Sherman Library & Gardens' new evening event does not open until December 3, and the Christmas Walk is set for Sunday, December 6. But Sherman opened ticket sales to members on October 5 and to the public on October 19, and by late October the first night was already sold out. By the time this reaches you in early November, some of the village's December calendar is already spoken for.
That timing points to a bigger change. Over three years, Corona del Mar's holiday season has split into two parts. One part is ticketed and timed, and it now runs across 14 evenings. The other is the free Walk along Coast Highway, which this year adds a trolley. On December 6 the two overlap, a few hundred feet apart, around the same side street.
Sherman changed its format three years in a row
Sherman is the main reason the calendar keeps moving. The garden's evening lights event in 2026 is not a revival of its old one. Each of the last three Decembers has used a different format.
- 2024, Nights of 1000 Lights. This was the event's tenth year. There were nine public nights plus three members-only nights, open 5 to 8 p.m. with entry at 5, 6 or 7. Tickets were $30 for members and $50 for non-members, and every date sold out.
- 2025, A Very Sherman Holiday. Sherman replaced the night event with a two-day daytime program on Saturday, December 6, and Sunday, December 7, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. That was the weekend of last year's Walk. It included shopping from volunteers and local vendors, Santa, hot chocolate and live music. The Saturday was for members only, and adult member tickets were $20.
- 2026, Merry & Bright Nights. The evening format is back, and Sherman calls it "all new." It runs 14 nights, December 3–6, 10–13 and 17–22, from 5 to 9 p.m., with two entry times at 5 and 7. Admission is $45 for members, $65 for non-members, and free for ages 3 and under.
Those three years show what changed. Compared with 2024, a ticket costs $15 more in both member and non-member tiers. The evening is an hour longer, and there is one fewer entry time. The program has moved from walking past lights toward a full evening. It includes Mexican food, adult beverages, a model train, a Wishing Tree, crafts, Santa and a holiday dance party.
There are more nights than in 2024, and tickets still sell early. Sherman tells guests on its Merry & Bright Nights page to buy early "to avoid sell-out disappointments." Tickets cannot be refunded or rescheduled, and the event runs rain or shine. Because of those terms, you have to commit to a date weeks ahead, and the weather won't change it.
Sherman also offers bundles that include a year of membership. The Family Package is $335 for four tickets and a Family Membership. The Adult Dual Package is $230 and the Senior Dual Package is $205, each with two tickets. In 2024, the family bundle cost $220.
The free half of the season gets a trolley
The 47th Annual Corona del Mar Christmas Walk works on the opposite model. It is free, there is no official starting point, and the Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce describes it simply as strolling the sidewalks of PCH through the village. This year it runs Sunday, December 6, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Last year the Newport Beach Independent billed the 46th Walk as running 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, December 7.
The Chamber lists these highlights for 2026:
- More than 17 local bands
- Santa visits and photos
- The Beer & Wine Garden, with dancing to the "Pinch Me" Band
- Vendor gifts, children's activities, street performers, and merchant and restaurant promotions
- A hop-on, hop-off trolley to the entertainment stops, new this year
The trolley is the most useful change. The Walk covers a long stretch of Coast Highway with no center, so a family with a stroller or a grandparent who walks slowly has always had to pick one end. The Chamber has posted a 2026 trolley route map that covers both the southbound and northbound sides of Pacific Coast Highway. Check that map for stops before the day. The rest of the Chamber's event information does not cover trolley stops or schedules.
This year's vendor fair is at PCH and Dahlia.
Where the two halves meet on December 6
Sherman Library & Gardens is at 2647 East Coast Highway. Visitors park in its two lots on Dahlia Avenue or on the street, free and first-come, first-served. The Walk's vendor fair sits at the corner of PCH and Dahlia. December 6 is the last of the four opening nights for Merry & Bright Nights, so the first Sherman entry at 5 p.m. comes right as the Walk is due to end.
Sherman has seen this before. In 2025 its daytime event fell on the same Sunday as the Walk, and the garden posted a note on its A Very Sherman Holiday page:
"Please note that the Annual Corona del Mar Christmas Walk will take place the same day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Expect increased crowds and limited parking in the area. We encourage you to allow extra time for arrival."
The 2026 overlap differs in one way. Last year the two events ran side by side during the day. This year, Walk visitors leaving the village around 5 p.m. will pass Sherman guests arriving for the first entry, all around the same free parking on Dahlia. If you hold a December 6 Sherman ticket, here is one way to plan the day:
- Walk the village early, while the bands start up and the sidewalks are less crowded.
- Use the trolley in the afternoon to get back toward Dahlia instead of crossing the village on foot.
- Take the 7 p.m. Sherman entry if you can, once the Walk crowd has cleared, rather than the 5 p.m. slot.
- If you live within walking distance of Sherman, leave the car at home. The Dahlia lots are first-come for everyone.
If you would rather skip the crunch, there are ten other public nights. December 10–13 and 17–22 fall in the weeks after the Walk.
Roger's Gardens runs all season
Roger's Gardens, up the hill at 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, is the one stop with no ticket and no single big day. Its 2026 Christmas Boutique is themed "The Stories of the Season." The garden center calls it a winter market of décor and handcrafted pieces, open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Roger's Gardens Christmas page includes a virtual tour of this year's boutique, so you can preview it before a weekend visit.
The strip the Walk will pass this year
The village has changed a little since the last Walk. Edge & Flow Studio, a men's grooming and self-care studio at 3032 East Coast Highway across from Mother's Market, held its grand opening on September 16.
Farther along, chef-owner Michael Campbell is bringing White Rooster to Corona del Mar, in the former Mayur Cuisine of India space. The Orange County Register forecast a late-October or early-November opening. WhatNow gave the address as 2931 East Coast Highway and described a coastal California approach to the menu. Treat it as expected, not open, until the doors are open. If it opens on schedule, it will be one more table to book along the Walk route on December 6.
For anyone in the village, the practical date was October 19, when Sherman's tickets went on sale to the public. Ten public nights remain after the Walk, and the trolley map is already posted.
If holiday planning has you thinking about which blocks of Corona del Mar put Sherman, the village and Roger's Gardens within walking distance, Winston West is glad to talk through the micro-markets street by street. Schedule a Consultation whenever the timing suits you.
