Beverly Hills is spending less on holiday décor this year, and almost none of the cut comes out of Rodeo Drive. The city's budget review lowered the cost of citywide holiday décor by 37%. The Jolly Trolly is gone. So are the colored lights on La Cienega and Camden Drive. Meanwhile Rodeo Drive gets 16 overhead light strands, up from the four garlands first proposed, plus a fireworks finale paid for by local sponsors, and a lighting night themed around the Rodeo Drive Committee's 50th anniversary.
From now through Jan. 3, Beverly Hills will put its holiday effort into three blocks of Rodeo Drive and a few anchor spots. The rest of the business district gets warm white lights and the décor it already owns.
Where the 37% came from
The plan presented at the City Council's September 1, 2026 study session came out of a zero-based budget review. That review asked the Rodeo Drive Committee's ad hoc group to cut annual décor costs by 50%. The group reached 37% for 2026, partly by dropping items and partly by reusing equipment instead of buying more. Here is what that leaves on the street, based on the staff report:
| Staying for 2026 | Discontinued or reduced for 2026 |
|---|---|
| Warm white lights throughout the business district | Jolly Trolly |
| Santa and Reindeer Display | Colored lights and canopy spheres on La Cienega |
| Wilshire Spans | Colored lights and canopy décor on Camden Drive |
| Beverly Canon Gardens, same décor as the last two years | Banner up-lighting |
| Beverly Gardens Park Menorah scene and Tree | Citywide twinkle lights replaced every other year instead of annually |
| Lights on the Lily Pond, reusing previous programming | Possibly fewer reeds at the Lily Pond |
| Robertson Blvd pole lights and lighted garland with bows | |
| White street spans on N. Beverly and N. Canon | |
| S. Beverly canopy spheres | |
| Snowflakes on S. Santa Monica Blvd west of Wilshire | |
| Triangle bows and garland, background audio | |
| Static projection on the Crescent side of City Hall |
La Cienega and Camden still keep their year-round white twinkle lights. Holiday color is simply no longer added on top. The staff report also says staff will look at lighting every other tree instead of every tree in some areas. On some blocks, December could look a little sparser than it did in 2025. The citywide banners are also in their third year with the same design.
On Rodeo Drive, the plan moved overhead
On Rodeo Drive, the plan grew. The original idea was to string garlands across the street. The city concluded that the street light poles weren't structurally sound enough to carry them safely. JBB, the city's vendor, proposed expanding the "dripping" lights instead. These lights already hang in the median palms, and the new plan adds them to every sidewalk palm and runs strands from sidewalk to median. That comes to 16 strands down the block, compared with the 4 garlands first proposed, for the same budget Council had already approved for Rodeo Drive décor. The staff report says the goal was to "draw the public's eyes up" on a street that is under heavy construction. Public Works reviewed the strands and found no risk to the trees and no safety issue for pedestrians or vehicles.
The lighting night follows the same pattern. The city put $667,575 from its Tourism and Marketing budget, which is funded by occupancy tax revenue, toward the Nov. 19 celebration. That amount covered the stage, the entertainment, and one wine garden. It did not cover a second wine garden or the fireworks. The Rodeo Drive Committee then lined up local sponsors for the first time. Gearys, Auto Vault and Two Rodeo Drive put in an estimated $45,000, which pays for the fireworks finale and brings the event total to $712,575. A September 22 agenda report confirms that Council approved the program and budget at the September 1 session.
The lineup is local this year. The plan the Council approved calls for "no headliner talent." It relies on a new talent search and on professional performers. The city's announcement names the two winners of the first Rodeo Drive Has Talent search. Ortal Edri is a Los Angeles singer-songwriter. Marianna Kriuchenkova is an eight-year-old vocalist. Both will perform alongside host Ali Ward, featured vocalist Dani Armstrong, six-time GRAMMY winner Daniel Ho with a set called Island Holidays, and DJ Lady Sha. According to the staff report, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, For the Record, The Wallis and West Side Ballet are booked as special guests. Holiday skaters, stilt walkers and a Santa photo spot with the Beverly Hills trolley as a backdrop will also be on the street.
