Coronado's 2026 Holiday Season Leans Toward The Del, Starting With Its Old Laundry

The Laundry at Hotel del Coronado dates to 1919, when the hotel was already three decades old. This season The Del is putting the building to work as the Holiday Lodge, with lights, décor, a pub-style menu, holiday shopping, and a children's table for cookie and stocking decorating. The Lodge is open on select dates from November 25 through January 3.

The Lodge is the clearest sign of a shift on the island this year. The Holiday Parade has always ended at The Del. In 2026, more of the season's calendar ends up there too.

A Finished Restoration Changes What The Del Can Offer

Timing explains part of it. The Del's August 27, 2026 holiday announcement describes a restoration of more than $550 million that is now finished. It covers the restored Victorian guestrooms, a revitalized Beach Village, and a new villa neighborhood called Shore House. This is the first holiday season in a while without a construction schedule in the way, and The Del is using the extra room.

This year's theme is "A Holiday Through Time." Christmas trees around the property will each represent an era of the hotel's history, which dates back to its first guests in 1888. The two-story tree is back in the lobby. Skating by the Sea, the Frostbite Lounge, the Beachside Igloos, and holiday dinners in the Crown Room all return as well. The season runs from November 20, 2026, through January 3, 2027.

The Laundry is booked twice. It hosts the Holiday Lodge through the season, then a New Year's Eve party on December 31 with a live band, an open bar, passed bites, and a dessert bar. The hotel's own release describes the Lodge as open to "guests and locals." On the island, that phrase covers anyone within walking or biking distance of Orange Avenue.

One condition applies to nearly everything on the list. The Del says all holiday events require a reservation and must be prepaid to confirm, and bookings go through hoteldel.com or 619-522-8100. The one listing The Del describes as complimentary is the Lightshow Spectacular, a 10-minute show among the Norfolk Island pines on Founders Lawn, set to a holiday soundtrack and ending with snow flurries. It starts every 30 minutes from 5 to 9 p.m. every night of the season. With a show every half hour, it's the easiest thing on the property to fit into an ordinary weeknight.

The First Week of December Holds the Biggest Nights

The Lodge fills the hours between events. The first week of December is when the island's calendar gets most crowded, and The Del sits at the center of it.

1. Saturday, November 28. Coronado MainStreet hosts Shop Small Saturday downtown, and the listing says Santa may make an appearance.
2. Wednesday, December 2. The Del holds its annual community Holiday Festival, with skating, photos with St. Nick, performances by Coronado school children, a skydiving Santa, and fireworks.
3. Friday, December 4. The Coronado Chamber of Commerce's Holiday Parade & Tree Lighting starts at 6 p.m. The parade travels from the Ferry Landing down Orange Avenue to Hotel del Coronado, and local businesses hold open houses along the way.
4. Saturday, December 5. Artisan's Alley is on the island calendar for the day after the parade.

That puts two of the season's biggest community nights two days apart, Wednesday and Friday of the same week, with The Del hosting the first and closing out the second. The Rotary Plaza tree gets lit on parade night. Discover Coronado puts the tree at 120 feet tall with 18,175 lights.

The 2026 parade theme, grand marshal, and street-closure plan haven't been announced yet. Closures from earlier years aren't a reliable guide to this year's map, so check the Coronado Chamber's parade page as December 4 gets closer. Holiday photos with Santa at The Del begin on select dates starting December 4, the same day as the parade. Gingerbread house decorating, with houses the culinary team pre-assembles, starts December 5.

The Rink Keeps Shorter Hours That Same Week

The rink schedule shows where the season tightens. Skating by the Sea opens daily from November 20 through January 3, but the hours depend on the week. Right when the community calendar is busiest, the weekday daytime sessions go away.

During Thanksgiving week the rink opens at 10 a.m. every day. Once December starts, a Tuesday skate means 4 p.m. or later, and a private event closes the rink from 4 to 6 p.m. on November 30. The Del notes that the schedule is subject to change. For a family with school-age kids, the open days fall at the two ends of the season, Thanksgiving week and the winter-break stretch from December 18. The middle of December is limited to weekends and evenings.

General admission runs $35 to $45 per person for a 90-minute session. Hotel guests, members, military, and first responders get $5 off. The rink has supported Make-A-Wish San Diego for more than 20 years, and part of this year's proceeds will go there again. Ocean weather can still interfere. The Del says wind and strong sun can affect the ice. Skating continues in light rain, and if heavy rain or a storm closes the venue, tickets are rescheduled or refunded.

If you'd rather watch than skate, the rink is visible from the Sun Deck, Babcock & Story Bar, Nobu, Veranda, and Serẽa. Holiday Movies on the Beach run Friday and Saturday nights from November 20 through December 31, with optional bonfire and daybed upgrades. Reservations are required.

After the Parade, the Calendar Spreads Back Across the Island

After parade week, events move out from The Del to the rest of Coronado. Discover Coronado's listings include the Holidays in Coronado concert on Saturday, December 12, with shows at 6 and 8 p.m. The Parade of Lights runs December 13 through 20. The Coronado Holiday Cabaret plays December 18 and 19, with 2 and 7 p.m. performances.

The Del's programming keeps going alongside those events. The Jingle Roast runs December 1 through 27, with Santa hats and holiday s'mores at private fire pits that seat up to 10. Victorian Tea is served in the Crown Room December 18 through 22, with a kids' plate on the menu. For holiday meals, there's a Thanksgiving buffet in the Crown Room on November 26, a Christmas Eve buffet on December 24, and Christmas Day brunch in the Crown and Coronet rooms.

On Orange Avenue, the newest dinner option opened just in time for this season. Eater San Diego lists By the Sea's opening date as August 12. The restaurant is upstairs at 1300 Orange Ave. and serves Mediterranean-inspired food. According to the Coronado Times, the 6,500-square-foot space seats 245 indoors and out, and Coronado residents Doug and Lara Hamm are behind it. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that it comes from their group, Black Swan Hospitality, which is also behind Nolita Hall in Little Italy. With room for 245, it has the capacity for a party after the parade.

The Parade Starts at a Ferry Landing Still in Transition

The parade's starting point is changing more slowly. A new restaurant called Maiden Coronado is going in next to Il Fornaio at the Ferry Landing, run by Social Syndicate. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported in January that the building will be nearly 12,000 square feet with a 4,300-square-foot patio. It described the menu as seafood inspired by Southern California and Hawaii, with family options, sports on screens, and acoustic music. That report projected an opening early next year, meaning early 2027, so the restaurant won't be open for this year's parade.

The larger Ferry Landing redevelopment is on a separate track. The Coronado Times reported in June that the Port Commission unanimously approved an option-to-lease agreement for the center, with the redevelopment schedule moved to 2027. On December 4 the parade will start at a waterfront that's still under construction and end at a resort that just finished its own.

If you live along the parade route and are wondering how the island's busiest week shows up in what your home is worth, Whiskey Kidd Realty can walk your block with you before the lights go up and give you a builder's honest read. Request a Free Home Valuation, and we'll have the numbers ready before December 4.