In summer, Hermosa Beach can give up to 45 days to its largest events on the beach, the Strand and Pier Plaza. Once Labor Day passes, the rule changes. Under the city's special events policy, each month gets no more than 15 special-event days, and no more than two events can happen anywhere in the city on the same day. That cap sets the shape of the holiday season. Hermosa doesn't spread small celebrations across six weeks. It puts most of its energy into one heavily staged weekend on Pier Plaza, then follows it with a few short December events that each take a different piece of town.
The city's own planning documents show this plainly. Below is how the 2026 season fits into the rules, weekend by weekend.
The calendar the city drew up a year ago
The plan for this season existed long before anyone put up a tree. The city's 2026 Special Events calendar, which is marked tentative, was attached to the November 3, 2025 agenda of the Parks, Recreation and Community Resources Advisory Commission. At the end of the document, it counts how many of each month's 15 off-season event days are booked.
| Month | Special-event days scheduled | Days left under the 15-day cap |
|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 4 | 11 |
| November 2026 | 10 | 5 |
| December 2026 | 6 | 9 |
November is the busiest month on the off-season schedule. It uses two and a half times October's event days. December drops back to six. Those totals also count the volleyball tournaments booked on the North Volleyball Courts on several weekends. The holiday events share the month's budget with sports.
How the city decides what counts as a big event
Every event is rated Impact Level I, II or III. The city's matrix looks at attendance, location, court use, season, day of the week, number of consecutive days, and extra requests like street closures or amplified sound. If an event meets more than one level, the highest one applies.
- Level I covers 100 to 500 people per day, in a park or on the beach, on one or two days.
- Level II covers 501 to 1,999 people per day, or any event on the Pier or Pier Plaza, or any event held Friday through Sunday.
- Level III covers 2,000 or more people per day, or any event on the streets, the Strand or public right of way, or any event on a holiday.
The level decides how early the producer must apply and who signs off. Depending on the level, that could be city staff, the advisory commission or the City Council. This season covers all three levels, and each weekend shows a different one.
Before the big weekend, the elves
The season opens quietly. The Hermosa Beach Chamber's Elf on the Shelf Scavenger Hunt runs Friday, November 13 through Sunday, November 22. Elves hide in participating downtown businesses. Players write each elf's name on a postcard and drop it off at the Chamber at 120 Pier Ave by November 22. To qualify for the prize drawing, a card has to name a majority of the elves correctly. Adults can play too, and there are prizes for them. Winners will be announced on the Chamber's Instagram and Facebook around Monday, November 23. The hunt takes no street space and no stage. It just brings people into shops in the week before the busiest weekend.
The Level III weekend: Hermosa for the Holidays, November 21 and 22
The 6th Annual Hermosa for the Holidays is rated Impact Level III, the top tier, and is the first of two events this season to carry that rating. The tentative calendar books setup days on November 19 and 20, before any visitor arrives. The Hermosa Beach Chamber Foundation produces it in partnership with the City of Hermosa Beach. It's a returning format. The Daily Breeze's 2025 preview listed the same Pier Plaza Ferris wheel and a Sunday tree lighting at the same 5:45 to 6:15 p.m. slot.
The two days run on different schedules, and the difference matters if you're picking one.
| Saturday, November 21 | Sunday, November 22 | |
|---|---|---|
| Morning to afternoon | Holiday Pop-Up Market and Letters to Santa on Pier Plaza, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Pics with Santa and brand activations on Pier Plaza, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| At Java Man, 157 Pier Ave | Live music 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with Evyn Charles, then Brian Sheil | Live music 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., opening with Michael Gourzis |
| Afternoon | Rock the Plaza concert by South Bay Music Connection, 2 to 7 p.m. | Nonprofit Giving Village, 1 to 6 p.m. |
| Evening | Ferris wheel until 9 p.m. | Tree lighting at 5:45 p.m., Rock for Tots 6:30 to 8 p.m., Ferris wheel until 9 p.m. |
Saturday is for shopping. The pop-up market's announced vendors are A&M Hat Bar, Colleen Berg Jewelry, Farm Fresh To You, Handmade in CA and Maui Treasures Boutique, and the Chamber says more are coming. Two Pier Avenue businesses hold their own events that day. Made By Inch at 321 Pier Ave hosts a wreath-making workshop with Sunflower Farms Nursery from noon to 3 p.m. Uncorked, at 302 Pier Ave, holds Uncorked Paws & Claus, with the time still to be announced. Kids can write to Santa at the letter station, which Beach Cities Health District sponsors. The paper and crayons are provided, and the letters go into a red mailbox.
