Over Thanksgiving weekend, Temecula lights a tree on four straight nights. Three of those lightings happen on the same evening. On Saturday, Nov. 28, Oak Mountain Winery starts its ceremony at 5 p.m., Peltzer Family Cellars lights its tree at 5:45 p.m., and South Coast Winery runs its tree lighting from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sunday and Monday get one lighting each.
From Crowne Hill, that spacing matters more than which venue you pick. Saturday makes you choose one, while the other three nights give you a lighting each with nothing competing against it. If you want to see more than one tree this year, or just want to park without circling, plan around the night first.
Four nights, six lightings
| Night | Event | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Callaway Barrel Tree Lighting & Holiday Market | 32720 Rancho California Rd. | 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Oak Mountain Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony | 36522 Via Verde | 5 to 10 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Peltzer Annual Tree Lighting, Day One | 40275 Calle Contento | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., lighting at 5:45 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | South Coast Winery Tree Lighting Ceremony | South Coast Winery Resort & Spa | 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Peltzer Annual Tree Lighting, Day Two | 40275 Calle Contento | 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., lighting at 5:45 p.m. |
| Mon., Nov. 30 | City of Temecula Christmas Tree Lighting | Temecula Duck Pond & Veterans Memorial, 28250 Ynez Road | 7 to 8:30 p.m. |
Admission is free at Callaway's market and at Oak Mountain's ceremony, according to their Visit Temecula Valley listings. At Peltzer, the ice rink and the farm activities are ticketed separately.
Saturday, hour by hour
On Saturday, the three ceremonies start within the same 45 minutes:
- 5 p.m. Oak Mountain Winery on Via Verde begins its evening with Santa, Christmas carols and the tree lighting. The event runs until 10 p.m.
- 5 p.m. South Coast Winery opens its ceremony. Visit Temecula Valley lists a Santa meet and greet, a petting zoo, face painting, horse-drawn trolley and tractor rides, carolers, winter crafts for kids and holiday refreshments.
- 5:45 p.m. Peltzer lights the large tree in the roundabout on the way to the winery parking lot. Staff hand out candles and lead Christmas carols, and Franklin Wall plays the 5:45 to 6 p.m. set at the tree.
Each of these is a full evening in its own right, so you'll probably make it to one. Of the three, Oak Mountain runs latest. Its 5-to-10 window leaves the most room for a family that wants dinner at home first.
Saturday at Peltzer is also the longer of its two days. The Crush House stays open until 9 p.m., Franklin Wall plays there from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., and rink sessions run as late as 7:30 p.m. Bootleg Bistro is in the Food Truck Alley lineup on Saturday but not on Sunday.
Sunday at Peltzer runs the same ceremony on a shorter day
Peltzer's Day Two on Sunday, Nov. 29 keeps the 5:45 p.m. lighting, the candles and the carols at the roundabout tree. The day ends two hours earlier, at 7 p.m., and no other winery on this list is lighting a tree that night.
The timing details below are the ones that shape a Sunday visit:
- Santa photos end at 5 p.m. both days, 45 minutes before the tree lights. If your family wants both a photo and the lighting, plan to arrive in the afternoon.
- Sunday's last skate session starts at 6 p.m., with earlier sessions at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30, 3 and 4:30 p.m. The rink sits in a new spot near the Farm, across from Tractor Alley.
- Music: The Fireflowers play from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., and Honey Bean plays from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. and also handles the set at the tree.
- Food Truck Alley runs from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. with Peltzer Provisions, Aiyara Thai Cuisine, The Mac Truck, Neza Eats and Woodfire Pizza. The Rush Coffee serves until 6:30 p.m.
- The Peltzer Trading Post Holiday Market, presented by In the Loop Temecula, is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the Farm.
- There are no wine tastings during the festival on either day. Wine, sangria, beer, cocktails and Peltzer Seltzer are sold at the Crush House, Blacksmith Bar, Rink & Drink Bar, Farmstead and Crush Club Patio.
For the rest of rink season, the Crush House is open to all ages Sunday through Thursday and is 21+ after 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The rink stays all ages whenever it's open. That schedule is part of what makes Sunday the easier day for a family with younger kids.
Friday and Monday open the weekend and close it
Callaway Vineyard & Winery lights its barrel tree on Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving. The holiday market runs from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. that day and again on Saturday, with Santa both days plus holiday wine specials, live music, raffles and giveaways. That makes Friday the first lighting of the weekend, and Saturday at Callaway a daytime shopping stop.
On Monday, Nov. 30, the City of Temecula lights its tree at the Temecula Duck Pond & Veterans Memorial from 7 to 8:30 p.m., with festive music, treats and Santa. Its 7 p.m. start is the latest of the four nights.
On Friday, Dec. 4, Santa's Electric Light Parade runs from 7 to 9 p.m. It starts at Jefferson Avenue and Del Rio Road and heads south into Old Town Temecula, according to the city's event page.
Before and after the weekend: Vail Headquarters, the rink and Dec. 13
The season starts closer to home. Vail Headquarters on Temecula Parkway holds a holiday market this Friday, Nov. 13, with boutique gift vendors, live entertainment and photos with Mr. & Mrs. Claus. Marshall Stuart Fine Wines, Local Provisions, Bare Knuckle Brewery and Nora's Empanadas are among the food and drink options, according to Visit Temecula Valley's Temecula Chilled roundup. Updates are posted on Vail Headquarters' site.
The Peltzer Ice Rink opens for its ninth season on Thursday, Nov. 19, and the winery lists the season as running through Jan. 18. Admission is $20 for ages 11 and up and $14 for ages 10 and under. Skate rental is $2, helmet rental is $4, and a season pass is $160. If you're planning a weekday rink trip out De Portola Road east of Butterfield Stage Road, the city's Oct. 29 traffic report notes possible lane closures there for final sewer restoration on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. That work is estimated to finish in November.
Sunday, Dec. 6 has two events that don't overlap:
- Santa Paws + Ugly Sweater Extravaganza at Akash Winery runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Santa photos are from noon to 3 p.m., and the Temecula Chilled roundup lists an ugly sweater contest, treats for pups, ornament painting and wood-fired pizza.
- Lorimar Winery's Hanukkah Celebration is on the patio at 39990 Anza Road from 5 to 8 p.m. Admission is $5 for ages 18 and up and free for anyone younger. An optional buffet costs $35 for adults and $15 for children under 12. The evening includes a menorah lighting, latkes and live music.
Sunday, Dec. 13 stacks up the way Nov. 28 does. Vail Headquarters holds its second holiday market, Peltzer hosts Christmas on the Farm, and the Temecula Valley Symphony performs selections from "The Nutcracker" with the Temecula Ballet at 4 p.m. at the Temecula Valley High School Golden Bears Theater. Cellist Ruslan Biryukov plays Dvořák's Cello Concerto on the same program. Symphony tickets are sold through the Temecula Valley Symphony.
For a weeknight in between, the lobby at Pechanga Resort Casino is decorated for the season with more than 100,000 lights and dozens of decorated Christmas trees. There are photos with Santa near the casino entrance and a holiday village in the hotel lobby. The life-sized, Candyland-inspired gingerbread house was built by Executive Pastry Chef Deden Putra and his team from more than 1,500 pounds of real gingerbread.
Whichever night you pick, the holiday weeks are a good time to know what your own home is worth before the new year starts. Temecula Valley Homes can put together a clear, numbers-first picture of where your Crowne Hill home stands, so you can enjoy December knowing your next step. Request a Free Home Valuation whenever it suits you.
