Walnut Creek lights two holiday trees this season, and they are 13 days apart. Civic Park goes first with its Holiday Tree Lighting on Friday, Nov. 20, the same day Walnut Creek on Ice opens beside it. Broadway Plaza lights its own tree on Thursday, Dec. 3, with a Holiday Parade of Lights that begins at 6 p.m. and ends with Santa leading the ceremony.
Between those two evenings comes the densest run of the downtown holiday calendar. The Lesher Center has holiday ballets on back-to-back weekends. Broadway Plaza holds a makers market on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Santa appears in three settings in the space of ten days. Work your plans out from those two anchor dates and the season falls into place. It also helps to know the one well-used walking route into town that is closed through New Year's Eve.
The first opening: Civic Park on Nov. 20
The Civic Park tree lighting comes with cocoa and carolers, according to the Walnut Creek Downtown events calendar. The bigger draw that night is the rink. Walnut Creek on Ice opens its 21st season at Civic Park, 1365 Civic Drive, and runs through Jan. 18, 2027. The rink is covered and comes with the 90-foot Frosty's Summit Ice Slide, private fire pits, an Ice-Skating Academy and hockey classes. Wednesday-morning Littles Skates are back for the youngest skaters, and one of those mornings includes a visit from Santa.
Kathy Hemmenway, executive director of the Walnut Creek Business Association, one of the rink's presenters, said in the downtown association's season announcement: "After 21 years, we've seen kids grow up on this ice and come back with families of their own." Tickets, hours, class sign-ups and fire pit reservations are all at WalnutCreekOnIce.com.
Opening night is just the start. The rink stays open for eight weeks, but the shows, markets and Santa events packed around it land almost entirely in the next two weeks.
The 13 days in between
Here is the stretch from the Civic Park lighting to the Broadway Plaza lighting, day by day:
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Holiday Tree Lighting; Walnut Creek on Ice opens | Civic Park |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Once Upon a Street: Evergreen & Elegance, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Downtown |
| Nov. 21–22 | Smuin's The Christmas Ballet | Lesher Center |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Gather with Santa photos and holiday makers market, 1 to 5 p.m. | Gather Walnut Creek |
| Mon., Nov. 23 | Pet Night with Santa, 4 to 7 p.m. | Broadway Plaza |
| Nov. 27–29 | Once Upon A Christmas, The Ballet School Performing Arts | Lesher Center |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Free Makers Market, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Broadway Plaza |
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Pet Night with Santa, 4 to 7 p.m. | Broadway Plaza |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Holiday Parade of Lights & Tree Lighting, from 6 p.m. | Broadway Plaza |
Two scheduling details matter. The Santa photo line at Gather closes at 4:30 p.m., half an hour before the event ends. Broadway Plaza's Pet Nights with Santa run past that window, on Nov. 16, 23 and 30 and again on Dec. 7 and 14, each from 4 to 7 p.m. Regular Santa photo prices apply to pets. Santa himself is at Broadway Plaza earlier than any of this, starting Nov. 14. Visits are free, and photo packages are sold separately.
The Nov. 28 Makers Market falls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Broadway Plaza bills it as a "shop small" day with local makers, live music and food. A second market follows on Saturday, Dec. 19, with the same 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours, so there is a later chance for anyone who misses the first.
The Lesher Center starts the season a week early
The holiday ballets begin before either tree is lit. Diablo Ballet brings The Nutcracker Suite to the Lesher Center on Nov. 13 and 14. The Lesher describes it as a new two-act production by Julia Adam, and a complimentary cast event follows the 2 p.m. show on Nov. 14. Center REP's Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors is still running through Nov. 15, so for one weekend the building hosts Halloween and Christmas productions at once.