Sunday is for the community. The Giving Village has hot cocoa and cookies, and room for only eight nonprofits because the event's footprint is small. This year's eight are St Cross Episcopal Church, the Hermosa Beach Sister City Association, Ambassador Christian School, the Woman's Club of Hermosa Beach, RimoVision Group, Hermosa Beach Pride, Leadership Hermosa Beach and the Hermosa Beach Friends of the Library. Santa photos are free, and the digital files are ready a week after the event. Dogs are welcome in the photos and across the event as a whole.
The Skechers Foundation sponsors the Ferris wheel near the Pier head. It runs noon to 9 p.m. both days, and tickets are $9 each. The booth takes cards only, no cash.
How Sunday evening unfolds
The Pier Plaza stage builds through the afternoon toward the tree:
- South Bay Music Connection at 2 p.m.
- Coast Music at 3 p.m.
- Jeremy Buck & The Bang at 4 p.m.
- Tree Lighting Ceremony and Santa's arrival, 5:45 to 6:15 p.m.
- Rock for Tots concert, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
The Chamber expects the tree to light and Santa to arrive around 6 p.m. near Schumacher Plaza, and it suggests arriving early for a good view. Pier Plaza is at street level. Rock for Tots has its own giving tradition. In 2025, the organizer asked people to bring new, unwrapped toys to its tent near the stage and also took cash donations. The money went to Beach Cities Toy Drive and Harbor Regional Center's Holiday Help Fund. According to the Daily Breeze, the concert began as Jeremy Buck and his band's community show at the Lighthouse, first called the Christmas Carnival Concert, and moved between venues over the years.
December's three events, each in its own part of town
After the big weekend, the December calendar shows the matrix at work. Each event runs for a single morning or afternoon and uses a different part of town, and the rating rises with the space each one takes up.
Saturday, December 5: Sand Snowman Contest, Impact Level I. This is the lightest event of the season. It's a city-run morning on the sand north of the Pier, at 15th Street and the shoreline, from 9 a.m. to noon. Registration starts at 9 a.m., and judging begins at 11:15 a.m. Prizes go to Hermosa Beach favorite, most unique, most traditional, best dressed and funniest. The city's listing suggests bringing shovels, scarves and mittens and arriving early to claim a spot. Questions go to the Community Resources Department at (310) 318-0280.
Sunday, December 6: Community Chanukah Celebration, Impact Level II. The Jewish Community Center hosts its annual celebration on Pier Plaza from 3 to 5 p.m., with entertainment, activities and the lighting of the menorah. Because the event uses Pier Plaza, it rates one level above the snowman contest. Its footprint also reaches Greenwood Park, where the menorah goes up Wednesday, December 2 and stays until Monday, December 14. More details are on the city calendar entry.
Saturday, December 12: California Great Santa Stroll, Impact Level III. This event is rated at the top level because of where it goes, the Strand north of the Pier and Pier Plaza. It's an annual fundraiser for Mychal's Learning Place. According to the event page, check-in opens at 8 a.m. and the stroll starts at 9 a.m. at the Hermosa Beach Pier. The 5K route goes north along the Strand, climbs the stairs into Manhattan Beach, turns at 11th Street and comes back to the Hermosa Pier. Adults choose between a Santa suit registration and an adult T-shirt registration, which costs $10 more at every ticket tier, and both are available while supplies last. Every child's registration includes an event T-shirt, and dogs get a bandana. Suits and packets can be picked up December 4 and 5 and December 7 through 11, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Mychal's Café in Redondo Beach, or on race morning at 8 a.m. at the Hermosa Pier.
The December events fit together without overlapping. The snowman contest uses the open sand on a Saturday morning, the Chanukah celebration uses Pier Plaza on a Sunday afternoon, and the Santa Stroll takes the Strand the following Saturday morning. None of them runs into another. That kind of spacing is what a rule allowing no more than two events a day, and no more than 15 event days a month, produces.
If your holiday calendar includes a Pier Plaza tree, a sand snowman or a Strand full of Santas, we'd enjoy hearing which tradition your household never misses. Send it our way, along with any Pier Avenue shop that belongs on next year's elf hunt, and Liz Bird Fine Homes will pass the local tips along. Let's Connect.