"We're not using the Jolly Trolley this year." City staff said that at the September 1, 2026 City Council study session while walking the Council through this year's holiday plan. It was one item on a short list of cuts. Put them together and you can see how Beverly Hills is handling the 2026 holidays. The season is now gathered at a few anchor spots: Rodeo Drive, Beverly Gardens Park, Beverly Canon Gardens and Greystone. Those are the places that kept their holiday displays. The side streets that used to add color between them have gone back to white.
The reason is a zero-based budget review. According to the September 1 staff report, the Council asked for a 50 percent cut in yearly citywide décor costs. Staff reached 37 percent for 2026 by dropping some pieces and scaling back others instead of buying new equipment.
The cuts landed on the side streets
The 2026 changes in the staff report are specific:
- La Cienega loses its holiday colored lights and canopy spheres. The year-round white twinkle lights stay.
- Camden Drive loses its colored lights and canopy décor. Its year-round white twinkle lights stay too.
- The Jolly Trolley is gone for the season.
- Banner up-lighting is gone.
- Citywide twinkle lights now get replaced every other year instead of every year. Staff are also looking at lighting every other tree in some areas.
The citywide holiday banners are in their third year with the same design. The Lights on the Lily Pond show at Beverly Gardens Park reuses earlier programming and may run with fewer reeds. Beverly Canon Gardens has the same décor as the past two years.
The rest of the citywide list survived. The business district still gets warm white lights, and the Santa and Reindeer display returns. Spans still cross Wilshire, and white spans stay up on North Beverly and North Canon. South Beverly keeps its canopy spheres, and snowflakes hang on South Santa Monica Boulevard west of Wilshire. Robertson Boulevard gets pole lights and lighted garland with bows. The Triangle has bows, garland and background audio, and a static projection lights the Crescent side of City Hall. On a drive across town, you'll see the season mostly in warm white with a few anchor displays. The colorful side streets are gone this year.
Rodeo Drive kept its night and found sponsors for the rest
The Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration happens one night, so its budget works differently. The staff report puts the City's share at $667,575, paid from the Tourism and Marketing budget. That money comes from Transient Occupancy Tax, the tax hotel guests pay. Approved décor adds $566,959.20, which brings the full holiday program to $1,279,534.20. The City also absorbs about $70,000 in waived permits and personnel costs for the event, as it has in past years.
City money stopped short of two extras, a second wine garden and fireworks. So for the first time, the Rodeo Drive Committee lined up local sponsors. The staff report names Gearys, Auto Vault and Two Rodeo Drive, with about $45,000 between them, enough to add a fireworks finale. The City's October 22 announcement confirms the fireworks. The Mayor, City Councilmembers and the Rodeo Drive Committee Executive Board will count down and push the button.
The lineup changed too. The staff report says the committee chose no headliner and went with a local talent search and professional performers instead. Applications for the first Rodeo Drive Has Talent ran September 14 to October 12. The judges picked two winners. Ortal Edri is a Los Angeles singer, songwriter and recording artist. Marianna Kriuchenkova is an eight-year-old vocalist who lists Whitney Houston and Jennifer Hudson as her heroes. They'll share the stage with:
- Ali Ward, host, an international vocalist, performer and entertainment reporter
- Dani Armstrong, featured vocalist
- Daniel Ho, six-time GRAMMY winner, presenting Island Holidays
- DJ Lady Sha
This year's theme is "50 Years of Brilliance," marking 50 years of the Rodeo Drive Committee. The Beverly Hills Courier reported in July that the anniversary was shaping the city's holiday theme. Last year's event was on November 13, 2025, with a Nutcracker-inspired "Enchanted Holiday Dreams" theme. This year's date is six days later in the month.
Why the lights hang from the palms this year
Rodeo Drive's décor was first planned as garlands strung across the street. The staff report says the street light poles couldn't safely carry them. With so much construction on the block, the committee and Council wanted one high feature that would draw eyes upward and look the same all the way down the street.
The answer was more of the slow-moving "dripping" lights that have hung from the median palms for several years. This year they're also on every sidewalk palm, and strands run from the sidewalk to the median. That makes 16 strands down the block, where four garlands had been proposed, for the same approved Rodeo Drive décor budget. Public Works checked the design and found no risk to the trees, pedestrians or traffic. So while side streets go plainer, Rodeo is getting more lighting overhead than was first planned.
November 19, block by block
The celebration is Thursday, November 19, from 5 to 8 p.m. It's free and open to the public. According to the staff report, past years have drawn up to 10,000 people in those three hours. Under the September plan, the street closures cover setup and teardown and run much longer than the show:
- Closures start Wednesday, November 18 at 9 p.m. and end Friday, November 20 at 6 a.m.
- Rodeo Drive closes from South Santa Monica Boulevard to Wilshire.
- Dayton Way and Brighton Way close between Rodeo Drive and the alleys on either side.
- You can still reach the City's Brighton Garage and Two Rodeo Garage through the alleys.
- The stage is at Brighton Way and Rodeo Drive.
If you run Thursday errands in the Triangle, the closure takes most of the day. Expect it from Wednesday night through early Friday. Along the street, the staff report lists holiday skaters, stilt walkers, an oversized tricycle and a Santa with "red carpet security." There's also a photo backdrop with Santa and a Beverly Hills trolley, plus food trucks and stands from local businesses. Rain has hit before. Last year the event needed a rain plan for only the second time in a decade. It cost $42,875, and the event went on with good turnout.
The fixed points after the switch flips
Once Rodeo lights up, the rest of the season stays at the same few addresses, and the décor stays up through January 3, 2027. Two displays run every night:
- Lights on the Lily Pond, Beverly Gardens Park, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
- Glowing Gardens, Beverly Canon Gardens, 5 to 11 p.m., with a giant Christmas tree and an oversized ornament
The dated events, in order:
- Sunday, November 22, from 8 a.m.: Holiday Craft Fair at the Beverly Hills Farmers' Market, 9300 block of Civic Center Drive
- December 5 and 6, 9:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.: Holidays at Greystone, with Santa and Mrs. Claus, marionettes and live caroling at 905 Loma Vista Drive
- Monday, December 7, 5:30 p.m.: Community Menorah Lighting with the City Council at Beverly Gardens Park
- December 12 and 13, 9:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.: Holidays at Greystone's second weekend
- Sunday, December 13, 10 a.m. to noon: Santa Paws Yappy Hour at the Beverly Hills Community Dog Park, with photos with Santa
The menorah date moved on purpose. Hanukkah begins Friday, December 4, so staff recommended Monday, December 7, the fourth night, to avoid the Sabbath. On December 13, Greystone's last day overlaps the dog park morning. That's the busiest stretch of the city's holiday calendar outside of Rodeo's lighting night.
If you're timing a sale around the season, or want help planning photos while the lights are up through January 3, Charles Estates can map out a schedule with you. Let's Connect.
