On the first Saturday in December, the city makes the drive between two of its holiday events unnecessary. You can park free at First and D Streets, tour the Luther Burbank Home & Gardens in its holiday decorations, and ride Rosie the Trolley to the Handmade Holiday Crafts Fair at Finley Community Center. Rosie brings you back to the Burbank Home afterward.
That free ride says a lot about how Santa Rosa's holidays are laid out. Old Courthouse Square has the tree lighting, but most of the season happens in other places. The Luther Burbank Center for the Arts runs a nightly light walk on the north end of town. Finley on West College Avenue hosts the crafts fair and is also where the city's evening lights tours start. Snoopy's Home Ice on West Steele Lane has the ice shows, and the Schulz Museum fills in the dates between them. Planning by weekend and by route is the easiest way to fit it all in.
The season opens on the north end of town
The first event is on publish day. Northern Lights, the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts' winter lights art walk, opens in the LBC Sculpture Garden on Thursday, November 19. It runs every day from dusk to 9:30 p.m. through January 18, 2027. This is the walk's fifth year, it's free, and the LBC says it has plenty of on-site parking. The self-guided path takes you past light displays, tunnel designs and holiday scenes. Pets are welcome on a leash, and everyone needs to stay on the pathways because of the electrical cords.
Northern Lights lasts longer than anything else on this calendar, about two months, so it works for a weeknight or the evening after a busy Saturday. The LBC's event page also points to Kringle's Korner Christmas Trees in the LBC's south parking lot. The lot is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from November 24 to 27, then 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. from November 28 to December 24. The LBC suggests checking the tree lot's own site for exact dates.
On Saturday, November 21, the Charles M. Schulz Museum holds its Holiday Happy Hour from 4 to 6 p.m. It's for adults 21 and over, and the activity is building a holiday-themed Peanuts shadow box.
Thanksgiving weekend moves from one square to another
The Santa Rosa Metro Chamber's Winter Lights tree lighting is the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 27, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Courthouse Square, 69 Old Courthouse Square. It's free. The Chamber lists live entertainment, children's activities, food and drink, and photos with Santa, all leading up to the lighting of the tree.
Two days later, the action is at Railroad Square, west of downtown. Mayacamas Home is hosting an Artisan Holiday Market on Sunday, November 29, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 105 4th St., on the corner of Wilson and 4th. It's the only event on the Railroad Square Association's November calendar with a holiday name. Everything else that month is the neighborhood's regular music, stitching and restaurant nights.
That gives the holiday weekend a simple shape. Friday evening is at Courthouse Square, and Sunday morning is at Railroad Square.
December 5 and 6 come with a free ride
This is the weekend the trolley runs, and it's also when two of the city's longest-running holiday traditions happen on the same days.
The Luther Burbank Home & Gardens holds its 46th annual Holiday Open House on Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Santa Rosa and Sonoma Avenues. Admission is $5 for ages 12 and older. Inside, the historic home is decorated in old-fashioned style. Kris Kringle and Mrs. Kringle are visiting, there are homemade cookies in the Greenhouse and persimmon bread in the Gift Shop, and the Carriage House Museum has its latest exhibit on view. The organizers describe the event this way:
"This event is done entirely in-house, with our Volunteers. We do not have space for outside vendors."
If you're looking for outside vendors, they're at the other end of the trolley line. The City of Santa Rosa's 51st Handmade Holiday Crafts Fair runs the same two days, also 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Finley Community Center, 2060 West College Avenue. More than 90 local artists will be selling. Admission is $5 per person, and children 12 and under get in free.
With both events on the same hours and the Burbank Home's event page offering free parking at First and D plus free Rosie rides to and from Finley, you can do both in one day with one parking spot.
On Saturday evening, the Schulz Museum's Kids Night at the Museum runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. with holiday activities, pizza, games, crafts and cartooning. Families can head home from the open house and the fair in the afternoon and drop off kids for the evening.
Finley keeps the trolley running on weeknights
Rosie keeps working after that weekend. The Santa Rosa Recreation & Parks Fall/Winter 2026 activity guide lists a Holiday Lights Tour, a trolley ride with holiday music that takes in the lights in several Santa Rosa neighborhoods. Every tour leaves from Finley Community Center.
