Saratoga's Holidays Start on Montalvo Road, Well Before Big Basin Way Lights Its Tree

The next big public event in Saratoga Village is on Friday, November 27, when the Chamber turns the top of Big Basin Way into Candy Cane Village ahead of the community tree lighting. Most of what happens before then is up the hill. Montalvo's Carriage House runs a full slate of concerts. Montalvo's holiday workshops, market and tea all take place in the twelve days before the Village's. Hakone's winter schedule began on October 31, and it changes which day is the best one for a visit.

All of these dates fall between Halloween and Thanksgiving weekend. For the next three weeks, the town calendar mostly runs along Montalvo Road and the upper end of Big Basin Way.

The Carriage House carries the weeknights

Montalvo describes the Claire Loftus Carriage House Theatre as an intimate, acoustically balanced indoor room that has hosted performances for more than 60 years. The Saratoga Falcon put it at 300 seats in 2025 and said its season runs September through May. November is when the 2026–27 season gets busiest.

Five shows in fifteen days, in a room that size, is a lot. That run is the main reason to drive up the hill this month. Montalvo's concert pages list $15 parking and an $8 service fee on every ticket. All Carriage House parking is on site and needs a permit, which you can buy with your tickets or at the gate. For these indoor shows, Montalvo says plainly that there is no West Valley College parking or shuttle. Rideshare drop-offs are allowed if you tell the gate attendant. Anyone used to the shuttle from the summer lawn concerts should plan for a different evening.

Montalvo's holiday season opens on November 15

Montalvo's holiday events begin twelve days before Candy Cane Village, and they go in order through the month.

1. Sunday, Nov. 15. The Wild-Foraged Wreath-Making Workshop runs at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Both sessions show as waitlist-only, and the 10 a.m. session is listed as sold out. The same morning, the Super-Secret Holiday Gift-Making Workshop for Youth costs $104 with fees on the 10 a.m. listing. At 11 a.m., the Lucas Artists Program presents Open Access, "It Will Be More Beautiful Than You Can Imagine: Susan O'Malley." Tickets run $0 to $15, and members get in free.
2. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20–21. The Yuletide Boutique is a free holiday market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and you register in advance. Pablo Cruise plays the Carriage House that Friday night, so the market and a concert fit into one day.
3. Sunday, Nov. 22. The Yuletide Tea seats guests at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. for $75 with fees.

The schedule picks up again right after Thanksgiving. Montalvo has announced "Top of the World – A Carpenters Tribute" for December 3, "A Christmas Carol 2026" for December 4, Charo's "Have Yourself a Cuchi Little Christmas" for December 5, "Irish Christmas in America" for December 10, and David Benoit's Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown for December 11.

Montalvo's park is open 8 a.m. to sunset every day. The Redwood and Lookout trails were closed October 27 through November 4 for fuel-load reduction work. On a weekday after the clocks change, sunset comes early, so a walk on the grounds needs to start in the afternoon.

Hakone's hours changed on Halloween

On October 31, Hakone Estate & Gardens at 21000 Big Basin Way moved to winter hours, which run through March 15, 2027.

• Weekdays: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., last admission 3:30 p.m.
• Weekends: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., last admission 3 p.m.
• Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
• Admission: $15 adults 18–64, $12 seniors, $10 youth 5–17, free for children 4 and under.

Under the summer schedule, the garden closed at 5 p.m. A Saturday visit now has a four-hour admission window, from 11 a.m. to the 3 p.m. cutoff, which is easy to miss on a busy weekend.

Hakone's visitor page also notes a change that applies to Saratoga in particular. As of January 2026, the garden no longer offers free admission to Santa Clara County residents. Saratoga residents still get free admission on the first Tuesday of every month if they show a government-issued photo ID with a Saratoga address, such as a driver's license, California State ID or senior ID.

November's first Tuesday was November 3, so the next free day is Tuesday, December 1. That date lines up well with the maples. A Mercury News holiday outings guide from 2020 named late November and early December as a good time to see Hakone's fall color. That is a usual pattern from a past year, and the leaves follow the weather, not the calendar. Still, December 1 is a weekday with free admission, and it falls inside the window that guide recommended for the color.

A few things at Hakone are worth knowing for that visit. Chris Sicat's "UMI" is on view at the Cultural Exchange Center through December 2026. Hakone Zendo holds Rinzai Zen meditation every Sunday at the Moon Viewing House, and you register through the Zendo directly.

Big Basin Way keeps a smaller calendar

The Village's November events are smaller ones that fit in between the hillside dates.

Aegis Gallery at 14531 Big Basin Way is showing "Wild Hearts, Gentle Bonds" through November 29. A free artist reception is on Saturday, November 7, from 3 to 6 p.m. That afternoon fits before or after a weekend visit to Hakone, which sits at the far end of the same road.

The Saratoga News column in the Mercury News listed two more dates. Saratoga Theater Arts performs "Macbeth" at the McAfee Performing Arts Center on November 5 and 6. The Saratoga Foothill Club starts its public events series on November 22 with an informal conversation with Congressman Sam Liccardo about his Saratoga roots and his years in public service. Students get in free with a school ID, and tickets are at saratogafoothillclub.org. The same column notes that the Saratoga Historical Museum runs tours of its one-room schoolhouse, the McWilliams House and the blacksmith shop.

November 27: the holidays come down to the Village

The day after Thanksgiving, the holiday season moves to the Village. The City of Saratoga's calendar lists Candy Cane Village from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Chamber, 14460 Big Basin Way. It is free and includes Santa photos, horse-carriage rides, kids' crafts and live sing-along music, and it leads into the tree lighting.

The Saratoga Chamber's Holiday Wine Experience runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Check-in opens at 5 p.m. at the same address. Tickets are $50 in advance, $60 on the day, or $375 for a group of eight. According to the Mercury News, Kurt and Johnny play live music, tickets are limited and the stroll often sells out, and parking is free throughout the Village.

If you buy wine-stroll tickets at the Yuletide Boutique on November 20, you have both of Saratoga's holiday openings booked a week apart. Montalvo's comes first, and then the Village's on Big Basin Way.

The hillside calendar and the Village calendar are part of how The Campi Group tells the story of a Saratoga home, alongside the house itself. If you would like to hear how we present that side of Saratoga, or to talk through plans of your own this season, we would be glad to hear from you. Work With Us.

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