Tomorrow, Friday, November 6, the first skaters step onto the ice at SunWheel Court at 2 p.m., and Irvine Spectrum Center's holiday season begins. On the other side of the city, the Great Park Palm Court Arts Complex goes four more weeks without its holiday lights. The Holidayz at the Park light display doesn't begin until Saturday, December 5.
That gap shapes Irvine's whole season. November's evening holiday programming runs on Spectrum's schedule, with one daytime civic Saturday at the Great Park and Woodbridge. The two campuses don't run holiday lights on the same night until December 5.
The rink carries November's evenings
Skating Under the Stars runs November 6, 2026 through January 3, 2027. Until Thanksgiving week, it's the only nightly seasonal attraction on either campus's calendar. Sessions run on a fixed grid, according to the Spectrum ice rink page:
| Session | Days |
|---|---|
| 2 to 3:30 p.m. | Daily |
| 4 to 5:30 p.m. | Daily |
| 6 to 7:30 p.m. | Daily |
| 8 to 9:30 p.m. | Daily |
| 10 to 11:30 p.m. | Fridays and Saturdays |
General admission is $27 with skate rental or $24 if you bring your own skates. Military members and seniors with ID pay $24, rentals included.
Before Thanksgiving, the rink sets aside two themed nights. Both are Thursdays, both run during the 6 and 8 p.m. sessions with a live DJ, and both take $5 off admission if you dress the part. Jersey Night is November 12 and Holiday Hats is November 19. For a family that already owns skates and comes in a team jersey, a November 12 session comes to $19 a person.
Saturday, November 7 is the city's one big day this month
The City of Irvine's own November calendar comes to a head on a single Saturday, and two events fit together on it in order. One ends at noon and the other runs until 4 p.m., so you can do both.
- 7:30 a.m., Woodbridge Village Center. The sixth annual Love Irvine Citywide Serve Day starts with a kickoff gathering. From there, volunteers head to their assigned sites.
- 8 a.m. to noon, across the city. More than 20 projects run during the morning. They include harvesting produce at Harvest Solutions Farm, making blankets for the 2/11 Marine Battalion, supporting the Farm + Food Lab Pollinator Project, making gratitude baskets for the Irvine Police Department, and sorting food for South County Outreach. Sign up for projects at loveirvine.org/serveday.
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Great Park. The 44th annual Arts in Irvine Holiday Faire fills the Palm Court Arts Complex and Hangar 244 at 8000 Great Park Blvd. Admission is free and no registration is needed. The city asks guests to park in Lot 2.
The Faire brings in about 100 local artists and makers, with live holiday music while you shop. The 2026 vendor map, linked from the City of Irvine's Faire announcement, is heavy on clay and glass. Barbara Gordon Pottery, Mable Yiu Ceramics, MYS Kobo Pottery, Lihui Ceramics and CruzinArt Ceramics share the floor with Nathan Olvera Glass, Stephen Woodruff Glass Art, Sea Urchin Glass Arts and Velvet Glass. Andersen Woodturning and Whittier Woodworks cover wood. The South Coast Weavers and Spinners Guild and SoCal Fibers cover textiles. The Irvine Animal Care Center has a booth too. The map marks two food-truck spots but doesn't name the trucks.
The Faire is the only Great Park event on the city's November holiday calendar, and it happens in daylight. Anyone still in a holiday mood after the Faire closes at 4 has two hours before the 6 p.m. session at SunWheel Court.
The weekdays between are civic, and Thanksgiving closes the ice
After November 7, the city's calendar moves to quieter dates spread across Civic Center and the community centers:
- Ongoing, November 1 to December 12. The Irvine 2/11 Marine Adoption Committee Holiday Toy Drive collects new, unwrapped gifts for infants and children 12 and under. Drop-off points are Irvine City Hall, the Irvine Police Department and the Great Park Visitors Center during business hours. Drive-thru drop-offs at Irvine Civic Center are December 6 and December 12, 9 a.m. to noon.
- Wednesday, November 11, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The free Veterans Day Ceremony takes place in the Formal Garden at Colonel Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park, 4 Civic Center Plaza. If the weather turns, it moves to City Hall.
- November 24 to December 12. Letters to Santa can be dropped off at the Northwood, Portola Springs and Turtle Rock community centers. Replies come back within a week and are picked up from the holiday mailbox at the same center.
- Thursday, November 26. The rink is closed for Thanksgiving Day.
The Marine Battalion shows up throughout the season. Serve Day volunteers make blankets for the 2/11 on November 7, the toy drive collects for its families into December, and the Veterans Day ceremony is held at a park named for a Marine colonel.
November 27 is when Spectrum turns fully on
The day after Thanksgiving, three things start at SunWheel Court and around the center on the same Friday.
The nightly tree lighting runs November 27 through January 3, from 5 to 11 p.m., with a 75-foot tree and a light show. Black Friday Frenzy runs across the whole center that day, with shopping offers and holiday entertainment. As of this week, the event page still lists the details as "Coming Soon." Selfies with Santa starts too, running Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. through December 24, plus every day from Monday, December 21 through Thursday, December 24. There's no fee and no reservation. Santa takes a break from 2 to 2:30 p.m. and doesn't appear when it rains.
So for the last week of November, Spectrum has the ice, a 75-foot tree and Santa all running. The Palm Court still has none of its holiday displays up. Spectrum notes on its tree-lighting page that dates and times can change, so check before a planned evening.
December 5 is the first night both campuses are lit
The two calendars finally meet on Saturday, December 5. Here's the order:
- 10 to 11:30 a.m., SunWheel Court. Skate with Santa. The ticket covers the skate session, rentals and a treat bag. Tickets are limited and first-come, first-served, and Spectrum lists them as available soon.
- 3 to 8 p.m., Great Park Palm Court Arts Complex. Illuminate Irvine returns with holiday photo spots, carols, winter activities, holiday shopping and live performances. The evening builds to the lighting of the Holiday Tree and the Palm Court.
- Dusk to 9 p.m., nightly from that day on. Holidayz at the Park opens in the Palm Court, with walk-through light displays and a family photo spot in Santa's sleigh. It runs through January 3, 2027.
The city's Holidayz at the Park page also lists holiday-themed family classes at the Great Park. Fees and age ranges vary, and you register through yourirvine.org. The 2026 pages for Illuminate and Holidayz don't yet list parking or admission details, and last year's arrangements don't necessarily carry over.
From December 5 to January 3, both campuses run every night. Spectrum's tree stays lit until 11 p.m. and the Palm Court display closes at 9. One regional tradition is off this year. Metrolink has announced that its Holiday Express is taking a break for the 2026 holiday season.
If you'd like a home where a skate at SunWheel Court or an evening in the Palm Court is part of the season's routine, Dina Gonzalez - Main Site can walk you through it in person. Register for Your Visit.
