Oxnard's 2026 holiday season starts at The Collection at RiverPark on Wednesday, November 18. It moves to Plaza Park downtown in early December and reaches Channel Islands Harbor on Saturday, December 12, for the 60th Annual Parade of Lights, while Santa stays at RiverPark through Christmas Eve. The harbor's biggest night of the season falls inside a maintenance dredging window that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has scheduled to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you live in Oxnard, it helps to think of the season as a route instead of a list. Each part of the city hosts its own stretch of it, and each stretch has its own timing.
The 2026 season at a glance
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 18, 7 to 8 p.m. | Tree Lighting Celebration | Collection Park, The Collection at RiverPark |
| Fri., Nov. 20 through Thu., Dec. 24 | Photos With Santa | Santa's Workshop, Town Center Drive |
| Fri., Nov. 20 through Mon., Dec. 14 | Letters to Santa | North Pole mailbox, Collection Boulevard |
| Tuesdays: Nov. 24, Dec. 1, 8 and 15, 5 to 8 p.m. | Santa Paws Pet Photo Nights | The Collection at RiverPark |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Oxnard Tamale Festival | Plaza Park, 500 S. C St. |
| Sun., Dec. 6, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | 2nd Annual Reindeer Paddle | Channel Islands Harbor |
| Thu., Dec. 10, 5 to 7 p.m. | Santa @ the Station | Oxnard Police Headquarters, 251 S. C St. |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 7 to 9 p.m. | 60th Annual Parade of Lights | Channel Islands Harbor |
RiverPark goes first, and it lasts the longest
The Tree Lighting Celebration at The Collection at RiverPark is set for Wednesday, November 18, at Collection Park. The program starts at 7 p.m. with live music from the band Music Freqs and a performance by American Idol contestant Lynzee Fraye. Santa makes an appearance, and the tree lighting and fireworks are planned for around 8 p.m.
The evening actually starts two hours earlier. Natural Green Landscape & Construction, the event's presenting sponsor, hands out free Christmas light-up wands at its booth starting at 5 p.m. The wands are limited to one per person, must be picked up in person, and go while supplies last. Oxnard College Career Education is the supporting sponsor. The Collection says the event will happen regardless of weather. The fireworks, however, can be postponed, rescheduled or canceled for strong wind, heavy rain or safety reasons, and the center recommends ear protection for children and anyone sensitive to loud noise.
RiverPark's season also outlasts the opening night. According to Visit Oxnard's 2026 holiday page, Photos With Santa runs from Friday, November 20, through Christmas Eve at Santa's Workshop on Town Center Drive, between Cheesecake Factory and Larsen's. Reservations are required and can be made through The Collection's events page. Letters to Santa runs over the same opening weekend through Monday, December 14. Families can drop cards in the North Pole mailbox on Collection Boulevard, and free postcards are available at Guest Services. Every letter with a return address that's placed in the mailbox by December 14 gets a reply.
Dog owners get their own night each week. Santa Paws Pet Photo Nights, sponsored by Pet Food Express, run on four Tuesdays: November 24 and December 1, 8 and 15, from 5 to 8 p.m. Reservations are required.
The city's most informal Santa photo is a short drive away. The Santa Claus statue at Nyeland Acres, off Rice Avenue near Highway 101, stands with his toy soldiers year after year. Visit Oxnard notes that it also serves as the turnaround point for the Santa to the Sea Half Marathon, where runners head back toward Marine Emporium Landing.
Plaza Park takes the middle of the season
By early December, the season shifts downtown. The City of Oxnard's Tamale Festival is on Saturday, December 5, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Plaza Park. The city describes it as a free, family-friendly event that draws thousands of people downtown each year, with food vendors, arts and crafts, live music and a kids' zone.
The city's event page also says the festival sits "right along the route of the annual Oxnard Christmas Parade." That's how the two events lined up in 2025. Downtown Oxnard's 2025 holiday page listed the tree lighting at Plaza Park on December 4 and the Christmas Parade on December 6. The parade ran from A and 9th Streets, west on 5th, then north on C Street to 2nd Street. Those are 2025 dates, so plan the Tamale Festival on its own date and watch Downtown Oxnard for the parade and tree lighting announcements.
The following Thursday, December 10, the City hosts Santa @ the Station from 5 to 7 p.m. at Oxnard Police Headquarters, 251 S. C St. It's a short walk up C Street from Plaza Park.
The first weekend of December is a downtown-to-harbor double
December 5 and 6 are the one weekend when the season's two halves sit side by side. That makes it a good weekend to host out-of-town guests.
- Saturday, December 5: The Tamale Festival at Plaza Park, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Arrive early for the widest choice of food vendors.
- Sunday, December 6: The 2nd Annual Reindeer Paddle at Channel Islands Harbor, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The harbor says more details are coming, including where paddlers launch, so check the event page before you load a board.
The harbor's biggest night has company on the water
The 60th Annual Parade of Lights is on Saturday, December 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. This year's theme is "Aloha Afloat." The harbor is asking boaters to decorate with island-inspired lights and décor, and it promises live music along the parade's route through the harbor. That's a clear change of mood from 2025, when the theme was "Rudolph's Rock 'n' Roll Regatta." The harbor's 2026 page says more details are on the way. A viewing map, route and fireworks information haven't been posted yet.
The 60th parade will also share the harbor with a working dredge. In an October 22, 2026 release, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District said it plans to return to Channel Islands Harbor for routine maintenance dredging in mid-November 2026, in partnership with the County of Ventura. The work runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and may continue through mid-March 2027. Seattle-based Manson Construction Company is the main contractor.
Here's what the Corps says the work involves, and how it compares with last year's cycle:
- Volume: The fall and winter 2025 cycle moved 2.5 million cubic yards. This cycle is planned at 1 million to 1.5 million cubic yards, but depending on how much sand has filled in, it could reach 2.5 million again.
- Destination: The sand is pumped hydraulically about one mile south and placed directly on Hueneme Beach.
- Silver Strand Beach: Even though the dredge itself runs around the clock, heavy equipment on Silver Strand Beach is limited to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Holiday breaks: Work may pause over major holidays, including Thanksgiving and the Christmas and New Year's break. During a pause, a small crew stays on site and portable generators keep critical systems powered.
The Corps' own photo from the last cycle shows the cutter suction dredge H.R. Morris on October 30, 2025, pumping sand slurry from Hollywood Beach to Port Hueneme Beach Park. That's the equipment and route residents saw a year ago.
The Corps' release doesn't mention any changes to harbor events, parking or boat routes. December 12 falls after Thanksgiving and before the Christmas break, so the parade falls inside the dredge's planned operating window. For the latest timing, the Corps posts updates on its Channel Islands Harbor project page, and the parade page is the place to check for viewing details.
The harbor's other big project is on land. According to the harbor's project updates page, demolition at the Fisherman's Wharf site started in August 2026. The harbor's overview of the Karls redevelopment says the southern parking lot, the public park, the public restroom and the existing transient boat slips are planned to stay in their current uses.
Where to book the holiday party
Visit Oxnard's holiday guide lists several local venues that host holiday gatherings. They include Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Beach, The Waterside Restaurant, Heritage Square and Larsen's Grill Steakhouse, which is steps from Santa's Workshop at The Collection. The guide notes that Heritage Square is decorated for the holidays.
Heidi Golff has spent more than two decades in Ventura County. Her Oxnard neighborhood page covers the harbor, downtown and RiverPark areas that host this season's events. If you own near Silver Strand or the harbor and want to know how this winter's activity might figure into your home's value, Heidi Golff can walk you through it. Start with What's My Home Worth?