Public tours run on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on December 8, 10, 15, 17 and 22. Seats are $22 to $32, and each tour holds up to 25 people. Organized groups can book a private tour for $550 to $575 on other dates from December 7 through December 23. The free shuttle on December 5 and 6 and these ticketed tours are separate. The tours require advance registration through the city.
Put the Holiday Lights Tour together with Northern Lights and you have the season's weeknight plans. One is free every night on the north end of town. The other is ticketed, runs two nights a week, and starts on West College.
December 12 is the fullest Saturday
The second Saturday in December has the most going on at once. Here's how it falls through the day:
- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Old Courthouse Square. The Alliance Française of Santa Rosa holds its 6th Annual French Winter Market, which is free and has local artisans, small businesses, live music, food and drinks.
- Through the weekend, the Schulz Museum. Gingerbread Doghouse Workshops are on December 12 and 13. Some sessions are for children with an adult, and others are for kids in grades 1 through 6.
- 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., Snoopy's Home Ice, 1667 West Steele Lane. A Very Merry Ice Show has professional figure skaters, Olympians and world competitors, and Snoopy makes an appearance. It's a ticketed indoor show that benefits Redwood Ice Theatre Company. If December 12 is already full, there's an 8 p.m. show the night before, Friday, December 11.
That's three neighborhoods in one day: downtown at midday, then the museum, then West Steele Lane in the evening. The Saturday-morning cafes from our Santa Rosa morning spots roundup are a good way to start a day like this.
After the rush, Snoopy closes out the year
The week between Christmas and New Year's is quiet, and the Peanuts venues have most of what's left. On Monday, December 28, the Santa Rosa Figure Skating Club performs "'Tis the Season" Starring Snoopy at Snoopy's Home Ice, with shows at 4:30 and 6 p.m. On Thursday, December 31, the Schulz Museum holds Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Snoopy photos, crafts and balloon drops, so families can celebrate the new year in the daytime.
Northern Lights stays open through January 18, so the LBC walk is still there after New Year's Eve, same as on opening night.
The full season at a glance
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 19 to Jan 18 | Northern Lights art walk, dusk to 9:30 p.m. | LBC Sculpture Garden | Free |
| Nov 21 | Schulz Museum Holiday Happy Hour, 21+ | Charles M. Schulz Museum | Listed on museum site |
| Nov 27 | Winter Lights tree lighting, 4 to 7 p.m. | Old Courthouse Square | Free |
| Nov 29 | Artisan Holiday Market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | 105 4th St., Railroad Square | Not listed |
| Dec 5 to 6 | Luther Burbank Holiday Open House, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Santa Rosa and Sonoma Avenues | $5, ages 12+ |
| Dec 5 to 6 | Handmade Holiday Crafts Fair, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Finley Community Center | $5, 12 and under free |
| Dec 5 | Kids Night at the Museum, 5:30 to 9 p.m. | Charles M. Schulz Museum | Listed on museum site |
| Dec 8, 10, 15, 17, 22 | Holiday Lights Tour on Rosie, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Departs Finley Community Center | $22 to $32 per seat |
| Dec 11 to 12 | A Very Merry Ice Show | Snoopy's Home Ice | Ticketed |
| Dec 12 | French Winter Market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Old Courthouse Square | Free |
| Dec 12 to 13 | Gingerbread Doghouse Workshops | Charles M. Schulz Museum | Listed on museum site |
| Dec 28 | "'Tis the Season" Starring Snoopy, 4:30 and 6 p.m. | Snoopy's Home Ice | Listed on rink site |
| Dec 31 | Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Charles M. Schulz Museum | Listed on museum site |
Organizers can change times and details, so check each event's page before you leave. For more on what's happening in town, see our Santa Rosa neighborhood guide.
If a December spent riding Rosie and touring decorated houses has you wondering what your own home would sell for, Apryl Lopez is happy to put together a free home valuation whenever you're ready, before the holidays or after.
