Sherman's Holiday Nights Return, and the Christmas Walk Now Hands Off to Them

What is there to do in Corona del Mar on the first Sunday in December after 5 p.m.? For most of the last decade, Sherman Library & Gardens had an answer. Last year it did not. This year it does again, and the timing lines up closely with the village's biggest street event.

The 47th Annual Corona del Mar Christmas Walk runs Sunday, Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sherman's new evening event, Merry & Bright Nights, has its first entry that same evening at 5 p.m. In 2025, Sherman's holiday event and the Walk shared the same daytime hours and the same scarce parking. In 2026 one hands off to the other. A December Sunday in the village now runs from late morning past dark, with the gardens open again after sundown.

Last December Ran on Daylight

For ten seasons, Sherman's holiday tradition was Nights of 1000 Lights, an evening event held among the gardens at 2647 East Coast Highway. In 2025 Sherman tried a different format. It called A Very Sherman Holiday "a new daytime holiday experience." The event was presented by South Coast Plaza and ran Saturday, Dec. 6 and Sunday, Dec. 7, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The first day was for members only. It offered Santa from noon to 3 p.m., tacos and tamales, a vendor market of work by garden volunteers and local makers, and the Wishing Tree and Letters to Santa.

Sherman's 2025 event page also carried a warning:

"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."

That Saturday, the two events ran almost hour for hour, a few blocks apart on PCH. Anyone who wanted both had to split one afternoon between them, in the same traffic. The 2026 calendar moves the gardens into the evening, so the two no longer overlap.

Four Winters at Sherman, Side by Side

The return to evenings is bigger than the version that last ran. Here is how the past four holiday seasons compare, using Sherman's own published details:

Fourteen nights is five more than the 2024 run, which Visit Newport Beach listed at nine. The non-member ticket has gone from $35 in 2023 to $50 in 2024 to $65 now. Children 3 and under are still free. The 2024 event ran from 5 to 8 p.m., and the 2026 event asks guests to pick a 5 or 7 p.m. entry.

The program has changed too. The 2023 event was built around a Candy Land route and carnival games, and Sherman's wrap-up of that season credits the LA Follies with nightly performances. The Merry & Bright Nights page describes lights and photo spots, Santa, the Wishing Tree, holiday crafts, a model train running through a holiday scene, Mexican food, adult beverages and a holiday dance party. The Wishing Tree and Santa came through the daytime year, and the dance floor is new.

The Gardens You Walk Into Are Mid-Renovation

This is the first evening holiday event held during Sherman's $17 million revitalization. The American Public Gardens Association reported the groundbreaking in February 2026 and put completion at late summer 2027. In April, the Orange County Register described visitors entering from Dahlia Avenue while the new PCH entrance was being built.

That is still how it works. Sherman's homepage says the gardens remain open, the entrance is on Dahlia Avenue, some areas are closed off, and guests may hear construction. The event's FAQ says Sherman's two free parking lots, both first come, first served, are off Dahlia. For December, that means the holiday crowd comes in from the side street and not from the highway.

The finished project includes the Julia Argyros Bell Tower entrance facing PCH, a visitor center with a larger gift shop, and restoration of the tropical conservatory and koi pond. None of it opens before this holiday season.

The renovation also affects dinner plans. Sherman currently has no regular dining service. Its new farm-to-table restaurant, Hazeltine's, is expected to open in 2027 in a rebuilt two-story building facing PCH. Sherman's pages place the opening in late summer or fall of that year. Until then, the Mexican food and drinks at Merry & Bright Nights are the gardens' evening menu. For a 5 p.m. entry, that can stand in for dinner. A 7 p.m. entry leaves time for dinner somewhere in the village first.

Sunday, Dec. 6, From the Sidewalk to the Garden Gate

The Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce bills the Walk as free, with "no specific starting point," held on the PCH sidewalks through the village. Here is how the day lines up, using the times each organizer has published:

1. 11 a.m. The Christmas Walk opens along PCH, with more than 17 local bands, street performers, vendor gifts, children's activities and merchant and restaurant promotions.
2. Afternoon. Santa visits and photos are on the Walk's list, along with a Beer & Wine Garden with dancing to the "Pinch Me" Band.
3. 5 p.m. The Walk ends, and Merry & Bright Nights opens its first entry at Sherman, off Dahlia Avenue.
4. 7 p.m. Second entry at Sherman, for anyone who wants a break and a meal between the two.

Both events have Santa and both have dancing. On Dec. 6 the Walk has them in daylight and Sherman has them after dark, so one family can see Santa at both without choosing. Sherman's 2025 warning about crowds and parking on Walk day applied to an event held during the Walk's hours. This year the busiest stretch of the Walk ends as Sherman's evening begins. Arriving early and parking once will still save trouble on a day when the village draws, in the Chamber's words, "thousands of friends, neighbors and business owners."

Which Nights Are Going Fast

Tickets went on sale in two waves. Members could buy starting Oct. 5, and the public could buy starting Oct. 19. Days after the public sale opened, the event page listed opening night, Thursday, Dec. 3, as sold out. Fri., Dec. 4; Sat., Dec. 5; and Sun., Dec. 6 still showed tickets for sale. Availability changes quickly, so check the page before setting plans.

The dates form three blocks: Dec. 3 to 6, Dec. 10 to 13, and Dec. 17 to 22. The last block has six nights in a row, running into the week of Dec. 21. That gives anyone with relatives coming in for the holidays the latest choice of dates, and its Monday and Tuesday nights are the only Monday and Tuesday dates on the calendar.

Sherman sells membership bundles, and the per-ticket price gap makes them worth checking. Member tickets are $20 less than non-member tickets. The published bundles are:

• Family Package, $335. Four tickets and a one-year Family Membership, listed as a $100 savings.
• Adult Dual Package, $230. Two tickets and a one-year Adult Dual Membership, listed as a $50 savings.
• Senior Dual Package, $205. Two tickets and a one-year Senior Dual Membership, listed as a $50 savings.

A membership bought in December also covers the next year at the gardens. That year includes the reopening of the PCH frontage and Hazeltine's, so members will be visiting as the renovated Sherman opens in stages. Sherman's homepage says membership "typically pays for itself in about 3 visits."

For more on the village's calendar and streets through the year, see our Corona del Mar neighborhood guide.

Planning the Walk-to-gardens Sunday with family in town, or hosting before the 7 p.m. entry? The team at Alcove Collective lives this calendar and is happy to suggest where to park, where to eat and how to fit both events into Dec. 6. Connect with the Collective.