In the same announcement, Rodeo Drive Committee President Kathy Gohari linked the anniversary to the street's founding idea: "Fifty years ago, Fred Hayman understood that Rodeo Drive could be much more than a shopping destination."
The 50th starts on the sidewalk ten days early
The anniversary reaches Rodeo before the lights go on. On Monday, Nov. 9, at 11 a.m., the city will unveil Carole A. Feuerman's "Monuments of Stillness" at 332 N. Rodeo Drive. The exhibition places 10 sculptures along the street and will stay on view during 2027, according to the city's release on the show. The sculptures will outlast the holiday décor, which comes down after Jan. 3. Through the season, the dripping-light strands will hang over a street that also has new public art at eye level.
Getting in and out on Nov. 19
The street work starts the night before the celebration. From 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, until 6 a.m. Friday, Nov. 20, the city plans these closures:
- Rodeo Drive from S. Santa Monica Boulevard to Wilshire
- Dayton Way from Rodeo Drive to the alleys on either side
- Brighton Way from Rodeo Drive to the alleys on either side
The city's Brighton Garage and Two Rodeo Garage stay open through the alleys. Access to the Rodeo Collection Garage on the 400 block was left to discussions with affected tenants. The stage will be at Brighton Way and Rodeo Drive. In past years the event has drawn up to 10,000 people between 5 and 8 p.m. Several Golden Triangle structures give the first two hours of parking free.
This is also the first holiday season with the D Line running to Wilshire/La Cienega. Metro's D Line Section 1, including the Wilshire/La Cienega station, opened May 8, 2026. The Wilshire/Rodeo station at Beverly Drive is still under construction. In October, Beverly Press reported that Section 2 was expected to open "next spring," so this December is likely the last one with that site fenced off. Metro's project page lists a free online webinar about the Beverly Hills stations on Nov. 18 from noon to 1 p.m., the day before the lighting.
Last year's lighting night shows why the city budgets for weather. In 2025 the event needed a rain plan for only the second time in a decade. The plan cost $42,875 and allowed the celebration to go ahead with good attendance despite the rain. Any rain plan this year would come from a Tourism and Marketing contingency fund.
What the season looks like after the lighting
Once Rodeo is lit, the season moves to the places the budget kept. The décor and festivities run through Jan. 3, 2027.
- Nightly through Jan. 3: Lights on the Lily Pond at Beverly Gardens Park, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., and Glowing Gardens at Beverly Canon Gardens, 5 to 11 p.m. Glowing Gardens has an oversized Christmas tree and an oversized ornament.
- Sunday, Nov. 22: The Holiday Craft Fair at the Beverly Hills Farmers' Market, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Dec. 5, 6, 12 and 13: Holidays at Greystone. The city recreation catalog lists $12 admission, 90-minute entry slots from 9:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., and performances by the Bob Baker Marionettes. Santa and Mrs. Claus and live caroling are also on the program.
- Monday, Dec. 7: The Menorah Lighting with the City Council at Beverly Gardens Park, 5:30 p.m. Hanukkah begins Friday, Dec. 4. The city moved the lighting to Monday, the fourth night, so it would not fall on the Jewish Sabbath.
- Sunday, Dec. 13: Santa Paws Yappy Hour at the Beverly Hills Community Dog Park, 10 a.m. to noon, with photos with Santa.
Most of the season sits in a small area. Beverly Gardens Park, Beverly Canon Gardens, Robertson's garlands, the snowflakes on S. Santa Monica, the City Hall projection and Rodeo's 16 strands are all funded for 2026. The city's holiday décor map at beverlyhills.org/holidaysbh shows where each piece is. If you used to drive the colored canopies on Camden or La Cienega, those streets will have their everyday white twinkle lights this year.
If you'd like to talk about how Beverly Hills is changing block by block, from the D Line stations to the Triangle, Steven Craven is happy to walk through it with you. Book a Consultation whenever it suits your schedule.
