After the Tree Lightings: How Temecula Wine Country's December Weekends Actually Fill Up

All of Temecula Wine Country's big holiday lightings happen in one two-day stretch. Callaway's Annual Barrel Tree Lighting & Holiday Market and Europa Village's European Holiday Market both run Nov. 27–28. South Coast Winery Resort & Spa and Oak Mountain Winery each hold their tree lighting on Nov. 28. By the first Monday of December, the region's public lighting events are finished.

What follows is a different kind of calendar. December in Wine Country runs on small, mostly ticketed winery traditions, and they don't spread out evenly. Three land on Sunday, Dec. 6, and three more on Thursday, Dec. 17. Those two dates decide most of the month's planning. Everything else, the ice rink included, fits around them.

Why the big events stop after Nov. 28

Visit Temecula Valley's holiday calendar shows the pattern clearly. The tree lightings and holiday markets are timed to the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. We covered how that weekend plays out in our Thanksgiving weekend guide, so here it serves as the starting point.

After that weekend, the events get smaller. Most of December's listings come with ticket caps, member pricing or limits per membership. Those are signs of events built for a winery's own regulars and neighbors, not for weekend visitors. Those limits also explain why the two pile-up dates take some planning.

Sunday, Dec. 6: three traditions, three different hours

The first Sunday of December has the most going on in the region. The three events happen to fall at different times of day, so a household could reasonably attend more than one.

Doffo's Polenta Party runs two days, Saturday, Dec. 5 and Sunday, Dec. 6, both at 11:30 a.m. on the MotoBarrel Room Patio. A ticket covers family-style polenta with Doffo's homemade sauce, crepes with dulce de leche, one glass of wine, and holiday carolers. The listing says "limited tickets." Wine club members pay $60 and can buy two tickets at most, while the public rate of $70 has no per-person limit. Since there's a Saturday seating too, Doffo is the easiest of the three to move off Sunday. Dates and tickets are on Doffo's event calendar.

Akash's Santa Paws + Ugly Sweater Extravaganza is set up for families and dogs. It's on the vineyard-view patios from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with photos with Santa from noon to 3, holiday music from Anastasia and her band from 1 to 4, and wood-fired pizza, salads and charcuterie from Bocconcini Pizza Co. from noon to 7. The listing names no price and no ticket requirement. Akash's calendar is the place to check before you go.

Lorimar's Hanukkah Celebration takes the evening, co-hosted with Jewish Together Temecula Valley. The program includes a menorah lighting, live music, a children's activity area, community partners and vendors, and complimentary latkes and sufganiyot. Admission is $5 for ages 18 and up and free for anyone younger. An optional buffet costs $35 for adults and $15 for children under 12, and you can pre-order it when you register. Registration is through the Hanukkah Celebration ticket page.

Here's what that means in practice. A late-morning start at Doffo or Akash and a 5 p.m. arrival on Anza Road don't conflict. Choosing between Doffo and Akash is the harder call, because their hours overlap.

Thursday, Dec. 17: a weeknight that fills up

The month's second cluster lands on a weeknight, so it fits around a workday.

• Europa Village, A Night in Norway, 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $65 general or $58.50 for members.
• Vienza at Europa Village, Igloo di Vino, a 6 to 8 p.m. seating. Igloo rental is $150, plus $95 per adult and $40 per child.
• BOTTAIA Winery, Ugly Sweater Bingo, 4 to 6 p.m. Complimentary, with a ticket link on the listing.

The Igloo di Vino isn't limited to Dec. 17. Visit Temecula Valley lists the dining experience from Nov. 27 through Dec. 30. So the igloo can go to another night, and Dec. 17 is the night that fits with Europa's Norway dinner. BOTTAIA's bingo ends at 6, when the Europa seatings begin, so the same evening can hold both.

Europa Village also has two earlier December dates. The Ugly Christmas Sweater DIY Paint & Sip is Dec. 2, 5 to 7 p.m., at $35 general or $31.50 for members. The Société members-only Enchanted Christmas dinner is Dec. 10, 6 to 8 p.m., at $50 for members and $25 per child. Seating is first come, first served, with two member tickets per membership.

The adults-only nights fall in between

The events that state an age limit fall between the two clusters, on dates of their own.

BOTTAIA's Holiday Movie Night is Thursday, Dec. 3, 6 to 9 p.m. It's complimentary, limited to ages 21 and up, and the listing links to ticketing.

Peltzer Family Cellars brings its Crush House into the season on Saturday, Dec. 19, with Rockin' Around the Xmas Tree. It runs 6 to 10 p.m., is free, is 21+, and takes place indoors. The Cheez Whiz Band plays from 6:30 to 9:30, the ugly sweater contest is at 8, and Peltzer Provisions serves food until 9:30 p.m. As we wrote in our Crush House piece, the room usually runs 21 and over. The holiday party follows that usual rule.

Ugly sweaters show up four times this month, at Europa's Dec. 2 paint night, Akash on Dec. 6, BOTTAIA's Dec. 17 bingo and Peltzer on Dec. 19. One sweater could make the rounds of all four.

The rink stays open the whole time

Peltzer's ice rink runs well beyond any one event. The 9th Annual Peltzer Ice Rink runs Nov. 19 through Jan. 18, in a new spot near the Farm across from Tractor Alley. Skating sessions need a reservation.

The pricing works like this:

1. Admission is $20 for ages 11 and up and $14 for ages 10 and under.
2. Skate rental is $2, helmet rental is $4, and gliders are free on a first-come basis.
3. A season pass is $160. Skate rental isn't included, and pass holders check in at the skate office every visit.
4. Crush Club members get $2 off regular admission by signing in to their account.

At $20 a visit for ages 11 and up, the $160 pass pays for itself on the eighth session. Over a season of about two months, that could be a December Saturday or two plus the winter-break weeknights before the rink closes on Jan. 18. Sessions are booked through Peltzer's ice rink page.

Whichever December date you commit to, the rink gives the rest of the month something to do. Dec. 5 at Doffo and Dec. 19 at the Crush House are both Saturdays. On Dec. 19, the Peltzer Provisions food truck is open from 11 a.m., hours before the 6 p.m. party starts.

New Year's Eve, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.

The year ends with two events of very different sizes.

Peltzer's New Year's Eve Late Skate runs eight sessions on Dec. 31, at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30, 3, 4:30, 6, 7:30 and 9 p.m., at the regular rink prices. The 9 p.m. session is the latest one on the board.

On Rancho California Road, Wilson Creek Winery says goodbye to 2026 with its Under the Sea New Year's Eve party, 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. The evening includes live music and dancing, a seafood-inspired dinner, a dessert bar, and an open bar with wine, bubbles and signature cocktails. Tickets are $250 per person or $225 for wine club members. Details are on the Visit Temecula Valley listing, which links to Wilson Creek's ticket page.

Wilson Creek also wrapped the 2026 harvest on Sept. 25, its earliest finish ever, according to the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association. The New Year's Eve party falls more than three months after its last grapes came in.

Wine Country in winter runs on a smaller, neighborly December calendar. If you're thinking about a vineyard parcel or an estate close to these tasting rooms, I'd be glad to walk through what daily life along Rancho California, De Portola and Anza Roads actually involves. Call me for a private consultation with Andrea Lynn Duncan.