The first sign of the season in Seal Beach this year is the winter sand berm going up on East Beach. The City's 2026–2027 Winter Sand Berm Construction and Removal Program started mobilizing on Wednesday, October 21, and the City expects work to continue through mid-November. The berm runs from the pier toward the Navy base, so the equipment on the sand this week is working in the same place where the holiday calendar begins a few weeks from now.
The calendar is short. Four community events fall between Saturday, November 21 and Friday, December 4, and every one of them starts at the base of the pier or on Main Street between the pier and Pacific Coast Highway. Across those two weeks, the same few blocks of Old Town host a morning race, an afternoon tree lighting, a menorah lighting and a nighttime parade. For anyone who lives within walking distance, the whole season can be done on foot.
The two weeks, in order
- Saturday, November 21, morning: The Seal Beach Turkey Trot starts and finishes on Main Street at Central Avenue.
- Saturday, November 21, 4 to 7 p.m.: The Christmas Tree Lighting takes place at the base of the pier.
- Sunday, November 29, 5 p.m.: The pre-Chanukah Menorah Lighting takes place at the Seal Beach Pier.
- Friday, December 4, 7 p.m.: The 48th Seal Beach Christmas Parade runs up Main Street from the pier to PCH.
Two of these share a single Saturday. The last one falls on the evening Chanukah begins. Those overlaps shape the season more than any single event does.
November 21 starts at Hennessey's and ends at the pier
The day opens with the 8th Annual Financial Partners Credit Union Seal Beach Turkey Trot. The lineup includes a 5K, a 10K, a Gym Challenge and a kids' race called the "Don't be a Turkey" Trot. According to the event's registration page on Race Roster, the start and finish are in front of Hennessey's Tavern. The route follows Ocean Boulevard and passes through a park and by the pier. Registration for the 5K run/walk is listed at $40. Many towns hold their turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning. This one comes on the Saturday before, so it lands on the same date as the tree lighting.
That afternoon, the Christmas Tree Lighting runs from 4 to 7 p.m. at the base of the Seal Beach Pier. The Bogart's Coffee House event listing promises sledding, snow play for children, a visit from Santa, carolers, gingerbread cookies and hot cocoa. Bogart's describes the dress code as "California Beach Style." Bogart's is at 905 Ocean Avenue, a short walk from the pier. The Seal Beach Lions' 2026 calendar also lists a volunteer role for the tree lighting.
Put the two together and the day starts and ends within a few blocks: the race at Main and Central in the morning, the pier after dark. The space between them is Main Street itself, which makes November 21 a natural day for an Old Town lunch between events.
Parking is the one practical catch on a two-event day. The City's Main Street parking page says paid parking is enforced daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at $1 an hour with a two-hour limit. A car parked for the morning race won't last on one session until the tree lighting. The tree lighting begins two hours before enforcement ends, so a car left on Main Street at 4 p.m. is still on the clock.
November 29 brings a nine-foot menorah to the same spot
Eight days after the tree lighting, the base of the pier hosts another lighting. Chabad of Los Alamitos holds its annual Pre-Chanukah Menorah Lighting at the Seal Beach Pier on Sunday, November 29 at 5 p.m. Chabad describes the event as free and open to the public, with live music, traditional Chanukah foods and the lighting of a giant 9-foot menorah.
The "pre" in the name is about timing. The Chabad of Los Alamitos event page gives the 2026 dates of Chanukah as the evening of December 4 through December 12. That puts the pier lighting the Sunday after Thanksgiving, a few days before the holiday begins and a few days before the parade.
December 4 puts two holidays on Main Street at once
The 48th annual Seal Beach Christmas Parade steps off on Friday, December 4 at 7 p.m. and runs along Main Street from the pier to PCH. The Seal Beach Lions Club parade page gives the 2026 theme as "A Red, White, and Blue Christmas," celebrating 250 years of freedom. The parade is produced by the Seal Beach Lions Foundation. In the same note, the Lions say they expect "a large crowd of spectators." Entry registration closed October 15.
The Lions' 2026 rules for entries give a sense of how the evening runs. Entries line up by 6 p.m., the parade starts at 7, the last entries step off by 8:10, and the parade ends at 8:30. That leaves about 90 minutes of parade, with an hour of staging before it. Main Street starts filling well before the first float moves.
December 4 is also the first evening of Chanukah, by Chabad's dates. The same Friday night carries the 48th Christmas Parade on Main Street and the first candle of Chanukah, five days after the menorah was lit at the end of the street.
The Lions haven't posted 2026-specific street-closure hours for the public. Their spectator materials suggest arriving early and carpooling. The Lions parade page is the place to check for updated route and parking guidance as the date gets closer.
The sand and storefronts around the events are changing too
The events happen in the same places as some changes already under way, and a few of those changes will be visible on parade night.
On the beach. The Seal Beach Sun reported that City Council awarded Elka Construction a two-year contract for $320,000 to build the annual sand berm. The berm runs along East Beach from the pier to the Navy base. With work expected to wrap by mid-November, the berm should be in place before the tree lighting. Closer to the pier, the city completed its third beach-accessibility mat at First Street this summer and marked it with a ribbon cutting on August 4. According to the Sun's coverage, the grant-supported project also provided a power-track wheelchair.
At the pier. The City's Capital Improvement Program site lists a Phase 2 structural analysis and rehabilitation of the pier abutment as in preliminary design. Construction is projected for November 2026 through March 2027. That is a projection, and the City hasn't posted a construction start notice.
On Main Street. Three storefronts are in progress between the pier and PCH:
- Chaupain Bakery, 137 Main Street. The French bakery is taking over the former Old Town Cafe space. Patch reported on August 31 that it will be Chaupain's fourth Orange County location, and signage outside said it is expected to open in late 2026. Chaupain's own locations page still lists Seal Beach as "Coming Soon."
- The former Bank of America building. The Sun's August Main Street update reported demolition under way and city and state permits issued to convert the building into a restaurant. No name or opening date has been announced.
- A Belgian waffle and ice cream shop. The Planning Commission approved a minor use permit for the shop at 226 Main Street, the former Christian Science Reading Room location, according to the Sun. The paper's later update said no opening date had been announced.
None of the three has a confirmed opening date yet. Even so, each sits on the stretch the parade travels, so anyone who walks the route on December 4 will see their progress firsthand.
If the walk from the pier to PCH has you thinking about which blocks of Old Town fit your daily routine, I'm glad to talk it over at whatever pace suits you. Denos Amarantos works with Seal Beach residents on buying, selling and coastal leasing, and that starts with knowing these streets well. Let's Connect.
