North Manhattan Beach's Holiday Stroll Kept Its Street Closure. Here's Why It Lands on a Sunday.

On Sunday, December 6, Highland Avenue in the North End is set to fill with people again for the North Manhattan Beach Holiday Stroll, listed for 4 to 8 p.m. Last year was the first time the street closed for it. This year the closure comes back because of a unanimous City Council vote in August. The stroll's whole format grew out of one condition the city set before it would close the road, and that condition was the day of the week.

A Thursday version had already been turned down, and the city's traffic engineer said plainly that he would oppose a weekday closure of Highland.

The Day of the Week Made the Case

The North Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District first asked to close Highland for the holiday stroll in 2024. The Parks and Recreation Commission turned it down, and that request was for a Thursday night, Easy Reader reported. When the BID came back in 2025 with a Sunday date, the commission and the City's Special Events Committee both approved it, as long as the event stayed on a Sunday.

At the July 2025 council meeting, City traffic engineer Erik Zandvliet explained why, as quoted by Easy Reader:

"Sunday is a very light day. It's actually the lightest day of the week for Highland Avenue. So that's why we're not opposing a Sunday. We would oppose a Thursday closure, because there's 25,000 cars a day on Highland Avenue on a weekday. On this Sunday, during this time period, we're probably talking about 5,000 cars."

That comes to about one-fifth of weekday traffic. The plan he described sends both directions of traffic down Manhattan Avenue between Rosecrans Avenue and 33rd Street. Moving the stroll off its traditional Thursday night was the price of closing the street.

A Small District With a Small Budget

The road closure mattered because the North End's business district has very little money to work with. In a BID, local businesses agree to tax themselves to pay for improvements to their district. Jill Lamkin, CEO of the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce, told the council that the North Manhattan Beach BID "only get[s] about $30,000 a year," according to Easy Reader's coverage.

With that budget, the BID's plan was to open the stroll to paying vendors and see whether they would bring people out. Lamkin explained why that works on Highland when it wouldn't work everywhere. Because the North End has few retailers, a vendor who might compete with downtown shops doesn't compete with anyone there. The BID was looking at vendors who had worked the Hometown Fair, Riviera Village and Fiesta Hermosa.

Lamkin also presented the closure as the safer setup. She said that in past years, wherever there was entertainment on the Highland sidewalks, the crowd "was spilling over into the streets," and the Parks and Rec commission had raised the same concern. "I actually think this is a much safer option," she said. On parking, she called it "a hyper-localized event" where the people who come are "walking from their homes."

What the 2025 Pilot Looked Like

For the first time, Highland Avenue closed between 33rd Street and Rosecrans Avenue for a 5 to 9 p.m. event. The MB News previewed two entertainment stages, one for kids and one for adults, plus a kids' train, Santa on a float with a professional photographer, a face painter, a balloon twister, a magician and two stilt walkers in lighted costumes. A holiday market had more than 35 vendors.

The street's own businesses took part as well. Last year's highlights included:

• Denton & Denton Group: Emily V on electronic violin, kids' giveaways and drinks
• El Porto Surf Shop and Player's Liquor: a tent on the closed part of Highland, food in front of Player's and live music upstairs at the surf shop
• Manhattan Beach E-Bike Rentals: snacks and hot apple cider
• MB Skin Spa: a seasonal offer and snacks for kids
• Nick & Sons: a keg, homemade chili and a gift basket station
• Round Willow Yoga: a sale and a pop-up market
• Style Cleaners: tamales and hot chocolate

In 2025, the road was closed from 3 to 10 p.m., and parking was prohibited from 2 to 10 p.m. on Highland and on parts of 33rd, 34th, 35th and Rosecrans toward Crest Drive. The El Porto Beach lot stayed open. Those were last year's hours. The 2026 closure times had not been posted as of late October.

Thousands of residents came. Easy Reader's 2025 year in review called the expanded festival, with its curated marketplace and Santa staying until after 9 p.m., "a gamble that paid off." Lamkin's verdict in that piece: "It was honestly kind of the best of everything that could happen."

The Pilot Became a Budget Item

The 2025 closure was approved as a one-time pilot, so it wasn't in the city's budget for fiscal year 2027. At the August 18, 2026 City Council meeting, staff reported that the pilot had been successful and that the Chamber wanted the closure to continue every year. Staff laid out four options. At one end, the city would pay for everything. At the other, the council would deny the closure.

The council chose the middle. It approved the road closure and set aside $9,000 for unbudgeted third-party costs, and the North Manhattan Beach BID pays third-party costs up to $12,500. The motion passed 5–0. Staff also said that starting with the next subsidy cycle, the stroll will go through the city's standard review for event subsidies. That would let any approved support become part of the regular budget.

Compare the two figures. The BID's share alone could come to about 40 percent of the roughly $30,000 Lamkin said it takes in each year. The district is putting a large part of its budget into this one Sunday.

For 2026, the BID's Holiday Stroll page names the same closed stretch, Highland from 33rd Street to Rosecrans. It promotes Santa, live entertainment, carolers, a Holiday Market and offerings from local shops and restaurants. The 4 to 8 p.m. listing starts and ends an hour earlier than last year's event. Closure hours, parking rules and a merchant list for 2026 should appear on the city's event pages closer to the date.

Where December 6 Falls in the Season

The North End's Sunday is one of several dates on a season that is now set.

The Downtown Holiday Open House is on a Wednesday because downtown is set up differently. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive at Metlox Plaza at 5 p.m., with Mychal's Cafe pouring cocoa and Frontier Kettle Corn popping. From 6 p.m., real reindeer will be near {pages} a bookstore, The Lucky Ones play at 10th Street, Larry the Taco Guy sets up at 13th and Manhattan Avenue, and Danger Dogs plays at MB Watch. The Manhattan Beach Middle School choir sings on the pier at 6 p.m., the Mira Costa High School choir at 6:30 p.m., and 80 living Christmas trees light up at 7 p.m. The City's event page says downtown streets will close that day and that no cart or extra vendors are allowed. That rule makes sense for a district full of storefronts. The North End's open-door vendor market makes sense for the opposite reason.

The stroll's Sunday also falls on the busiest weekend of the season. On Sunday morning, December 6, Holiday Crafts with Santa runs from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Manhattan Heights Park, and registration is required. The stroll opens on Highland that afternoon. The weekend also falls during Chanukah, which JCC Manhattan Beach lists as December 4 to 12, 2026.

A week later, the Skechers Holiday Fireworks program starts at 3 p.m. with a Snow Park in the upper south lot above the pier. The Snow Park opens to the public from 4 to 6 p.m., and admission is an unwrapped toy or canned food item for the YMCA Adventure Guides. Blankets are allowed on Manhattan Beach Boulevard between Highland and the pier starting at 4 p.m., or once public safety officials say the street is safe. A celebration of the Hanukkah season begins at 6 p.m., Joe's Band plays holiday hits from 6:15 p.m., and the fireworks start at 7 p.m., rain or shine unless the weather is severe.

The two biggest street events of December both fall on Sundays. For the North End, the Sunday date was the condition the city set before it would close Highland.

The team at Accardo Real Estate Associates loves seeing Highland Avenue filled with neighbors, and we'll share the 2026 closure map and parking details as soon as the city posts them. If you're thinking about what this season might mean for your own home's timing, request a complimentary market consultation and we'll talk it through over cocoa.