The Corona del Mar Christmas Walk Now Outlasts the Sun

The 47th Annual Corona del Mar Christmas Walk is on Sunday, Dec. 6. It runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and it is still free, with no set starting point along the Pacific Coast Highway sidewalks through the village. Last year's Walk ran 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the Newport Beach Independent's 2025 preview. The extra hour moves the end of the Walk past sunset. In Newport Beach on Dec. 6, the sun sets at 4:43 p.m. and civil twilight ends at 5:10 p.m., according to timeanddate.

So the last stretch of this year's Walk happens on PCH at dusk, under storefront lights and string lights. The Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce has also added a hop-on-hop-off trolley this year, so the day no longer has to end wherever you happen to be when the light goes. With the later close and the trolley together, it makes sense to plan the day around where you want to be at 5 p.m.

The clock on Dec. 6

This year the Walk ends at dusk, and the afternoon looks like this:

The added hour is the one after sunset. In 2025, the Walk ended with daylight to spare. This year, between 4:43 and 5 p.m., the bands, the Beer & Wine Garden and the lit storefronts carry the street after the sun is down.

What the trolley changes

The Chamber calls the trolley new this year and describes it as a way to reach the entertainment stops easily. The 2026 trolley map shows service both northbound and southbound on Pacific Coast Highway, with a stop marked "Civic Center & Free Trolley Parking."

That matters because the Walk is spread out. The Chamber has 2026 vendor fairs at two separate places on PCH, one at Marguerite and one at Dahlia. The music is spread out too. The Chamber lists more than 17 local bands this year. Last December the Daily Pilot counted nearly 20. Without a trolley, a day that started at one fair and ended at the other meant walking the village twice, with the walk back to the car on top of that. With a trolley running both ways and free parking at the Civic Center, you can ride one way and walk the other, or stay later at the far end of the village without facing a long walk back in the dark.

The trolley map is the Chamber's official guide to the route. Check the PDF before Dec. 6 so you know where the trolley runs along PCH.

What the street looked like last year

The Chamber's 2026 list covers the main features: live music, Santa visits and photos, a Beer & Wine Garden with dancing to the Pinch Me band, children's activities, street performers, gifts from vendors, and merchant and restaurant promotions. Last year's coverage shows how those categories looked on the sidewalk. The Daily Pilot's account of the 46th Walk named these stops:

• Mayur Cuisine of India handed out chicken tikka masala and naan.
• Absolute Caviar had a line at its sidewalk table for caviar samples. Owners Alex and Maria Abrams had opened the shop, their fourth location, two weeks earlier.
• Lash Pilot, then in its third year in Corona del Mar, set up a display that drew questions about its services.
• The Aloha OASIS Strummers played ukuleles in front of Sherman Gardens.
• Friends of OASIS and the OASIS Sailing Club had tables just outside Mother's Market.

The 2025 preview in the Newport Beach Independent also listed stilt walkers, magicians, circus acts, photos with Santa and live reindeer, and restaurant tastings. It said part of the proceeds would go to the Corona del Mar High School Music Program.

Last year, the Walk also reached a block off the highway. The City of Newport Beach held a Holiday Open House at the Corona del Mar Branch Library, 410 Marigold Avenue, during the 2025 Walk. The Lincoln Elementary Choir sang at 11:30 a.m., the Eastbluff Elementary Choir at 12:15 p.m., and the Newport Elementary Choir at 3:30 p.m. If the City holds a similar program this year, the choir times set the pace of the early afternoon for families with singers in them.

Planning the day backward from 5 p.m.

Last year, a 4 p.m. close meant everyone left in daylight. This year the final half hour is the darkest part of the Walk and the busiest for lights, so start with where you want to be at the end and work back from there.

1. Park at the Civic Center lot and take the trolley in. The map shows this as the free option, and it means you don't have to get your car out of the village at dusk.
2. Do the daylight stops first. Vendor shopping at Marguerite and Dahlia, Santa photos and children's activities are easiest before the sun drops at 4:43 p.m.
3. Save the Beer & Wine Garden for the end. It has the Pinch Me band and dancing, and it is the part of the Walk most suited to dusk.
4. Ride the trolley back to your car after the 5 p.m. close instead of walking the length of the village in the dark.

Where the day goes after the Walk closes

At 5 p.m., when the Walk ends, Sherman Library & Gardens opens Merry & Bright Nights for the evening. On Dec. 6 the event runs 5 to 9 p.m., with entry at 5 or 7 p.m. Tickets are $45 for members and $65 for non-members, and children 3 and under get in free. The evening includes Santa, a Wishing Tree, holiday crafts, a model train, Mexican food, drinks for adults and a holiday dance party. Visit Newport Beach lists Merry & Bright Nights from Dec. 3 through Dec. 17 as part of its 50 Days of Festive Fun, but Dec. 6 is the only date that starts as the Walk ends.

Last year the Aloha OASIS Strummers played in front of Sherman Gardens during the Walk, so the gardens already sit along the route. With a 5 p.m. entry ticket, the free afternoon on PCH and the ticketed evening at Sherman run back to back with no gap. Book the 7 p.m. entry instead if you want dinner in the village in between.

Mary Golding and the team at Golding Realty Inc. have long followed how the village's calendar shapes life on Corona del Mar's streets, from the Christmas Walk to the evenings that follow it. If you are considering a move within the village and want to talk through which blocks put you closest to days like Dec. 6, we invite you to Schedule a Private Consultation.