On the first two evenings of December, the Camarillo Ranch House on Camarillo Ranch Road opens decorated for the holidays, with Victorian carolers outside and Santa's Workshop in the Red Barn. Three days later, Santa walks Ventura Boulevard through Old Town. A week after that, a parade runs down Las Posas Road and ends at a Santa's Village in Community Center Park.
All three are the same holiday tradition. The difference is the money. The Ranch doesn't charge to get in, and you pay only if you want the photo. The Old Town walk requires a ticket for every guest, and the proceeds go back into Old Town's programs. The parade is free from start to finish, because the park district runs it and the City of Camarillo sponsors it. So the host behind each event determines what you'll pay for your Santa visit.
Before any of that, Camarillo Premium Outlets opens the season.
Nov. 14: The outlets start the shopping clock
Camarillo Premium Outlets holds its Holiday Kickoff Shopping Event on Saturday, November 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Main Court at 740 Ventura Blvd. Visit Camarillo lists event-only offers, giveaways and promotions.
It's the one major date in the season that comes before Thanksgiving, and it's the only one built around buying things. The three December events below are built around the community. Each one also asks you for money at a different point.
The east end of Ventura Boulevard has more to stop at this year. Texas Roadhouse opened in October at 650 E. Ventura Blvd. near the outlets. The Costco warehouse at 431 W. Ventura Blvd. opened Oct. 30, so this is its first holiday season.
Dec. 1 and 2: The Ranch charges for the photo, not for the gate
The Camarillo Ranch Foundation's Christmas at the Ranch with Santa runs Tuesday, December 1, and Wednesday, December 2, from 4 to 8 p.m. both nights at Camarillo Ranch, 201 Camarillo Ranch Road. Admission is free. A photo with Santa taken by a professional photographer costs $20.
The free admission covers more than people tend to expect. The Foundation lists:
- A tour of the Camarillo Ranch House decorated for the holidays
- Santa's Workshop in the Red Barn
- Victorian carolers
- Local craft vendors
- Festive beverages and treats for purchase
The Foundation says its mission is to make the Ranch "a focal point for the community for education, enrichment and enjoyment." That's why the pricing works this way. The decorated house is the main attraction and it's open to everyone. The $20 photo is optional. A family can tour the house, listen to the carolers and walk through the Red Barn without spending anything.
The other two Santa events covered here fall on Saturdays, so these are the weeknight option. Both nights run until 8 p.m.
Dec. 5: Old Town sells a ticket, and the ticket funds Old Town
The Camarillo Merchant Association's Old Town Glow Holiday Walk is on Saturday, December 5, from 5 to 8 p.m. along Ventura Boulevard. Ticket holders check in at the Merchant Association office, 2195 Ventura Blvd.
At this event the ticket is the entry. The organizer says everyone participating must have one, and children must stay with a parent or guardian. Ticket prices:
- Pre-sale all-inclusive, $40. For guests 21 and older. Includes 15 or more holiday alcoholic drink tastings of wine, beer and spirits, plus 10 giveaway tickets. Children under 14 get in free with a paid adult.
- At-the-door all-inclusive, $50. For guests 21 and older.
- Pre-sale general admission, $20. All ages. Includes the giveaway tickets but no alcoholic tastings.
- At-the-door general admission, $30. All ages.
- Child ticket, free. Under 14. Includes the treats, contests and Santa, but not the giveaway tickets.
Every ticket gets holiday drinks and treats from Old Town businesses, a vote in the Holiday Lighting Contest among participating storefronts, entry to the costume contest, music and carolers. The giveaway tickets are entries for holiday baskets and gift cards from more than 20 Old Town businesses. Extra entries cost $2 each at check-in. Santa is on the boulevard from 6 to 8 p.m., and so is a "grumpy green guy" you can take photos with.
The Ranch is free because it's a place the Foundation wants the public to visit. Old Town Glow charges because the businesses are the event, and the Merchant Association says ticket sales support "events, activities, and programs throughout Old Town Camarillo." Your ticket helps pay for the street's other events through the year.
A few rules to know before you buy. Tickets are non-refundable, the walk happens rain or shine, and the 21+ wristband requires a valid photo ID. Each of the at-the-door prices is $10 higher than its pre-sale price. If you plan to buy cash tickets ahead of time, the organizer asks you to email [email protected] or stop by the office at 2195 Ventura Blvd.
Dec. 12: The parade is free, and timing matters more than money
The Pleasant Valley Recreation & Park District presents the Camarillo Christmas Parade & Santa's Village on Saturday, December 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with sponsorship from the City of Camarillo. Admission is free. This year's theme, according to the district's 2026 parade application, is "A Coastal Christmas," and entrants are encouraged to decorate to match.
Since nothing costs money, the thing you have to manage is time. The district lays out the day in this order:
- 10 a.m. The parade starts at Temple Avenue and Las Posas Road, along Camarillo Village Square Shopping Center. Santa's Village opens at Community Center Park at the same time.
- The route runs down Las Posas Road, turns onto Carmen Drive and ends at the Community Center, 1605 E. Burnley St. The district estimates the parade takes 1.5 to 2 hours.
- 12:30 p.m. Photos with Santa begin, though the time may shift depending on when the parade ends. The Community Center parking lot opens to the general public, and parking there is limited.
- 1:40 to 2 p.m. Parade awards are announced.
- 2 p.m. Santa's Village closes.
The district invites spectators to bring chairs or blankets to the curb. Santa's Village has holiday vendor booths, food trucks, crafts, an inflatable and photobooth photos with Santa.
The village opens at 10 a.m., when the parade has just started at the other end of the route. Santa photos don't begin until about 12:30 p.m., after the parade gets to Burnley Street. The Community Center lot opens to the public at the same hour, so you can't count on parking next to Santa's Village during the morning. If you want both the curb and the photo, a spot along the lower part of Las Posas or on Carmen Drive lets you watch the parade pass and then walk to the village behind the last float.
Three hosts, three ways of paying
Here are the three Santa events side by side:
- Camarillo Ranch, Dec. 1 and 2, 4 to 8 p.m. Free to enter. $20 for a professional Santa photo.
- Old Town Glow, Dec. 5, 5 to 8 p.m. Ticket required for every guest. $20 to $50 for adults, free for children under 14. Proceeds support Old Town programs.
- Christmas Parade & Santa's Village, Dec. 12, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free, with photobooth Santa photos at the village.
If you mainly want a portrait with Santa, the Ranch's $20 photographer and the parade's photobooth are your options. The Old Town Glow ticket buys a whole evening on the boulevard, with Santa as one part of it. Together the three events cover two weeknights, a Saturday evening and a Saturday morning in the space of 12 days, so a household could go to all three and spend money at only one.
For more on Camarillo between the holidays and spring, see the Camarillo neighborhood page.
The Ranch House, the Old Town storefronts and the parade route all give Camarillo its character, and they help hold the town's value too. If this season has you thinking about a home on one of these streets, Heidi Golff can show you what it's worth today. Start with What's My Home Worth?
