Old Town Tustin’s annual community holiday evening — a Snow Village, stage performances, photos with Santa, kids’ activities, food trucks, and the city tree lighting along the historic El Camino Real commercial corridor.
Each early December, Old Town Tustin closes El Camino Real at 3rd Street for the Christmas Tree Lighting & Holiday Stroll — the community’s defining holiday evening, organized by the City of Tustin and held in the heart of Orange County’s most intact Victorian-era commercial street.
The event runs 6:00 to 8:30 PM with a Snow Village (a feature of this evening, not a separate event), stage performances, photos with Santa, face painting, kids’ activities, vendor shopping at the Dreamers Market (which opens at 5:00 PM), and food trucks throughout. The official tree lighting caps the program, lighting the corridor for the rest of the season. The city’s toy drive accepts new, unwrapped toys and new youth pajamas at the Information Booth.
For families across Tustin, North Tustin, and the broader central OC area, this is the community holiday kickoff. It’s one of the more authentically rooted small-city traditions in central OC — the kind of evening where the original storefronts on the original main street still anchor the December calendar.
Old Town Tustin, at the intersection of El Camino Real and 3rd Street. The historic commercial corridor closes to cars for the event.
The Dreamers Market opens at 5:00 PM. The main event with stage performances, Santa, the Snow Village, and the tree lighting runs from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM.
Yes — the Snow Village is a feature of the Holiday Stroll itself, with snow play for kids in Old Town. It’s part of this event, not a separate destination.
Free street parking is available in all permitted areas surrounding the event. Additional parking is at the Tustin Area Senior Center (200 S C Street) and the Tustin Civic Center (300 Centennial Way).
Yes — Santa is on hand for photos throughout the event. Plan for a short wait around the tree lighting and a shorter one earlier in the window.
Old Town Tustin runs along El Camino Real — one of Orange County’s most intact Victorian-era commercial corridors. The historic blocks between Main Street and 3rd Street include the 19th-century Knights of Pythias Hall, the Stevens House, and the city’s original commercial frontage. The neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places and remains the civic and pedestrian heart of Tustin, with Old Town Plaza, the Stevens Square arcade, and a thriving small-restaurant scene.
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