"The nature of activation is seemingly changing on our oceanfront," Deputy City Manager Peter James told the City Council in June, as reported by the Santa Monica Daily Press. Residents get their first real look at that change this holiday season. The skating rink at 5th and Arizona returns under a new name. Thirteen days later, a ticketed Swiss Christmas market with its own rink opens on the Pier's parking deck. That market is the first holiday event licensed under the city's new push to run its beachfront like a major-events venue, with a projected 250,000 to 400,000 visitors between Nov. 18 and Jan. 3.
The two holiday calendars, side by side
| Frost on Fifth | Swiss Winter Village | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | 1324 5th St., at Arizona Ave. | Event Deck, 200 Santa Monica Pier |
| Season | Nov. 5, 2026 to Jan. 18, 2027 | Nov. 18, 2026 to Jan. 3, 2027 |
| Weekday hours | Mon–Fri, 3 to 10 p.m. | Mon–Wed 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thu–Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Weekend hours | Noon to 10 p.m., holidays too | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Run by | Downtown Santa Monica | Swiss Xmas Inc., under a city license |
| Tickets | frostonfifth.com | Fever app or website, plus an on-site box office |
The Pier village keeps Christmas Eve to 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and stays open until 1 a.m. on New Year's Eve.
Fifth Street opens first and closes last
The downtown rink is back at its usual corner. Downtown Santa Monica calls it "Santa Monica's favorite holiday tradition." The location hasn't changed, but the name has: tickets now go through Frost on Fifth, while the old ICE at Santa Monica site still says the rink returns in November.
On the calendar, the downtown rink outlasts the new arrival at both ends. Frost on Fifth opens Nov. 5, 13 days before the Pier village. It also stays open through Jan. 18, 15 days after the Swiss chalets close. So for four weeks of the season, Fifth Street is the only rink in town. That includes Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, which falls in the stretch after the market packs up.
Its weekday schedule starts at 3 p.m., which works for an after-school or after-work skate. The Pier village opens at 11 a.m. every day, so it's the one that fits a lunch visit. Downtown Santa Monica says to "stay tuned" for special 2026 skating events and hasn't posted this season's admission price yet.
What the Pier village sells, and what residents pay
Swiss Winter Village is a bigger outing than a skate. The organizers, who run Christmas markets in Switzerland, list more than 60 chalets. About 30 of them serve food, including raclette, Swiss sweets, mulled wine and street food from around the world. The rest of the deck holds artisan gifts, a merry-go-round, a children's corner, storytelling, face painting, concerts, stilt walkers and DJ sets. Time Out Los Angeles covered the opening on Oct. 18 and also mentioned rotating vendors and craft workshops. Santa portraits run Nov. 27 through Dec. 20, Thursday to Sunday, 1 to 7 p.m. They're included in your village session, with no separate reservation.
General entry on the Fever ticket page is $12.90 for ages 13 and up and $8.90 for children 4 to 12. A $10.90 discounted ticket covers seniors 65 and older, students, military and Santa Monica residents. For residents, that's $2 off adult admission.
The rink costs extra. The organizer's bundles list these starting prices:
- Silver, $20.90: entry and the rink
- Family, $18.90: entry and the rink at a family discount
- Gold, $39.90: adds skip-the-line entry and one ride at Pacific Park, such as the Pacific Wheel or West Coaster
- Platinum, $64.90: adds an unlimited Pacific Park ride wristband and a grab-and-go chalet raclette
When the Council approved the event, it also approved more for locals than the discount tier. The Daily Press reported that the package includes 1,000 free tickets for nonprofit groups, with priority for under-resourced youth and foster families. It also includes a free Candlelight concert, discounted or free admission windows for people in Santa Monica ZIP codes, and a "senior golden hour" with earlier hours and senior-center partnerships. So far, the ticket page offers only the $10.90 resident tier. It doesn't yet show dates for the free windows, the golden hour or the concert.
Why the city put a market on its parking deck
The money explains the scale. The Council approved the license at its June 23 meeting. The deal projects 250,000 to 400,000 visitors over the run, and the city receives $320,200 or 8% of net ticket revenue, whichever is greater. City staff said the deal was set up to recover the city's full costs, with no city subsidy expected.
The rules behind it are new too. The license relies on the Major Special Events Ordinance, adopted in April, to waive some city limits on construction hours, noise and signage. The organizer agreed to point background music inward and check sound levels where the event meets existing Pier tenants. Major Events Manager Aaron Orozco presented the deal. The same night, James described an upcoming renegotiation with the Santa Monica Pier Corporation over who handles event intake, permits and revenue on the Pier deck.
The deal also looks after existing businesses. Senior Project Manager Meghan Foster told the Council, "We're going to heavily weight local Santa Monica businesses to prioritize them in that vendor application process." Organizers said they were working with the Santa Monica Pier Lessees Association and Pacific Park on priority booth access, lower fees and cross-promotion. The Gold and Platinum bundles, which include Pacific Park rides, put that cross-promotion right into the ticket. Councilmember Barry Snell asked the city to coordinate the Pier rink with the Downtown Santa Monica board over the downtown rink.
Getting to the Pier while the deck is closed
The village takes over the Event Deck, which is normally Pier parking. The organizer's FAQ says plainly that the Pier parking deck is closed. Here are the other ways in, according to the Swiss Winter Village visitor page:
- E Line: Downtown Santa Monica station, at 4th Street and Colorado Avenue, is about a 10-minute walk to the Pier.
- Rideshare drop-off at 1550 Appian Way: This lets you out on the beach side near Lot 1 North, away from Ocean Avenue and Pier Bridge traffic. Stairs and wheelchair-accessible ramps lead up to the deck.
- Rideshare drop-off at 1515 Ocean Ave.: This is near the Shore Hotel. From there you walk down the Pier bridge at Ocean Avenue and Colorado. There's another pickup and drop-off zone on Ocean Avenue just north of Colorado, along Palisades Park.
- Parking: Use the Civic Center Garage at 333 Civic Center Dr. or Lot 1N at 1550 Pacific Coast Highway. Accessible parking is in Beach Lot 1 North and Lot 1-S on Appian Way.
Big Blue Bus and Metro buses also stop near the Pier. The organizer recommends booking ahead, since tickets may sell out before you reach the box office.
After the chalets come down
The village is meant to be the start of a run of events, and the fall made that clear. Erosion from Hurricane Marie over Labor Day weekend wiped out the beach site south of the Pier. That canceled the first Ocean Way Festival, a partnership between the city and Goldenvoice, which produces Coachella. The city's Sept. 17 release said storm surf pushed the high-tide line 96 feet inland of the festival's planned fire lane. Public Works crews are moving sand to the Pico-Kenter outfall, building a berm along the water's edge and clearing all five beach storm drains before winter. The Pier itself was never damaged or closed.
Five weeks after the market closes on Jan. 3, the same stretch hosts its next big event. ESPN will base its Super Bowl LXI coverage at ESPN Beach, with daily programming live from the Pier starting Monday, Feb. 8, 2027. Free fan activations run in the days before the Feb. 14 game at SoFi Stadium. Ocean Way is planned for 2027, with dates still to come from Goldenvoice. In 2028, the city expects to host Olympic hospitality houses, including Club France and the House of Switzerland. Frost on Fifth runs through Jan. 18, after the Pier village has packed up.
Thinking about how Santa Monica's busier oceanfront calendar fits with your plans for your home? The Palacios Group follows changes like these block by block. Reach out to our team for a free home valuation and a local read on what's changing near you.
