The holiday nights at Sherman Library & Gardens are back this December under a new name, Merry & Bright Nights, and the change goes beyond the name. The run is longer, the evenings go later, and the dates now fall on top of both of the village's other big December events. Sherman calls it an "all new" evening of lights, music, dancing and food. Stu News Newport calls it "a totally reimagined event."
Public tickets went on sale October 19, two weeks after Sherman members got first access on October 5. If you're planning December in Corona del Mar, this is the calendar to settle first.
What the old format looked like, and what replaced it
The last time Sherman held its long-running Nights of 1000 Lights was its tenth-anniversary year in 2024. That run had 12 nights, three of them for members only, and every date and entry time sold out. Last December, Sherman's holiday page advertised a different kind of event. A Very Sherman Holiday was a daytime weekend on December 6 and 7, open 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with December 6 reserved for members.
The 2026 schedule brings the evening back with more of it:
| Nights of 1000 Lights, 2024 | A Very Sherman Holiday, 2025 | Merry & Bright Nights, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Evening light show | Daytime weekend event | Evening lights, music, dance party |
| Dates | 12 nights in December | December 6–7 | December 3–6, 10–13, 17–22 |
| Hours | 5–8 p.m. | 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m. | 5–9 p.m. |
| Entry times | 5, 6 and 7 p.m. | n/a | 5 and 7 p.m. |
| Adult tickets | $30 member, $50 non-member | n/a | $45 member, $65 non-member |
| Member-only access | Three member nights | December 6 | Early presale starting October 5 |
On Sherman's own schedule, December 3 through 22 adds up to 14 evenings. Tickets cost $15 more than in 2024 for both members and non-members, and each night runs an hour longer. With two entry times instead of three, each group gets a two-hour window instead of one. Sherman suggests planning on one to one and a half hours inside. Within a single ticket, that leaves time to slow down.
An evening planned around a garden under construction
The new event takes place during a construction project. Sherman's $17 million Grow the Gardens revitalization broke ground on February 26, 2026, and is scheduled to take about 18 months, finishing in late summer 2027, according to the American Public Gardens Association. The Daily Pilot reported that the work covers pipes, electrical, walkways and a new entrance on Coast Highway, and that classes and events would continue during construction.
For now, that shapes the visit in a few practical ways:
- The entrance is on Dahlia Avenue. Some areas of the garden are temporarily closed.
- Food comes from a cart. Sherman's regular dining is paused, and a new farm-to-table restaurant is planned for fall 2027. During Merry & Bright, a taco cart will sell tacos, quesadillas, water and hot chocolate for cash only. There will also be a no-host beer and wine bar, and outside food isn't allowed.
- Parking is free but first-come. One lot is at the corner of Dahlia Avenue and East Coast Highway, a second is behind the building off Dahlia, and there is street parking too.
- Tickets are final. Tickets aren't refundable and can't be moved to another night. The event goes ahead rain or shine.
- Evening tickets cover only the evening. Daytime visits, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., need a separate ticket. The Garden Shop stays open during the event.
Some favorites are returning inside the new format. Stu News lists Santa, the Wishing Tree and the Sherman Express, the garden's G-gauge model train, along with a holiday craft table and a dance floor stage. Membership bundles include tickets: a Family Package for $335 with four tickets, an Adult Dual for $230 with two, and a Senior Dual for $205 with two.
December 6, when the village and the garden share a day
The 14-night schedule matters most on the dates where it overlaps other events. The first overlap is Sunday, December 6, which is also the 47th Annual Corona del Mar Christmas Walk. The Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce lists it from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. as a free stroll along Coast Highway. It includes more than 17 local bands, Santa, beer and wine gardens, vendors, children's activities and merchant promotions. The Walk benefits the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Program.
The Walk closes at 5 p.m., the same hour Sherman opens its first entry of the night. That means one ticket can carry a Christmas Walk afternoon straight into an evening at the garden, only a short walk from where the Walk winds down along the highway. Santa will be at both. Plan ahead for parking. Sherman's lots are first-come, and on December 6 they'll be filling at the same time Walk visitors are heading home.
Four nights of boats and lights
The second overlap is longer. The 118th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade runs Wednesday through Sunday, December 16 to 20, 2026. It starts at about 6:30 p.m. each night and begins and ends at the Tip of Lido Isle. Merry & Bright's last stretch runs December 17 to 22. That gives four nights, December 17 through 20, with both events going at once.
The parade's official 2026 route map shows when boats pass the viewing points closest to Corona del Mar:
- Marina Park, 6:54 p.m.
- Balboa Island South Bayfront and Grand Canal, 7:54 p.m.
- Balboa Island Ferry Landing, 8:01 p.m.
- Balboa Island North Bayfront, 8:07 p.m.
- Bay Shores Community Beach, 8:30 p.m.
Bayside Drive Beach is also marked on the map. Do the math with a 5 p.m. Sherman entry and Sherman's suggested hour to hour and a half. You're back outside by about 6:30, with more than an hour to spare before boats reach the south side of Balboa Island at 7:54. The 7 p.m. entry doesn't work this way. It runs right through the parade's pass along the island, so on those four nights the earlier ticket goes further.
If you live on the water, the parade's Ring of Lights competition judges decorated waterfront homes, businesses and yacht clubs, with prizes. Entries are due by noon Friday, December 11, and judging is Monday, December 14. Judging comes two days before the parade's first night, so decorations need to be up before the boats arrive.
Roger's Gardens has been running the season since October
While Sherman's dates fill December, the season on San Joaquin Hills Road started weeks ago. The 2026 Christmas Boutique at Roger's Gardens, called The Stories of the Season, is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Newport Beach Living reported that it officially opened October 2. Its displays include letters to Santa hanging overhead, scenes built around peppermint and gingerbread, and touches inspired by European Christmas markets. The magazine also reported that Roger's Gardens welcomes more than one million visitors between October and December.
The Halloween Boutique, Moonlight Masquerade, opened Friday, August 28, and stays open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through October, so both holidays are on display at once. The next scheduled evening is a ticketed after-hours Shop for a Cause Christmas shopping event on Thursday, November 12, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Put together, Roger's Gardens covers October and November, then Sherman's opening weekend, the Christmas Walk and the boat parade overlap across December. Here are the dates to block out:
- November 12: Shop for a Cause at Roger's Gardens, 6:00–8:30 p.m.
- December 3–6: Merry & Bright Nights, first weekend
- December 6: Christmas Walk, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., then Sherman from 5 p.m.
- December 10–13: Merry & Bright Nights, second weekend
- December 11: Ring of Lights entries due by noon
- December 14: Ring of Lights judging
- December 16–20: Christmas Boat Parade, about 6:30 p.m. nightly
- December 17–22: Merry & Bright Nights, final run
Our team at DWA Team keeps an eye on what changes the rhythm of the coastal and desert communities we serve, from a garden rebuild to a parade route. If you're thinking about how a Corona del Mar home fits the way you want to spend Decembers like this one, we'd be glad to talk it through.
