to year, so the stop you remember from a past tour may or may not be on this year's.
Everything else asks only that you show up
The other events need no advance planning from people coming to watch. That's why the Inns ticket stands out.
The tree lighting on November 30 is the City's own event. It starts at 4:30 p.m. in Jewell Park, near the Museum and the Chamber office on Central Avenue.
The Holiday Parade of Lights on December 3 is the 23rd edition. It starts at 6 p.m. on Lighthouse Avenue, and the Chamber says it goes on rain or shine. The 2026 theme is "A Storybook Christmas." Groups or businesses that want to be in the parade have their own deadline. The Chamber lists entries as free, and the 2026 participant application is due Monday, November 23, by 4 p.m. For a family-built float or a shop's lighted truck, November 23 is the date that counts.
Saturday, December 5 has two events at once. Here's how the day lines up:
- 11 a.m.: Stillwell's Holiday Fun in the Park opens at Caledonia Park, hosted by the Kiwanis. The Chamber lists bounce houses, face painting and games, carriage rides and a petting zoo.
- 11 a.m.: Holiday Wreathmaking! opens at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, 165 Forest Avenue.
- Noon: Santa Claus arrives at Caledonia Park.
- 2 p.m.: The park event wraps up.
- 3 p.m.: Wreathmaking ends at the Museum.
Wreathmaking runs an hour after the park event closes. That leaves room to see Santa's noon arrival and still get to the Museum before it ends. Details are on the Museum's upcoming events page and the Chamber's listing for the park event.
Reading the calendar backward from December 8
Laid out in reverse, the season's real dates look like this:
| Date | What it decides |
|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Last day for a mailed check to reach the Chamber for fee-free Inns tickets |
| Mon., Nov. 23, 4 p.m. | Parade of Lights entry applications due |
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Tree lighting, the first public event |
| After Tue., Dec. 1 | Inns ticket pickup at 584 Central Ave. |
| Tue., Dec. 8 | Holiday at the Inns, 5 to 9 p.m. |
The two dates that take action fall before the season begins. Once November 30 arrives, the rest is a matter of showing up, apart from one stop at the Chamber counter in the week before December 8 to pick up Inns tickets. Ticket questions go to the Chamber at 831-373-3304, the number SFGate printed with last year's tour listing.
After more than three decades on the Monterey Peninsula, Susan Clark knows the Inns tour is one of the best chances all year to see the inside of the town's oldest buildings. If the evening leaves you curious about the history and craftsmanship of the older homes around Pacific Grove, Susan Clark would be glad to talk it over. When you're ready, Request Your VIP Listing Consultation.
