"All holiday events are by reservation only and must be prepaid to confirm." That line comes at the bottom of the Hotel del Coronado's August 27 announcement of its 2026 season, "A Holiday Through Time." The season runs November 20, 2026, through January 3, 2027.
That one sentence holds for most of the island's calendar between now and New Year's. The Coronado Island Film Festival opens in under two weeks and has tightened its own access rules, and the Del books almost everything in advance. Only a handful of events are free and open to anyone. Apart from the Del's nightly light show and a boat parade on the bay, they fall within four days in early December. If you live here, the plan is simple. Book the few things that need it, then save the first week of December for the rest.
The Del's rule has two exceptions, and both are about lights
The Del's 2026 theme replaces last year's "A Holiday in Oz." The Coronado Times reported that the 2025 rink ran November 21 to January 4. This year Skating by the Sea on the Windsor Lawn runs one day earlier at both ends, November 20 to January 3.
You can't walk up to the rink. The Del's skating page says tickets must be bought online or by phone, with waivers signed, before you get to the check-in window. A limited number can be bought on site with your phone. For the 2026 season, general admission is $40 to $45 through December 17 and $45 from December 18 through January 3. Each ticket covers 90 minutes, skate rental included. Parking is not included.
The first exception is the Lightshow Spectacular. The Del calls it complimentary. It's a 10-minute show in the Norfolk Island pines on the Founders Lawn, set to a holiday soundtrack and ending with snow flurries, and it runs every 30 minutes from 5 to 9 p.m. every night of the season.
The second is the community Holiday Festival on Wednesday, December 2, which the Del's event page says is "open to all." The schedule:
- 4:30 p.m. Skydiving Santa lands on Del Beach.
- 5 to 9 p.m. The Lightshow Spectacular on Founders Lawn.
- 6:45 p.m. Fireworks over Del Beach.
- Times TBA. Coronado school performances in the Founders Ballroom.
On festival day, Santa photo passes are handed out on site and there are no online reservations. The rink stays open 4 to 10 p.m. that evening, but skating still requires a ticket.
The Del's other new addition this year is the Holiday Lodge in the historic 1919 Laundry building. It has a family pub-style menu, holiday shopping, and cookie and stocking decorating for kids. It's open select evenings starting November 25, and the hotel hasn't posted hours yet.
The film festival tightened its doors too
The 11th Coronado Island Film Festival runs November 4 to 8, 2026, one day earlier on the calendar than last year's November 5 to 9 run. Badge holders could reserve seats starting October 1, and general-admission tickets went on sale October 5. The 2026 badges are priced at $895 for Marquee and $495 for Emerald.
The clearest change is on Orange Avenue. "Avenue of the Stars: Scenes & Sips" runs Saturday, November 7, from 4 to 6 p.m. It's a tasting walk that starts at The Bower Coronado with a Bebemos tequila tasting, then moves down the avenue past the sidewalk stars honoring people with ties to Coronado's film history. Last year, the Coronado Times described the event as "free for badge holders and open to the public." This year the festival says attendance is limited and "available exclusively to Festival Badge Holders," who need to reserve a complimentary StarPass.
Closing night is moving too. On Sunday, November 8, the closing reception goes to the Marriott Coronado Island Resort & Marina for the first time, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the bay. Guests then choose between a closing-night screening at the Marriott and another at the Village Theatre.
The festival does still offer free community programming, all of it in the Winn Room at the Coronado Public Library:
- Emerging Filmmakers: High School, Saturday, November 7, 1 p.m. Five short films and a filmmaker Q&A.
- Panel: Reel Returns, The Smart Money Behind the Movies, Sunday, November 8, 10 a.m.
- Panel: SAG-AFTRA, Updates from the Frontlines, Sunday, November 8, 11:30 a.m.
- The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony, Sunday, November 8, 2 p.m.
The festival's fine print says "a reservation is required for all screenings, events, parties," and seats go first come, first served. That covers the free library programs too, including a 10 a.m. Sunday panel.
The one festival event that needs nothing is After the Credits at The Dive, the rooftop lounge at The Bower, from 9 p.m. to midnight on Friday, November 6, and Saturday, November 7. The festival says "no tickets or reservations required," and the food and cocktail menu is pay-as-you-go. It's billed as exclusive to festival guests, so it's a walk-up for anyone who spent the evening at a screening, not an open bar night on Orange Avenue.
Where the walk-up dates cluster
The full calendar shows the Del's nightly light show running all season, the bay parade on two Sundays later in December, and the open-to-all community events and cheapest skate night landing between December 1 and December 4.
| Date | Event | Where | What it takes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 4–8 | Coronado Island Film Festival | Village Theatre, library, The Bower, Marriott and others | Badge or ticket, plus a reservation for screenings and events, except the after-hours lounge at The Dive |
| Nov 7 | Scenes & Sips | Starts at The Bower, then Orange Avenue | Badge holders only, StarPass reserved |
| Nov 20–Jan 3 | Lightshow Spectacular | Founders Lawn at the Del | Complimentary, every 30 minutes, 5–9 p.m. |
| Nov 28 | Shop Small Saturday | Downtown Coronado | Organized by Coronado MainStreet, no admission terms posted |
| Dec 1 | Value Skate, every session | Windsor Lawn | $35, rink open 4–10 p.m. |
| Dec 2 | Del Holiday Festival | Del Beach, Founders Lawn | Open to all, Santa passes handed out on site |
| Dec 4 | Holiday Parade & Tree Lighting | Orange Avenue, Rotary Plaza | Free, parade starts at 6 p.m. |
| Dec 8 | Value Skate, every session | Windsor Lawn | $35 |
| Dec 13, Dec 20 | San Diego Bay Parade of Lights | San Diego Bay | No cost to view, starts 5:30 p.m. |
The $35 Value Skate rate applies to every session on December 1 and December 8, and those are Tuesdays, when the rink runs 4 to 10 p.m. The Del also offers $35 sessions before noon on November 21 to 25, November 29, December 5 and 6, and December 12 to 14. The $5 discount for resort guests, members, military, and first responders does not stack with Value Skate pricing. For anyone who doesn't qualify for that discount, December 1 and December 8 are the only evenings of the season priced at $35 a person, and a family of four pays $140 for a session.
The Coronado Chamber of Commerce has confirmed the Holiday Parade & Tree Lighting for Friday, December 4, 2026. Discover Coronado lists it as a free event with a 6 p.m. parade and the lighting of a 120-foot tree strung with 18,175 lights at Rotary Plaza. Neither the route nor the grand marshal has been posted for this year.
In that one week you can skate at the discount rate on Tuesday, see Skydiving Santa and the fireworks at the Del on Wednesday, and watch the parade and tree lighting on Friday, with only the skating requiring a ticket. The Del's Holiday Lodge is also open on December 2 and December 4 through 6, and posted hours are still pending.
After the parade, December moves to the bay
After the Orange Avenue parade, the Del's nightly light show continues through January 3, and the next big free event is on the water. The 56th annual San Diego Bay Parade of Lights runs December 13 and December 20, 2026, starting at 5:30 p.m. with about 80 decorated boats. The 2026 theme is "Liberty Lights the Bay: Cheers to 250 Years." The parade organizers say there is no cost to watch, and the route turns toward Coronado after reaching the pier at Cesar Chavez Park.
The festival's new closing-night venue at the Marriott faces the bay, and the festival describes its reception with the downtown skyline across the water. Closing night requires a badge or ticket. The boat parade on the same bay costs nothing to watch.
For other calendars that run on their own schedules, the island's Spreckels Park traditions and the new dining around the Hotel Del are worth checking before you settle on a holiday plan.
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