After the Broadway Plaza lighting, the Lesher Center calendar moves into December:
- Dec. 6, 5 to 6:45 p.m.: "Snow Day!" holiday concert, at Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church
- Dec. 9 to 23: A Christmas Carol, listed on the Lesher calendar
- Dec. 12, 2 to 4 p.m.: Diablo Symphony's The Snowman Meets Vivaldi!, also at Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church
- Dec. 12, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.: Christmas Dreaming with Stella Cole, at the Lesher Center
- Dec. 16 to 23: Visit to the North Pole, a visit of about five minutes, at the Lesher Center
Two of these events are listed by the Lesher but held at Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church, so check the address before you leave. Dec. 12 is the busiest single day of the month. You could see the symphony in the afternoon, Stella Cole that evening, and skate in between.
Bedford Gallery, inside the Lesher, has High Pile: Concepts in Tufting on view through Dec. 13. It's an easy indoor stop to pair with a matinee.
Getting downtown: the Iron Horse Trail bridge is closed through Dec. 31
The one closure that affects the trip downtown on foot or by bike is the Robert I. Schroder Pedestrian Bridge. It carries the Iron Horse Trail over Treat Boulevard just east of Jones Road, and Contra Costa County closed it on Oct. 5 for a rehabilitation scheduled to run through Dec. 31. Crews work only from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, but the bridge stays closed around the clock for the whole project. Walkers and cyclists are sent to the existing street crossing on Treat Boulevard, with detour signs posted along the way.
The work covers new bearing pads, paint repairs, a deck treatment, and new sidewalk and curb on the bridge. It is paid for with Measure X and Park Dedication funds. Drivers are affected too. The county expects 10-minute delays on Treat Boulevard, occasional lane closures, and about four nighttime full closures of Treat for the bearing pad work, each with a detour of about five miles. Those closure dates will be posted on the county's project page. Check it before a late drive home from a December show at the Lesher.
The detour lasts as long as the holiday calendar does. The bridge is scheduled to reopen on Dec. 31, almost three weeks before the rink closes on Jan. 18.
Daylight plans: what's open and what's fenced
Weekend mornings before an evening downtown run into two more construction projects. The East Bay Regional Park District has closed parts of Castle Rock Regional Park and Diablo Foothills Regional Park for construction from October 2026 through October 2027. Stage Road Trail is the main trail affected, and the main staging area at 1700 Castle Rock will close at times for safety. The Castle Rock Pool Complex is set to reopen for the 2027 swim season. The district's alerts page has the latest updates.
Heather Farm Park is mid-build on its new combined Aquatic and Community Center. The City of Walnut Creek warns that parking will be tight and suggests leaving extra time or using other park lots. Clarke Swim Center is expected to stay open throughout construction.
The city's open spaces are outside both project zones. Shell Ridge has 31 miles of trails, including the route to Borges Ranch at 1035 Castle Rock Road. Lime Ridge has 25 miles, but dogs are not allowed in its central wildlife-preserve section. For shorter loops, Acalanes Ridge off Sousa Drive has four miles of trail, and Sugarloaf at 2161 Youngs Valley Road has three.
Mount Diablo State Park lists a Wonder Hike on Nov. 11, a Wednesday holiday morning before the downtown season starts. If you drive guests to the summit, note that the Summit Visitor Center elevator is out of service until further notice.
Families with small children can add Lindsay Wildlife Experience in Larkey Park. Its Tiny Tuesday programs for ages 2 to 5 are on Nov. 10 and Dec. 8, from 10 a.m. to noon, at $10 per member or $12 per nonmember. For the week after Christmas, Wild Winter Camp runs Dec. 28 to 30 for ages 7 to 12, at $200 for members and $250 for nonmembers.
On the Shadelands side of town, Calicraft Brewing opened a beer garden at 2700 Mitchell Drive the weekend of Aug. 29. It serves from a converted shipping-container bar with rotating food trucks, and it's open from noon to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday, according to the Walnut Creek Record. The same report said a 27-seat indoor bar was expected by November.
If you're hosting this season and wondering how your home might show in the new year, Emiliana Flemate Baker and the Luxe Reali team are glad to walk through it with you over a cocoa between the two tree lightings. Request your free Instant Valuation & Custom Marketing Plan whenever the timing suits you.
