"Draw the public's eyes up." That phrase comes from a September 1, 2026 City Council staff report. It explains why Rodeo Drive will look different this holiday season. The street at eye level is boarded up for flagship construction. So the 2026 décor goes up into the palms. Meanwhile, the citywide program that lights Camden, La Cienega and the rest of the business district is being cut by more than a third.
The two changes go in opposite directions, and they come from two different budgets. Together they set the 2026 season's shape. More of the holiday effect sits on three blocks of Rodeo and at palm-crown height. Less of it sits on the side streets residents drive every evening.
Two Budgets, Moving in Opposite Directions
The Rodeo Drive décor and the citywide décor are paid for separately. The Rodeo program, including the lighting celebration, is funded by the Transient Occupancy Tax. Beverly Hills collects 14 percent of gross room sales from its hotels. One-seventh of that has set the Tourism and Marketing budget for about 27 years. The citywide décor comes from a separate capital budget, through an agreement with Utopia Worldwide, Inc.
That split is how both changes can happen at once:
| Holiday line item | Prior year | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Rodeo Drive décor | $497,652.10 budgeted | $566,959.20 approved |
| Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration | No sponsorship model | $712,575 total, including $45,000 in sponsorship |
| Citywide holiday décor | Baseline | Cost reduced 37% |
The prior-year Rodeo figure comes from a June 30, 2026 city memo. The 2026 approved figure, the event total and the citywide reduction come from the September staff report. So the Rodeo décor budget rose by roughly 14 percent year over year. The citywide program was reviewed under the city's zero-based budget process with a goal of cutting annual costs by 50 percent. It came in 37 percent lower for 2026.
The June memo also shows the comparison set the Rodeo Drive Committee used for its budget: Fifth Avenue, Worth Avenue, Bond Street, the Champs-Élysées, Via Monte Napoleone and Orchard Road, among others. By its research, an "iconic global destination" spends $2 million to $5 million a year on holiday décor. Rodeo's 2026 figure falls within the range the memo assigns to a "major luxury destination."
Why Rodeo's Lights Went Into the Palms
The construction on Rodeo is hard to miss. In the June 30 committee meeting, the large sidewalk board-ups were tied to two projects. Tiffany & Co. is building a new flagship at 360 N. Rodeo Drive. Beverly Press reported that work would run from February 2026 to June 2028. Cartier's three-story store at 370 N. Rodeo Drive is targeting a July to September 2027 opening, according to Beverly Press. Neither store opens this season. Both will still be behind barricades in December.
The June memo said this directly. There is "quite a bit of construction with sidewalk barricades currently on Rodeo Drive, and more to come this year." The answer was to add decoration across the street, so that sections where the median "may not be as visible from the sidewalk" still read as decorated. The first plan called for four lit wreath garlands strung across Rodeo. Then the light poles failed the test. The September report cites "the structural integrity of the street light poles" as a potential safety issue.
The replacement builds on something already familiar from past seasons. The "dripping" lights in the median palms have run on the block for several years with what the report calls "a slow, elegant movement." This year they expand to every sidewalk palm. Strands will also run from sidewalk to median, 16 in total instead of the four garlands, at the same approved budget. Public Works evaluated the design and found no risk to tree health or to pedestrians and vehicles.
At street level, the median carries the gemstone theme Council approved on July 21 as "50 Years of Brilliance." The plan includes:
- Five median vignettes of wreaths, gifts and holiday icons such as menorahs, each scaled to 16 feet and each in its own color scheme
- Two oversized gems on gift-box bases, up to 12 feet tall, at the median endcaps, added to pull people in from Wilshire and South Santa Monica Boulevard
- Sparkling platforms by day, with lit bases and wreaths at night
The city frames the theme around the Rodeo Drive Committee's 50th anniversary. The committee's own history page dates its founding to 1977, with Fred Hayman as a driving force, and places the milestone in 2027. The committee has been marking it across both years. Beverly Press covered an August 12 tribute to Hayman at the Beverly Wilshire. It also covered the Timepieces and Fine Jewelry week that ran October 5 through 11.
What the Rest of the City Keeps, and What Goes Dark
The citywide cut shows up on specific streets. Here is what the September report says stays and what is discontinued for 2026.
