At 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, the Merry Holiday Event at Camarillo Premium Outlets ends. At 5 p.m. that same evening, check-in opens for the Old Town Glow Holiday Walk at 2195 Ventura Blvd. Both events are on Ventura Boulevard and both offer photos with Santa. The afternoon one is a shopping-center event. Every person at the evening one, down to the youngest child, needs a ticket.
That one-hour gap is the busiest stretch of Camarillo's 2026 holiday season. The rest of the calendar spreads out from there. Before it come two weeknights at Camarillo Ranch. A week after it, the Christmas Parade starts at Temple Avenue and runs down Las Posas Road to Community Center Park. That makes four addresses, two Saturdays and one road change. Here is how December fits together.
| Date | Event | Where | Hours | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Dec 1 & Wed, Dec 2 | Christmas at the Ranch with Santa | Camarillo Ranch, 201 Camarillo Ranch Road | 4–8 p.m. | Free; Santa photo $20 |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Merry Holiday Event | Camarillo Premium Outlets Promenade, 740 E. Ventura Blvd. | 1–4 p.m. | Free Santa photo for Simon+ members |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Camarillo Old Town Glow Holiday Walk | Old Town, Ventura Blvd.; check-in at 2195 Ventura Blvd. | 5–8 p.m. | Ticketed, $20 to $50; under 14 free |
| Sat, Dec 12 | Camarillo Christmas Parade & Santa's Village | Temple Ave. and Las Posas Rd. to 1605 E. Burnley St. | 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | Free |
The Weeknights Come First, at the Ranch
Before either Saturday, the season opens on two weeknights. The Camarillo Ranch Foundation lists Christmas at the Ranch with Santa for Tuesday, December 1, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Camarillo Ranch, 201 Camarillo Ranch Road. A second foundation listing adds Wednesday, December 2, with the same hours. The foundation calls these its annual Santa Nights.
Admission is free. A professional photographer takes pictures with Santa for $20. The Camarillo Ranch House is decorated for the holidays and open for tours, and the Wednesday listing says the Ranch Workers Exhibit is part of that tour. Santa's Workshop is set up in the Red Barn. Victorian carolers perform, local craft vendors set up, and festive drinks and treats are for sale.
On December's calendar, the Ranch nights are the low-pressure option. They fall on school nights, they cost nothing to enter, and the only fixed price is the photo. A family that wants a Santa picture without planning a Saturday around it has two chances here, four days before the busy weekend starts.
December 5 Is Two Events on One Boulevard
The first Saturday of December belongs to Ventura Boulevard. The two events on it run on different terms.
Afternoon at the Outlets
Camarillo Premium Outlets holds its Merry Holiday Event from 1 to 4 p.m. on the Promenade at 740 E. Ventura Blvd. The outlet calls the event "by Toys 'R' Us." The perks are listed for Simon+ members: free photos with Santa, a prize spin wheel, children's activities featuring kidSTREAM and STEMS Grow, and a photo with special guest Geoffrey the Giraffe. Simon+ is free to join, according to the outlet's home page. The listing also promises festive entertainment and family-friendly activities through the afternoon, and calls it a celebration "for all ages."
Evening in Old Town
An hour after the outlet event ends, the Camarillo Old Town Glow Holiday Walk begins along Ventura Boulevard in Old Town. It runs from 5 to 8 p.m. Visitors walk the boulevard, sample holiday drinks and treats from Old Town businesses, and vote in a Holiday Lighting Contest among the participating storefronts. A Festive Costume Contest runs too, along with music and Christmas carolers. Santa appears on the boulevard from 6 to 8 p.m., with what the organizers call "our favorite green guy" for photos.
The organizers say "Everyone participating in the event must have a ticket," and children must stay with a parent or guardian. The ticket tiers:
- All-Inclusive, $40 presale or $50 at the door. For guests 21 and over. Includes 15 or more holiday tastings of wine, beer and spirits, the holiday drinks and treats, and 10 giveaway tickets. Children under 14 come in free with a paid adult.
