Holidays in the Village returns December 5 and 6, 2026. This is its fifth year, and the Rotary Club of Westlake Village is putting it on for the first time over two days. The market takes Westlake Village's name but sits in a parking lot at The Oaks in Thousand Oaks. On its new Sunday, its hours run into the City of Westlake Village's Holiday Sing-Along on Russell Ranch Road.
So the first weekend in December is split between two places. Planning it well starts with how the market ended up leaving town.
It started with Lakeview Canyon Road closed
The first two markets, in 2021 and 2022, were held at Lakeview Canyon and Agoura roads, next to Stonehaus. In its November 2022 preview, The Acorn reported that the second edition would run one day, Sunday, December 4, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Two Westlake Village Rotary clubs, Sunrise and Noon, were hosting with the City of Westlake Village. Lakeview Canyon Road and parts of Agoura Road were closed for the day.
The same preview said the 2021 market drew more than 8,500 visitors. For a first-year event on a closed stretch of road in a small city, that is a large crowd. The 2022 plan already had sixty artisan vendors selling chocolates, alpaca yarn, candles, succulents, glass ornaments and gift baskets. It also added a new French section serving champagne, mimosas, croissants and pastries.
The Rotary Club of Westlake Village's own project page then posts a single line: "This project will be on hold for 2023." It gives no reason.
A year off, then a bigger lot
When the market came back in 2024, it had moved to The Oaks mall's outer parking lot, the same lot that hosts a weekly farmers market. In The Acorn's December 2024 coverage, the paper said organizers went looking for a bigger site because the Westlake Village location was drawing between 5,000 and 10,000 people.
Event co-chair Matt Midura of the Sunrise club told the paper why the clubs wanted a European-style market here in the first place:
"These types of holiday marketplaces have been a tradition in Europe, dating back to the Middle Ages. It's fun to have one right here in the Conejo Valley that also features hometown crafters, artists, food vendors and entertainment."
He also told The Acorn that the Rotary clubs make the Glühwein themselves, saying "It's a process we've got good at."
Here is the run so far:
- 2021: First market, at Lakeview Canyon and Agoura roads, with more than 8,500 visitors reported.
- 2022: Second market, same location, one Sunday, with road closures.
- 2023: On hold.
- 2024: Moves to The Oaks, one Saturday, December 7.
- 2025: The Oaks again, one Saturday, December 6, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- 2026: The Oaks, Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6.
That count explains why 2026 is the "fifth annual" even though the first market was held five years earlier, in 2021.
The crowd that made room for a second day
In KCLU's December 2025 report, co-chair Erin Culbertson said, "You are gonna feel like you flew over to Europe and landed straight smack in the middle of a European marketplace." KCLU also reported that Kris Kringle and Mrs. Kringle would be there, with strolling carolers and entertainment all day.
The organizers' own numbers show how far that one day stretched. Their 2026 sponsorship materials report more than 14,000 visitors in 2025, up from 8,000 in 2024. They also report event-day visits to The Oaks of 48,968 in 2025, up 37 percent from 35,803 the year before. The same document projects more than 25,000 attendees for 2026, and on its first page it lists "Expanding to 2 days in 2026."
The organizers have released these figures themselves, but they make the pattern clear. The 2021 crowd was more than one closed road could hold. The 2025 crowd filled a mall parking lot in one Saturday. Adding a Sunday is the next step in that pattern, and it is where the market's schedule starts to overlap Westlake Village's own.
Sunday, December 6, belongs to two calendars
The City of Westlake Village has a Holiday Sing-Along on its special events calendar for Sunday, December 6, 2026, from 3 to 6 p.m. at 30770 Russell Ranch Road. The City's listing says only that more details are coming soon. The market's Sunday runs from noon to 6 p.m.
| Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026 | Holidays in the Village | City Holiday Sing-Along |
|---|---|---|
| Hours | Noon to 6 p.m. | 3 to 6 p.m. |
| Location | The Oaks, 350 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks | 30770 Russell Ranch Road, Westlake Village |
| Host | Rotary Club of Westlake Village | City of Westlake Village |
| Cost to enter | Free | Listing does not say |
The overlap is three hours, so doing both on Sunday is mostly a question of order. Get to the market when it opens at noon and you can head back to Russell Ranch Road before the sing-along starts. The other choice is to give Saturday to the market and keep Sunday afternoon for the City's event.
The two events are still connected. The market's 2026 sponsors page lists the City of Westlake Village as a "Village partner." In 2022 the City co-hosted the market on its own streets. The relationship has continued, but the market now happens across the county line.
How Saturday works at The Oaks
Saturday runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission and parking are free, and you don't need tickets. The organizers' visit page says the closest lots are on the west side of the property and volunteers direct traffic at the busiest times. It also says Saturday late afternoon is the peak, and to avoid it you should come when the gates open or after 6 p.m. There is no reserved or valet parking.
This is the first year with another day to choose from. Before 2026, avoiding the Saturday peak meant arriving at opening or staying into the evening. Now Sunday's six hours are an option too.
What's inside the gates this year
The 2026 layout covers the whole property in named areas: the European Marketplace, Kris Kringle Village, the Festive Gardens with its stage, Place des Amis, Tannenbaum Grove, and Sugar & Spice. A printed map is posted at the entrances. The event site describes Place des Amis as a French-themed area serving champagne, mimosas, croissants and pastries, the same menu the 2022 market introduced on Lakeview Canyon Road. The Festive Gardens serve Glühwein, beer, Kinderpunsch and traditional European food.
Kris Kringle Village is the family section. Some of it is free and some of it costs extra:
- Kris Kringle Storyhouse: a visit, a story and a holiday photo with Kris Kringle. It's free, and donations are welcome.
- Village Express Train: a ride through the grounds. Admission fee.
- STEMs Grow: hands-on holiday science activities where kids make something to take home.
- Art Trek, Inc.: hands-on holiday art projects.
- Village Bear Scavenger Hunt: a search for the Village Care Bears, with a prize at the end. There's a fee, and proceeds go to the YMCA.
Bring a little cash or a card for the train and the scavenger hunt, even though getting in is free.
Where the money goes
The Rotary Club of Westlake Village has described the market as a way to raise money for local nonprofits and bring the community together. The event site says the money raised stays in the Conejo Valley. The organizers' 2026 sponsorship document lists the nonprofits it highlights:
- America Supporting Americans
- Art Trek
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters
- Boys and Girls Club of Conejo Valley
- Disaster Communications
- For the Troops
- Harbor House
- James Storehouse
- KCLU
- Manna
- Many Mansions
- Raising Hope
- Ride On
- Safe Passage
- Senior Concerns
- YMCA
Some of the names on that list also run parts of the market, so the connection runs both ways. Art Trek leads children's art activities in Kris Kringle Village, and the scavenger hunt raises money for the YMCA.
The weekend, planned
On Saturday, December 5, the market runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at The Oaks, and the quietest times are at opening and after 6 p.m. On Sunday, December 6, it runs from noon to 6 p.m. The City's Holiday Sing-Along runs from 3 to 6 p.m. that same Sunday at 30770 Russell Ranch Road. Visit the market at noon and you can still make it back for the sing-along by 3.
Some of us at Nico Torres still think of the market as the Sunday that closed Lakeview Canyon Road. If you'd like more practical guides to Westlake Village's calendar this season, or want to talk through what your home is worth when the new year starts, Work with Nico.
