The circus tent sits at 6104 Topanga Canyon Blvd. Casa Palma, a new Mexican restaurant, is getting ready to open at 6316. Santa takes his chair at Westfield Topanga, which uses a 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd. address. On a map, most of this year's Woodland Hills holiday calendar lands on a half-mile of street numbers along one boulevard. On the calendar itself, much of it falls on a single weekend, Friday, Dec. 4, through Sunday, Dec. 6.
That makes planning easier than the season's long list of events suggests. Below is the calendar in order, from the circus now running to the restaurants due by winter, with the details you need to plan.
Still running when November opens: Circus Vargas
Circus Vargas has been in Woodland Hills since Oct. 23 and stays through Nov. 16, according to the Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce calendar. Counting from Thursday, Nov. 5, that leaves 12 days of shows. The Circus Vargas ticket page lists the site as 6104 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91367. A promo on the circus's homepage gives the address as 6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd. instead, so check the ticket page before you leave the house.
The circus is the first stop on the boulevard. The rest of November's events move a few blocks north to the mall.
Mid-November: Santa arrives at Westfield Topanga
On Nov. 13, Westfield Topanga starts the season with two events on the same day. The mall's current events page lists a LEGO reindeer-building event for Nov. 13. Photos with Santa open the same day and run through Dec. 24 at Target Court on Level 1. Westfield recommends reservations and takes walk-ins as space allows. Photo packages cost extra.
If you plan to bring the dog, the dates for Pet Night with Santa run from Nov. 17 to Dec. 8, and Westfield encourages reservations for those too. Pet Night ends more than two weeks before Christmas Eve. If a pet photo is on your list, book it before December gets busy.
Westfield also has a quieter option. Sensory Santa is on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., in a sensory-friendly setting. It lands on the last day of the season's busiest weekend.
The first weekend of December
Most of the season's community events fall on three days. Here is the weekend laid out:
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Chanukah begins at sundown; Kol Tikvah Chanukah Community Celebration | Kol Tikvah, Woodland Hills | Free |
| Fri., Dec. 4 through Fri., Dec. 11 | Nightly menorah lighting by Chabad of West Hills | Valley Circle Boulevard | Call Chabad for lighting times |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 1 to 5 p.m. | Holiday Arts and Music Festival | Warner Center Park | Santa photos free |
| Sun., Dec. 6, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. | Sensory Santa | Westfield Topanga | Listed on Westfield's site |
Friday: Chanukah begins
Chanukah 2026 begins on the evening of Friday, Dec. 4, according to Chabad of West Hills. That same night, Kol Tikvah, the Reform temple in Woodland Hills, holds its Chanukah Community Celebration. The evening includes a menorah lighting, a complimentary dinner and latkes. For its holiday community events, the temple says Shabbat services begin at 5:30 p.m. and the celebration at 6:30 p.m. Member sponsors cover the cost, so the events stay free for everyone who comes.
From the first night on, Chabad of West Hills lights a large menorah on Valley Circle Boulevard every night of the holiday, with the last candle lit on the evening of Friday, Dec. 11. Chabad asks visitors to call 818-337-4544 for this year's lighting times. Chabad of West Hills and Chabad of Woodland Hills also host a free Chanukah celebration at Westfield Topanga, with a grand menorah lighting, donuts, latkes and music. The 2026 date and time haven't been posted yet. In 2025 the celebration took place on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 4:30 p.m., outside Topanga Social near Nordstrom. For this year's details, call Chabad at 818-337-4544 or email [email protected].
Saturday: the Holiday Arts and Music Festival
On Saturday, Dec. 5, the season leaves the mall for Warner Center Park. The Valley Cultural Foundation's 2026 Holiday Arts and Music Festival runs from 1 to 5 p.m. The listing includes free Santa photos, a snow-play zone, children's crafts and local vendors.
The festival offers the same thing the mall does at Target Court through Christmas Eve: a photo with Santa. At the park, the photo is free and it's outdoors, with snow play next to it. For families who want the Santa photo without the mall, Dec. 5 is the day.
Sunday: Sensory Santa
Sensory Santa wraps up the weekend on Sunday morning at Westfield Topanga. Sunday's hour-long session is the last of the three days. It also takes Santa photos back to the mall where they started on Nov. 13.
The tradition off the boulevard: Candy Cane Lane
Candy Cane Lane is the season's biggest exception to the Topanga Canyon Boulevard rule, and it's also the oldest part of the calendar. The Daily News reported in December 2025 that Candy Cane Lane began in 1952 as a neighborhood event where residents coordinated their holiday lights and decorations. Among the streets that lit up were Lubao, Jumilla and Oakdale avenues. The same article placed the displays in a neighborhood off Oxnard Street between Winnetka and Corbin avenues. It noted that the displays are voluntary and asked visitors to avoid weeknights after 10 p.m. and weekends after 11 p.m.
Nobody announces a schedule or a list of participating homes for Candy Cane Lane. The households on these streets decide each year whether to decorate, and they have since 1952. The Daily News photos were taken on Dec. 18, 2025, which gives a sense of when the displays are in full swing. These are the neighbors' homes, so go before the quiet hours and drive slowly.
Back on the boulevard: what's coming to eat
The season ends where it started. Both of Woodland Hills' upcoming restaurant openings are near the same stretch of Topanga Canyon Boulevard as the circus and the mall.
Bread Head plans to open its fourth sandwich shop at Topanga Village in December, in the former Veggie Grill space. The company announced the plan in a Sept. 17, 2026 release on PR Newswire. The release describes indoor and outdoor seating, large TVs with NFL Sunday Ticket, a curated beer list, and a full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu available for DoorDash delivery from opening day. The shop was founded by two Michelin-starred chefs and bakes its bread throughout the day. In the release, CEO Greg Willsey called the Topanga Village space one of the "crown jewel spaces" the company has been offered "after just over two years in operation." The release gives the month but not an opening day.
Casa Palma, a contemporary Mexican restaurant, lists its address on its website as 6316 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Suite 1110, and says it plans to open in "winter 2026." That address is a short walk from the circus site at 6104 and the mall at 6600.
Here is the season in order, by date and place:
- Through Nov. 16: Circus Vargas, 6104 Topanga Canyon Blvd.
- Nov. 13: LEGO reindeer building and the first day of Photos with Santa, Westfield Topanga
- Nov. 17 to Dec. 8: Pet Night with Santa, Westfield Topanga
- Dec. 4: Chanukah begins; Kol Tikvah celebration; nightly menorah lightings on Valley Circle Boulevard through Dec. 11
- Dec. 5: Holiday Arts and Music Festival, Warner Center Park, 1 to 5 p.m.
- Dec. 6: Sensory Santa, Westfield Topanga, 9:30 a.m.
- December: Bread Head's planned opening at Topanga Village
- Through Dec. 24: Photos with Santa at Target Court
- Winter 2026: Casa Palma's planned opening, 6316 Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Seven of the nine are on or right off Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Kol Tikvah, Warner Center Park and the menorah on Valley Circle Boulevard, all in the Dec. 4 and Dec. 5 entries, are the ones away from it, and Candy Cane Lane, on its residential side streets, isn't on the list because it never posts dates.
Andrew Spitz and Fran Chavez have watched many West Valley holiday seasons come and go, and the neighborhood details on this calendar are the kind we pay attention to all year. If you're thinking about a move to or from Woodland Hills before the new year, Spitz Chavez Group can help you time it around the calendar that matters to your household. Contact Us.
