Glendale's Holidays Don't Start on One Night. Here's the Order They Open In.
November 12, 2026
November 12, 2026
At 7 p.m. tonight, Thursday, Nov. 19, The Americana at Brand runs the first of its two nightly holiday shows. Half an hour later, a few blocks down Brand Boulevard, Jim Brickman takes the stage at the Alex Theatre for "Piano Sensation & A Little Bit of Christmas." Both are already on the calendar a full two weeks before the City of Glendale lights the tree at City Hall.
The Americana started first, the Galleria comes next, a toy drive links Montrose to the Civic Center, and the Alex wraps up the run with two different Nutcracker productions. If you know the order, you can plan around it.
The city's ceremony, which many people treat as the official start, comes sixth on that list. By Dec. 3, the Americana will have run its nightly shows for three weeks.
The nightly display runs Nov. 13 through Dec. 31, at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Caruso's Winterland 2026 page bills the shows across its properties as a "West Coast winter wonderland." The Americana's season runs a few days ahead of The Grove, Caruso's other big holiday stage, which starts Nov. 17. Locals get a head start on the shows without leaving Glendale.
Santa's House, at 889 Americana Way, runs Nov. 13 through Dec. 24. The reservation page recommends booking ahead and says walk-ups depend on availability. Appointments are 10-minute visits, so this is a planned stop, not something to drop in on. Photo packages start at $60. The $120 Wonderland package includes complimentary all-day self-parking. That matters if you want to see the 7 p.m. show after your visit, because the free parking is a perk of that package, not a general garage policy.
Glendale Galleria's Photos with Santa runs daily from Saturday, Nov. 21, through Christmas Eve. Santa is back in his usual spot on Level 1 by Macy's. According to the Galleria's visitor page, parking in Garages A and B is free. The only paid parking on the property is for the Glendale Office Tower.
That's the practical difference between the two malls across Central Avenue. At the Americana, free parking comes with a specific photo package. At the Galleria, it's free all the time. So for a family visiting Santa more than once, or for grandparents in town over Thanksgiving weekend, the Galleria is the cheaper place to start.
The Galleria also schedules time for dogs and cats. Pet Night with Santa runs Mondays and Tuesdays, Nov. 30 through Dec. 15, from 4 to 7 p.m., in the same Level 1 spot. That gives you six weeknight evenings, and they start after Thanksgiving. The mall is also running a Holiday Wishes Sweepstakes with ten $500 gift cards as prizes.
The city's events don't start downtown. The City of Glendale's flyer lists two stops for the Cram-A-Classic Toy Drive, a joint effort of the Glendale Fire Department, ABC7 and Community Services & Parks. The first is Friday, Nov. 27, from 5 to 8 p.m., at Montrose Shopping Center, at the corner of Honolulu and Ocean View Boulevard. The second is Thursday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 8 p.m., at 141 N. Glendale Ave., right next to the tree lighting ceremony. People bring a new, unwrapped toy to help fill a classic fire truck. Glendale firefighters then collect the toys and give them to children in the community.
That makes the day after Thanksgiving the north end's first city holiday event. A toy dropped off on Honolulu Avenue that Friday goes into the same drive as one carried to City Hall six days later.
The ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 3, starts at 6 p.m. at City Hall Perkins Plaza. It includes the lighting of the City Hall tree, special performances and a visit from Santa. Parking is free at the Civic Center Visitors Parking Structure, 620 E. Wilson Ave. The flyer says the events may be canceled if it rains, so check the forecast that afternoon. The flyer also prints "1906 - 2026," marking the city's anniversary year, so this year's tree lighting closes out Glendale's 120th.
When the Santa lines start to thin, the season moves indoors to the Alex at 216 N. Brand Blvd. Brickman's Nov. 19 show is the opening act. The bigger event is the Nutcracker, and this year there are two productions on two separate weekends.
| Production | Dates | Confirmed time |
|---|---|---|
| Red Chair Productions, The Nutcracker | Dec. 12 and 13 | Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. |
| World Ballet Company, The Nutcracker | Dec. 18 and 19 | Check listing |
Red Chair Productions lists both of its dates at the Alex, and the Alex's ticket page lists the Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. The World Ballet Company performances are on the Downtown Glendale events calendar for Friday and Saturday the following weekend. If one weekend fills up, the other is still an option.
Each of these events is near a business that opened this fall or is planning to open soon, which makes it easy to plan a meal or an errand around an outing.
The Civic Center stops are closest to Urbane Cafe. Its first Glendale location opened Sept. 28 at 249 N. Glendale Ave., Suite B. Perkins Plaza's calendar address is 141 N. Glendale Ave., so the cafe and the tree lighting are on the same street.
On South Brand, The RealReal opened at 230 S. Brand Blvd. on Oct. 1, according to the Visit Glendale openings tracker. Down the block, Sandough has its Glendale location planned for 126 S. Brand Blvd., in the former Mediterranean Delight space. Sandough is the Melrose Avenue shop that makes its sandwiches on 48-hour fermented pizza dough. Owner Hakob Badalyan told What Now Los Angeles the target was late November or early December. The menu includes The Parma with 18-month-aged Prosciutto di Parma and stracciatella, a mortadella with pistachio, and a Funghi with fontina.
Inside the Americana, Bhindi Jewelers moved into a larger store at 519 Americana Way and held a ribbon-cutting Sept. 9, according to National Jeweler. Out east, Chris N' Eddy's opened Oct. 30 at 1360 E. Colorado St.
| Stop | New nearby |
|---|---|
| City Hall Perkins Plaza, Dec. 3 | Urbane Cafe, 249 N. Glendale Ave. |
| Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd. | Sandough, planned for 126 S. Brand Blvd.; The RealReal, 230 S. Brand Blvd. |
| The Americana, nightly shows | Bhindi Jewelers, 519 Americana Way |
| East Glendale | Chris N' Eddy's, 1360 E. Colorado St. |
A full Glendale December could look like this: Santa at the Galleria on a Saturday with free garage parking, dinner on Glendale Avenue before the Dec. 3 tree lighting, a toy for the fire truck, and a Nutcracker matinee at the Alex on Dec. 13. The Americana's 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. shows run every night through New Year's Eve, so you can fit them in any evening.
At Petro Real Estate Group, we pay attention to how Glendale's holiday calendar comes together, from Montrose to Brand Boulevard. If family visits or a new season at home have you thinking about your next chapter, Schedule a Consultation with Stacy and Andrew and we'll talk through it with the same local focus.
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