Staying:
- Warm white lights throughout the business district
- The Santa and reindeer display
- Wilshire spans
- Beverly Canon Gardens, with the same décor as the last two years
- The Beverly Gardens Park menorah scene and tree
- The Lily Pond lights show, reusing earlier programming
- Robertson Boulevard pole lights and lit garland with bows
- White street spans on North Beverly and North Canon
- Canopy spheres on South Beverly
- Snowflakes on South Santa Monica Boulevard west of Wilshire
- Bows, garland and background audio in the Triangle
- A static projection on the Crescent side of City Hall
Discontinued:
- The Jolly Trolley
- Banner uplighting
- Colored lights and canopy spheres on La Cienega
- Colored lights and canopy décor on Camden Drive
La Cienega and Camden keep their year-round white twinkle lights. Those twinkle lights move from yearly to every-other-year replacement. Staff are also looking at lighting every other tree instead of every tree in some areas. The citywide banners stay on the design they have used for three years. Rodeo gets its own banners: 28 in total, 10 on the sidewalk and 18 in the median. Council was asked to choose black and gold, red and silver, or blue and silver. The final color hadn't been made public as of mid-October.
So the lighting is now concentrated in a few places. Rodeo is fuller than last year. The Triangle, Robertson and the Beverly Gardens Park display hold steady. Two streets east of the Triangle lose their seasonal color.
November 19, Built Without a Headliner
The Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration is set for Thursday, November 19, from 5 to 8 p.m. It covers all three blocks of Rodeo and is free and open to the public, according to the Love Beverly Hills listing. Past editions have drawn up to 10,000 people.
The street closures matter more to residents than the program does. They run from Wednesday, November 18 at 9 p.m. until Friday, November 20 at 6 a.m.:
- Rodeo Drive from South Santa Monica Boulevard to Wilshire
- Dayton Way from Rodeo to the alleys on either side
- Brighton Way from Rodeo to the alleys on either side
Access to the city's Brighton Garage and Two Rodeo Garage will stay open through the alleys. Access to the Rodeo Collection garage on the 400 block was set to be worked out with the tenants it affects.
The program shows the budget logic again. The committee said it would rather fund the longer-lasting décor than the one-night event, and the report lists "no headliner talent." The proposed stage at Brighton and Rodeo has three hours of entertainment. The lineup includes host Aly, DJ Lady Sha, The Noelles, the Tenors, an LED violinist and a Pacific Islander-themed holiday performance. Guests come from Debbie Allen Dance Academy, For the Record, The Wallis and West Side Ballet. On the street, the plan adds holiday skaters, stilt walkers, an oversized tricycle and a Santa photo spot with the Beverly Hills trolley as backdrop. There is one wine garden, plus food trucks and stands from local businesses. That lineup is from the September proposal, so treat individual acts as planned rather than final.
One stage slot goes to a newcomer. "Rodeo Drive Has Talent" took applications through today, October 12. The selected act is announced October 20 and performs on the 19th, per the Rodeo Drive Committee. Last year's stage featured Chris Mann, Hugh Sheridan, James Tormé and Bei Bei.
The fireworks are paid for differently this year. The Beverly Hills Standard reported that Council approved the city's $667,575 purchase order with J. Ben Bourgeois Productions on September 22. The remaining $45,000 is to be raised through the Rodeo Drive Committee. The staff report names Gearys, Auto Vault and Two Rodeo Drive as the local sponsors. It says that money covers the fireworks finale, which city funding alone left out. A second wine garden would need more sponsors. It also says the event "has not traditionally had a sponsorship model." Rain is a cost the budget doesn't cover. Last year's rain plan cost $42,875, only the second time in a decade one was needed.
The Dates Around the Lights
The Rodeo décor is lit from November 19 into early January. The season also has a few dates on either side:
- October 28 to November 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Fleurs de Villes, "The Gilded Age," at Greystone Mansion & Gardens, 905 Loma Vista Drive
- November 8, 8 a.m. to noon: a free shredding, compost and pumpkin recycling event at the Beverly Hills Farmers' Market on the 9300 block of Civic Center Drive
- November 18, 9 p.m.: Rodeo closures begin
- November 19, 5 to 8 p.m.: the Holiday Lighting Celebration
- December 7, 5 p.m.: the community menorah lighting at Beverly Gardens Park, as recommended by staff
Hanukkah begins on Friday, December 4, 2026. Staff recommended moving the Mayor-led menorah lighting to Monday, December 7, the fourth night, so it would not interfere with the Sabbath. It takes place beside the menorah display at Beverly Gardens Park.
A street's look in December can say a lot about its next few years. The Tiffany and Cartier barricades behind this season's dripping lights mark two flagships that will reshape the 300 block of Rodeo by 2028. If you want to know what the construction on Rodeo, or on your own block, could mean for your home's value, The Alligood Group can walk you through it. Schedule a Private Consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
