Oro Valley's December Fills Up on Three Weekends, and the First One Is the Busiest
November 12, 2026
November 12, 2026
When does the holiday season in Oro Valley start? Going by the 2026 calendars, it starts on the evening of Friday, December 4, when Tohono Chul's Holiday Nights begins its first run. Within about 24 hours the town also has a tree lighting, an arts festival with Santa and a resort breakfast with Santa. After that, almost every major event lands on the same Friday-to-Sunday stretches. The only exception is a Thursday night with snow.
Planning December here is mostly about one fact. The events don't spread across the month. They stack on the same days, so whatever you pick on December 5 shapes the rest of your weekend.
| Date | Daytime | Evening |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Breakfast with Santa, El Conquistador, 9–11 a.m.; Festival of the Arts, Oro Valley Marketplace, 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m. | Tree Lighting Ceremony, 6 p.m.; Tohono Chul Holiday Nights, 6–9 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Breakfast with Santa, 9–11 a.m.; Festival of the Arts, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Tohono Chul Holiday Nights, 6–9 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Second Saturdays at Steam Pump Ranch, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.; Breakfast with Santa, 9–11 a.m. | Tohono Chul Holiday Nights, 6–9 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | None | SnOV, Community & Recreation Center, 5–8 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Breakfast with Santa, 9–11 a.m. | Mistletoe & Mixology, Westward Look, 4 p.m.; Tohono Chul Holiday Nights, 6–9 p.m. |
Tohono Chul is also open Friday nights, and Breakfast with Santa runs on Sundays, December 13 and 20.
The Oro Valley Festival of the Arts & Holiday Tree Lighting fills Oro Valley Marketplace at 12155 N. Oracle Road on December 5 and 6. The Town lists more than 150 local artists and exhibitors, more than 500 student and community performers, children's activities, a visit from Santa and free admission. The 35-foot tree is lit on Saturday evening with caroling. According to Art State Arizona's festival page, the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony begins at 6 p.m. Saturday, and the festival closes at 6:30 p.m.
Six o'clock is also the hour the lights come on at Tohono Chul, which runs 6 to 9 p.m. each Holiday Night. So a household that wants both on Saturday has to choose which one gets the start. Here is the day in order:
Parking at the Marketplace is free. Art State Arizona counts around 4,352 regular car spaces, plus ADA and motorcycle parking. That is a large lot, and the tree lighting on the first evening is the hour most likely to fill it.
On Sunday the festival runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tohono Chul opens at 6 p.m. That leaves two hours between the festival closing and the gardens opening, which is the only time all month when the two biggest events of the season don't overlap.
Sunday has no tree lighting, since that happens only on Saturday evening. It does have the artists, the performers and Santa at the Marketplace in the afternoon. For anyone who cares more about the shopping than the ceremony, Sunday is the easier day to do both.
Tohono Chul tickets are tied to a date rather than an entry time. They are valid for the date chosen at purchase, and the Admissions Office at (520) 742-6455 can change the date. The garden recommends buying in advance because capacity is limited and some nights may sell out. Door tickets are sold only if space remains. Prices are $25 general, $20 for members, $10 for ages 2 to 17, and free for children under 2. Member pricing doesn't extend to nonmember friends or family, so a mixed group pays mixed prices. The gardens are at 7366 North Paseo del Norte, at a Tucson address.
With the Marketplace back to normal on December 12, Oro Valley's daytime event moves down Oracle Road. Second Saturdays at Steam Pump Ranch, at 10901 N. Oracle Road, runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Town lists the band Lost in Eden from 10:30 a.m. to noon and a holiday-crafts booth open the whole morning.
Breakfast with Santa at El Conquistador runs the same morning, 9 to 11 a.m. The two windows overlap, but the ranch stays open until 1 p.m., which leaves time to head there after breakfast. That evening Tohono Chul is open again from 6 to 9 p.m. The middle weekend has the same three-part shape as the first, with smaller events.
SnOV: An Oro Valley Holiday Event is on Thursday, December 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Oro Valley Community & Recreation Center, 10555 N. La Cañada Drive. The Town's listing sums it up:
"The event will feature games, crafts, food and drinks (non-alcoholic and alcoholic) available for purchase, a cast of holiday characters, actual SNOW and a visit from Santa!"
SnOV also has the most specific parking plan of the season. The Community Center lot is small, so the Town asks visitors to park at the Oro Valley Town Hall lot, 11000 N. La Cañada Drive, and walk over. Parks and Recreation staff will be along the path, and the Oro Valley Police Department will work the intersection. ADA parking will be in the Community & Recreation Center lot.
A 5 p.m. start on a Thursday falls in the evening commute. It also means SnOV doesn't compete with Tohono Chul, which is closed on Thursdays.
December 19 and 20 bring the last Breakfast with Santa dates and the final run of Tohono Chul's Holiday Nights. Westward Look Wyndham Grand Resort adds an adults' event. Its OpenTable page lists Mistletoe & Mixology at The Lookout Bar and Grill on Saturday, December 19, at 4 p.m. for $35 per person, with holiday cocktails, trivia and small bites.
A 4 p.m. start on the 19th leaves time before Tohono Chul's 6 p.m. opening that same night. It's the same Saturday pattern as the first weekend, an early event followed by the garden lights, with less going on at once.
After the 20th, the weekend events end. El Conquistador's Christmas Day Brunch runs Friday, December 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 10000 N. Oracle Road. Prices are $98 for adults, $36 for ages 6 to 12 and free for 5 and under, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are by phone at (520) 544-1255.
Because the events stack, the reservations stack too. Here is the season sorted by how much planning each event needs:
One booking comes up before December. Westward Look's OpenTable page lists a Thanksgiving buffet on Thursday, November 26, with seatings from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at $109 for adults and $69 for children. If your December plans include Tohono Chul on the 5th or 6th, it's a good week to buy those tickets too, since the first weekend will be the busiest one on the calendar.
At Net Properties, we follow Oro Valley's local calendar as closely as we follow its market. If you're planning a move around the holidays or want to talk about your home's timing in the new year, Dan and Holly are glad to help. Request a Call Back and we'll be in touch.
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