Paradise Valley's Holiday Calendar Is Written by Its Resorts

Where does Paradise Valley light its holiday tree? The Town's December 2026 calendar lists Coffee with a Cop on December 2 and no tree lighting at all. The November calendar doesn't list one either.

This season's lights, Santa photos, garden concerts and midnight toasts are all on resort property, inside the Town limits. Nearly all of them are priced per person and booked through a reservation system. That changes how you plan. The date of an event matters less than the number of seats it has and how far ahead people book them.

What Town Hall Puts on the Calendar

The Town's own November is short and practical. Both of its free events happen at the same address on Lincoln Drive.

The 2026 Veterans' Appreciation Vintage Car Show is Saturday, November 14, in the Town Hall parking lot at 6401 E. Lincoln Drive. The Town describes it as one of its annual signature events. Admission is free. The Paradise Valley Independent reported that public hours run 8:30 to 11:15 a.m. The Town's alert gives the window as 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., so plan on arriving early. The same report says owners of pre-1986 cars, trucks and motorcycles can register a vehicle for $50, with proceeds going to Military Assistance Mission and Sentinels of Freedom.

One week later, on Saturday, November 21, the Paradise Valley Police Department holds its Safely Shred event at the Municipal Complex from 8 a.m. to noon. The Paradise Valley Independent reported that residents can bring up to five standard business shred boxes and unwanted electronics. CRT televisions and monitors aren't accepted. The Town's event listing says the department co-hosts with Paradise Valley Wealth Management. Participation is free for residents, and donations are voluntary.

Town Hall also has art on the walls this season. Martin Galbut's artist-in-residence exhibit opened October 13 and stays up for a year. If you're already at Town Hall for the car show or the shredding, you can see it on the way in or out.

The Town's calendar stops there. Everything with garland on it is a few minutes away at the resorts.

The Free Tree Lighting, and the Date to Confirm

The free, public tree lighting this year is at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia, at the base of Camelback Mountain. The resort's holiday page lists "Omni Lights Up the Holidays" on December 4 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Cortijo Plaza. The page lists a live drumline, Santa photos, s'mores, cookie decorating and hot cocoa, and calls the event "complimentary and open to the public."

There is a wrinkle. Omni's October 22, 2026 company announcement says its properties nationwide will light their trees at the same moment on November 28 at 6 p.m. local time, with free cookies and sweets in each hotel lobby. Montelucia's own page uses the same event name and gives December 4. Neither source explains the difference, so call the resort to confirm the date before you bring children for the drumline.

Montelucia also opens the season's first holiday bar. Blitzen's runs at Centro Bar from November 28 through January 3. Omni's announcement says the Blitzen's menu this year comes from mixologist Julie Reiner. New items include Santa's Soirée, a gin and sparkling wine cocktail, and a zero-proof drink called Elf Elixir, though the menu varies by property.

From the tree lighting on, everything at Montelucia needs a reservation. Breakfast with Santa at Prado is December 12 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the resort says reservations are required. At Joya Spa, the seasonal "Gathering Season" menu runs November 22 through January 2. It includes a 60-minute Season of Shine hair treatment at $115 Sunday through Thursday or $135 Friday and Saturday, and an 80-minute couples Shared Escape at $810 or $860. Until November 21, the current "Golden Light" menu offers a Sunlit Citrus Pedicure from $115 and a Golden Hour Facial from $205.

Where the Seats Are Counted

The free events have no upper limit. Some ticketed ones do, and those fill first.

The clearest example is in the garden at The Hermosa Inn. On Sunday, November 15, The Long Table at Casa Hermosa seats forty guests at two long tables in the garden of the house cowboy artist Lon Megargee built in the 1930s. Bob Boze Bell, executive editor of True West Magazine, tells stories of Arizona's outlaws and lawmen between courses. Executive Chef Brian Peterson cooks a four-course harvest dinner. Arrival is at 6 p.m. and dinner starts at 6:30. The price is $195 per person, which includes wine, cocktails and mocktails, plus tax and gratuity. With forty seats in a town of resort regulars, this is the event on the calendar most likely to sell out.

That same weekend gives you a full Paradise Valley day without leaving Lincoln Drive. You can see vintage cars at Town Hall Saturday morning and sit at the long table in Lon Megargee's garden Sunday night.

Saturday, November 21 has a similar pairing. Shredding at the Municipal Complex starts at 8 a.m. Mimosa & Monet at LON's runs 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Carrie Curran Art Studios leads the class, and the November canvas is called "Everlasting Sunset." The $120 price includes instruction, supplies, tax and gratuity, a mimosa, coffee and pastries. A December 12 session paints "Desert Jewels."

Mountain Shadows shows a different kind of limit. Its Jungle Rhythms: Holiday Edition on December 19 runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with breathwork, music, cold plunges and a wellness community market. Tickets are $75. The $65 early-bird rate was available only through October 30. The event page adds that pool access is limited to resort guests. So a ticket gets you into the event, but part of the resort stays reserved for overnight guests.

The Season, Priced Per Person

Sorted by date, the season covers everything from free cocoa to a $250 tequila dinner.

A few lines in the table need more detail. At Sanctuary, the Cigar & Tequila Dinner on November 11 is a prix fixe menu paired with Casa Dragones. The martini class at Elements starts at 3 p.m. and includes a charcuterie station. Christmas Day dinner at Elements has seatings from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. The child price applies to ages 12 and under. Elements' New Year's Eve dinner is $185 per person, with seatings from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

At The Hermosa Inn, the gingerbread workshop on December 13 runs 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each group builds one house while a holiday brunch buffet is served, and a cash bar is open in the garden. You book the number of guests first, then add the number of houses. The Esteban concert on December 20 runs 3 to 4:30 p.m. with light tapas and wine, and LON's offers dinner reservations before or after the show. LON's charges $135 plus tax and gratuity per adult and $35 per child for its Christmas Eve and Christmas Day prix fixe dinners. Patio seating is requested and not guaranteed. On New Year's Eve, the early seating runs 5 to 6:45 p.m. The later seating at $230 leads into live music that lasts until 12:30 a.m. Lead Sommelier Brian Downey's wine pairings add $100 per person.

Montelucia doesn't post holiday dinner prices. Christmas Eve at Prado runs 4 to 9 p.m. and Christmas Day brunch runs 7 a.m. to noon. New Year's Eve pairs a five-course prix fixe dinner at Prado with live music at Mbar and a midnight champagne toast. All three require reservations.

Not everything requires a reservation. At Mountain Shadows, the Hearth '61 bar has a new Literary Collection, a menu of book-themed cocktails and mocktails at $17 to $21. It's the one new item this season that needs no ticket.

The Town hosts a car show and a shredding morning. The resorts host the rest, and apart from Montelucia's tree lighting, every resort event in the table costs money. The Long Table's forty seats go first, so book that one now and confirm the Montelucia tree lighting date by phone.

If you're hosting family this December and want to talk about your home in Paradise Valley, Marianne Bazan is available for a private consultation and a confidential market evaluation.