- General Admission, $20 presale or $30 at the door. All ages. Includes the drinks, treats, contests and 10 giveaway tickets, but no alcoholic tastings.
- Child, free. Under 14. Includes the drinks, treats and contests, but not the giveaway tickets. Parents are asked to register each child when buying tickets so Old Town businesses know how many treats to prepare.
Buying ahead saves $10 on each adult ticket at both levels. The giveaway drawings offer holiday baskets and gift cards from 20 or more Old Town businesses. Extra drawing tickets cost $2 each at check-in, cash or card, until 7 p.m. for all-inclusive holders and until 6:30 p.m. for general admission. Anyone getting a 21+ wristband needs a valid photo ID. The walk goes on rain or shine, and tickets are non-refundable.
Every ticket holder checks in at the Camarillo Merchant Association office, 2195 Ventura Blvd. Cash purchases go through [email protected] or the same office. Proceeds support events and programs throughout Old Town Camarillo.
Putting the Two Together
A family can do both events. The outlet event ends at 4. Glow check-in opens at 5, and Santa reaches the Old Town end of the boulevard at 6. The money works differently at each stop. At the outlets, the free Santa photo comes with a Simon+ membership, and any other spending depends on what you choose to buy. In Old Town, the cost is set before you arrive: one paid adult ticket per grown-up and a free registration for each child under 14. Those registrations make it the one December event that asks for a headcount ahead of time.
December 12 Moves the Season to Las Posas Road
A week later, the season's biggest event leaves Ventura Boulevard. The Camarillo Christmas Parade & Santa's Village is put on by the Pleasant Valley Recreation & Park District and sponsored by the City of Camarillo. It takes place Saturday, December 12, and admission is free. This year's theme is "A Coastal Christmas."
The route, in order:
- The parade steps off at 10 a.m. at Temple Avenue and Las Posas Road, beside Camarillo Village Square Shopping Center.
- It heads down Las Posas Road.
- It turns onto Carmen Drive.
- It ends at the Community Center, 1605 E. Burnley St., where Santa's Village is set up.
The district expects the parade to last 1.5 to 2 hours. Spectators are invited to bring chairs or blankets to the curb.
Santa's Village at Community Center Park runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It has holiday vendor booths, food trucks, crafts, an inflatable and photobooth photos with Santa. Santa photos start at 12:30 p.m., and the district says that time may shift depending on when the parade ends. The Community Center parking lot also opens to the public at 12:30 p.m., and parking is limited. The day ends with an awards announcement from 1:40 to 2 p.m.
So the parade day has a built-in order. The morning happens along Las Posas Road and Carmen Drive. Santa and the park lot don't open until early afternoon at Burnley Street. Families who watch from the curb near the start at Temple Avenue are at the opposite end of the route from Santa's Village. Families who want an early spot in the photo line will be at the finish.
The district is still taking help for the day. Late vendor applications for Santa's Village close November 20 and carry an extra $25 fee. The PVRPD volunteer page lists set-up and parking-monitor shifts. Questions go to Recreation Specialist Sam Silveira at 805.482.1996 x116.
How December Adds Up
Laid side by side, the four events show the shape of the season. The weeknight events are free to enter, at a historic house. The outlet afternoon on December 5 saves its free Santa photo for Simon+ members. The Old Town evening on December 5 is the only one ticketed per person, with a $10 reward for buying early. The December 12 parade is free and runs on a schedule set by a route, so where you stand decides what you see first.
Together they give Camarillo households five chances at a Santa photo, at four addresses, and two Saturdays to plan around. Only one event, the Glow Holiday Walk, needs any action before the day itself.
Questions about where your street sits relative to the December 12 route, or what this time of year means for your home plans in Camarillo? Christopher Potter and the Potter Group team know these blocks well and are happy to talk through either one. Work With Us.
