Redondo Beach's Holiday Season Runs on Two Stages: The Pier and Riviera Village

From tomorrow night until mid-December, Redondo Beach's public celebrations happen in two places that take turns. Fisherman's Wharf at the pier and the closed blocks of Catalina Avenue in Riviera Village each get two nights. Neither lands on the other's date. Friday belongs to the harbor and Saturday to the Village. In December the order flips, with the Village going first on a Thursday and the harbor taking over a full Saturday.

Knowing which stage is "on" is most of the planning. The rest comes down to small details on the organizers' own pages: when the candy actually runs out, which streets close, and which paid garage takes payment only online.

Friday, Oct. 30: the harbor goes first

The Redondo Pier Association hosts Halloween on the Pier on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Fisherman's Wharf. The program lists a Halloween photo station, a magic show, music and Halloween arts and crafts.

The timing to watch is trick-or-treating. It runs on the pier and boardwalk from 5 to 6 p.m. only, at participating businesses and while supplies last. That is the first hour of a three-hour event. Families who come mainly for candy should be there at 5. The magic show, music and crafts fill the last two hours.

The pier's visitor page lists public parking at 100 to 500 Fisherman's Wharf and at North Harbor Drive and Pacific Avenue for $2.25 an hour. It also links to Beach Cities Transit and the Metro C Line. That is the pier's standing information, not a special Halloween traffic plan, so check it before you leave.

Saturday, Oct. 31: Catalina Avenue closes for the bigger night

On Halloween itself the action moves to Riviera Village. The Riviera Village Association's Trick or Treat runs Saturday, Oct. 31, from 3 to 8 p.m. Catalina Avenue is closed to traffic from Avenue I to South Elena Street. The association calls it a South Bay tradition that draws thousands of children each year, with shops handing out candy outdoors.

The Village also splits its night in two. Candy is handed out until 6 p.m. while supplies last, and the street closure lasts until 8 p.m. So the first three hours are for trick-or-treating, and the last two are a car-free Catalina Avenue with restaurants open. The association's own page suggests staying for dinner.

Both Halloween events end at 8 p.m. In each one the candy runs out well before the event does. Arriving at the posted end time means you get the street and the dinner crowd. Arriving at the start means you get the candy.

Parking in the Village has three parts:

• The triangle lot between Avenida del Norte and South Elena Street, plus individual spaces on the surrounding streets.
• Plaza Riviera at 1611 S. Catalina Ave., on the corner of Catalina and Avenue I. It offers cashless paid parking for the Halloween events, and the association recommends Apple Pay or Google Pay for the fastest processing.
• Mira Mar Park at 201 Paseo de la Playa, a paid lot.

November is quieter, and it moves indoors

Once the costumes are put away, the outdoor stages go dark for about a month. Neither the pier nor the Village has a November street event on its calendar. The dated plans in between belong to one hotel.

Shade Hotel's Redondo Beach property lists a Día de los Muertos evening on Friday, Nov. 6, from 8 to 11 p.m. Its restaurant, Sea Level, is serving a Thanksgiving feast on Thursday, Nov. 26, from 1 to 8 p.m. For anyone who wants Thanksgiving dinner made for them without leaving town, that seven-hour window is the one firm option on the November calendar.

The quiet stretch matters for planning December too, because the season comes back all at once.

Thursday, Dec. 3: the Village returns, with a bigger closure

The Riviera Village Association's Holiday Stroll is Thursday, Dec. 3, 2026, from 5 to 9 p.m. It uses the same Catalina Avenue blocks as Halloween, from Avenue I to South Elena. This time Avenue I is also closed to cars between South Catalina and South Elena.

That extra block is where the event's center sits. The Jolly Maker's Market is set up on Avenue I. Stores stay open late and serve refreshments while you shop, and the program lists a carousel, interactive attractions, Santa and the Grinch, and large lighted letters spelling holiday phrases for card photos. The association also suggests booking dinner ahead, which matters more on a Thursday when Village restaurants are serving regular weeknight customers too.

Parking works a little differently than on Halloween:

1. The triangle lot and open street spaces are metered, payable by coin or credit card.
2. Plaza Riviera at 1611 S. Catalina Ave. is private property offering flat-rate parking good through midnight. Payment is entirely online through parkorcharge.com or QR codes posted in the building, using Apple Pay, Google Pay or a major credit card.
3. The garage will be ticketing. Park in any space not marked reserved, and note your space number and license plate when you pay.
4. Mira Mar Park at 201 Paseo de la Playa is a paid lot two blocks away.

Set up Apple Pay or Google Pay before you leave home. The association recommends it for the garage, and the flat rate through midnight means a long dinner after the Stroll costs nothing extra.

Saturday, Dec. 12: the harbor runs from 1 to 7 p.m.

Nine days after the Stroll, the harbor stages the longest single day of the season. Three events from two organizers fill the hours from early afternoon to evening, with the first two overlapping by half an hour.

1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The Redondo Pier Association's Pier Holiday Celebration at Fisherman's Wharf, on the west end of the pier, with a holiday photo station, carolers, arts and crafts and a holiday concert.

1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Candy Cane Lane on the pier and boardwalk, while supplies last. It follows the same pattern as Halloween, with the giveaway in the first hour.

3:30 to 5:00 p.m. The Paddle Craft Parade on the water, which the parade organizers pair with an invitation to join the Ugly Sweater Paddle Parade.

5:30 to 7:00 p.m. The King Harbor Holiday Boat Parade, with decorated boats parading through King Harbor. This year's theme is "Celebrating 250 Years – USA Salute!", so expect red, white and blue alongside the usual holiday lights.

The paddle parade starts half an hour before the pier celebration ends, so there is no dead time between the afternoon and the water events. The only real break is the half hour from 5 to 5:30, after the paddlers finish and before the boats appear. That is about enough time to walk from the wharf to a viewing spot. The parade site still lists the Concert on the Pier time as TBD, so check back before you plan around it.

Where to stand for the boats

The 2026 parade page names two best viewing locations:

• Moonstone Park
• Mole D along the Splash Wall

The same page notes that King Harbor Yacht Club is not open to the public for the event. The club promotes the parade on its own site, and the boats move through the harbor next to it, but watching from the club deck is not an option for the public. Boat owners who want to be in the parade rather than watch it can register through the parade site. There is also a program for decorating someone else's boat.

The season, by stage

Laid out in order, the calendar shows the pattern:

The harbor opens the season and closes it. Riviera Village holds the two nights in between, and both times it closes the same stretch of Catalina Avenue from Avenue I to South Elena. Of the six dates, only one, Dec. 12, asks you to give up a whole afternoon and evening.

Whether you are in a costume on the pier tomorrow or on the Splash Wall on Dec. 12, these are the nights when Redondo Beach is out on its own streets and waterfront. If watching the boats come past Moonstone Park has you thinking about what living closer to the harbor or the Village would look like, Gary E. Richardson knows both parts of town well. Schedule a private consultation with Gary.