Walnut Creek Lights Two Trees This Season. The First One Comes With a Rink.

Downtown Walnut Creek has two tree lightings this year, about two weeks apart. On Friday, Nov. 20, the city's annual ceremony lights the tree at Civic Park. That same evening, Walnut Creek on Ice opens a few steps away. On Thursday, Dec. 3, Broadway Plaza holds its Holiday Parade of Lights, and Santa lights the shopping center's tree.

The busiest stretch of the season comes before the parade. It runs from Nov. 13 to Nov. 22, and almost all of it happens along Civic Drive.

Ten Days, One Street

Civic Park and the Lesher Center for the Arts both sit on Civic Drive. The park is at 1375 Civic Drive, the rink's address is 1365, and the Lesher Center is at 1601. The Lesher Center's holiday lineup has ballet weekends just before and just after the tree lighting, so the short stretch of Civic Drive gets crowded quickly.

Here is the stretch, counted from today:

The one stop off Civic Drive is Santa's workshop at Broadway Plaza. According to Broadway Plaza's Santa page, visits are free and photo packages are sold separately. So kids can meet Santa almost a week before either tree is lit.

The Tree and the Rink Open Together

The Civic Park ceremony is short. It runs one hour, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event listing promises free hot cocoa, live carolers, a meet-and-greet with Frosty the Snowman, and the tree lighting at sunset. It is free and open to the public.

What makes the evening different is next door. Walnut Creek on Ice opens the same day and runs through Jan. 18, 2027. The organizers call this its 21st year. The Walnut Creek Downtown Association presents it in partnership with the City of Walnut Creek.

The rink itself is bigger than many people realize. Its about page lists a 64-by-100-foot surface, calls it one of California's largest outdoor rinks, and says it draws more than 40,000 skaters a season. The Downtown Association also calls it the Bay Area's only outdoor ice rink and ice slide. Because the rink opens the night the tree is lit, the free ceremony is also the first night of a season that runs into mid-January.

The basics for this season:

• Skating: $20 per person for a 90-minute session.
• Frosty's Summit: a 90-foot ice slide, $20 per person. It needs its own ticket and time slot, and you get unlimited rides during that slot.
• Combo ticket: skate and slide together, starting at $20 per person.
• Payment: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App and major credit cards. No cash is accepted on site.
• Booking: The rink strongly encourages buying online ahead of time, since sessions can sell out.

Families coming straight from the cocoa line will want to know about the no-cash rule before they reach the cashier.

The Hours Change the Next Morning

The tree lighting also comes one day before the rink's schedule changes. On regular weekdays, the rink is open Monday through Thursday from 4 to 7:30 p.m., and Friday from 4 to 10:30 p.m. During holiday periods, it is open 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The first holiday period runs Nov. 21 through Nov. 30.

During Thanksgiving week, that means you can skate on a weekday morning without waiting until late afternoon. On Thanksgiving Day itself, the rink is open from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays run 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. all season, and Sundays run 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The second holiday period runs Dec. 19 through Jan. 4, which covers winter break.

Parents of very young children have a separate option. Littles Skate is a 10 to 11 a.m. session for kids 5 and under, who skate with a parent or caretaker. The ticket page lists it on three Wednesdays: Dec. 2, Dec. 16 and Jan. 13. The rink also runs theme nights and family nights, all posted on its calendar.

Broadway Plaza's Evening, Two Weeks Later

The second tree lighting is a different kind of event. It is run by the shopping center itself, it lasts longer than the Civic Park ceremony, and it starts with shopping. The Broadway Plaza Holiday Parade of Lights is on Thursday, Dec. 3, starting at 6 p.m., centered on the Main Fountain at 1275 Broadway Plaza. The schedule:

1. 6 p.m.: Open house with retailers and community partners.
2. 7 p.m.: The parade travels down Broadway Plaza Street.
3. Around 7:45 p.m.: Santa lights the Broadway Plaza Christmas tree.

There is one timing catch for families hoping to do both on the same night. Dec. 3 falls outside the rink's holiday periods, so Walnut Creek on Ice keeps its regular Thursday hours and closes at 7:30 p.m. That is half an hour after the parade starts and about 15 minutes before Santa lights the tree. To skate that night, book an earlier session and walk over to Broadway Plaza for the open house.

The open house also includes some stores that are new this year. Beyond the Creek reported in posts dated Aug. 18 and Aug. 20 that Läderach Chocolate and 7th Avenue had opened at Broadway Plaza. The same outlet has reported that Rowan is coming to the former Aveda space and that Sur la Table plans to return in the former P.F. Chang's space. Close by, at Broadway Pointe, The BOBA Lounge opened in September.

After Dec. 3, the season moves back to Civic Drive. Center REP's A Christmas Carol runs at the Lesher Center from Dec. 9 through Dec. 23. The rink's second holiday period starts Dec. 19, while the play is still running.

Parking for Both Nights

The city's downtown parking page sets the same rules for both events. City garages are open 24 hours, and the first hour is free. After that, the Broadway, Lesher Center and South Locust garages charge $1.25 an hour. Parking for special events at the Lesher garage can cost up to $5.

Street meters in the downtown core charge $2 an hour. Meters to the north, south and west of the core charge $1 an hour.

A 90-minute skate session plus the time it takes to lace up and return skates runs past the free first hour, so expect to pay something to park at the rink. The one-hour Civic Park tree lighting can fit inside the free hour if you leave right afterward. Parking revenue also helps pay for the city's Free Downtown Trolley.

The Woehrle family has been part of Lamorinda for generations, and when people ask us which tree to see, we point them to the first weekend on Civic Drive. If you're deciding whether to sell your Walnut Creek home before the holidays or wait for spring, the team at Woehrle Real Estate and Development can give you a current price on it. Ask us, "What's My Home Worth?"