Rancho Palos Verdes’ official civic tree lighting at the Ken Dyda Civic Center — real snow, sledding, cocoa and coffee, festive crafts, a holiday popup shop, and the lighting of the city’s decorated tree.
The City of Rancho Palos Verdes hosts its Annual Tree Lighting at the Ken Dyda Civic Center — the official civic kickoff to the season for the Peninsula’s largest city. The setting is the city’s central civic campus, just off Hawthorne Boulevard, with the Pacific not far off.
The evening runs from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM and is built around family activities: snow play and sledding with real snow trucked in for the event, cocoa and coffee, festive crafts, a holiday pop-up shop, and the grand lighting of the city’s decorated tree. All activities are complimentary, supported by city partners and sponsors.
For families across Rancho Palos Verdes, the rest of the Peninsula, and the broader South Bay, this is the season’s official anchor — distinct from the smaller, more intimate Palos Verdes Estates Tree Lighting at Malaga Cove Plaza, which runs the same general weekend at a different city’s plaza.
At 30940 Hawthorne Boulevard in Rancho Palos Verdes — the city’s central civic campus, accessible from Hawthorne Blvd. and the surrounding Peninsula arterials.
From 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM each year. The tree is lit during the evening program.
Yes — the tree lighting, snow play, sledding, cocoa, crafts, and pop-up shop activities are all complimentary.
Yes — real snow is trucked in each year for sledding and snow play; one of the few Peninsula events offering this.
Two different city events. PV Estates’ tree lighting at Malaga Cove Plaza is smaller, calmer, and Spanish-plaza in setting. RPV’s at Ken Dyda Civic Center is larger, with real snow and sledding. Both families often do both as a Peninsula tradition.
The Ken Dyda Civic Center at 30940 Hawthorne Boulevard is Rancho Palos Verdes‘ central civic campus — City Hall, the council chambers, and the open civic grounds used for the city’s outdoor events. The campus sits on Hawthorne Boulevard, the Peninsula’s main arterial, and serves the city of nearly 42,000 spread across the southeast Palos Verdes Peninsula. The Pacific lies a couple of miles south down the bluff; on a clear day, the ocean is visible from the high points along the campus.
Southern California’s holiday lights and festive outings are pure magic — but nothing compares to Santa Claus himself stepping through your own front door. House of Kringle brings a real-bearded, professionally trained Santa to homes and gatherings across SoCal for an intimate live visit your family will treasure for years.
