When does the holiday season start in downtown Modesto? Most of us would say parade night. This year the first date is Saturday, November 21, two weeks before the parade. That's the day Modesto On Ice opens its covered rink for the season.
From there the calendar builds. Thanksgiving week brings three holiday shows at the Gallo Center, and that weekend an art market opens in a new location. On Saturday, December 5, the parade, the tree lighting and a concert matinee all happen on the same day. That same night, the downtown weekend tradition gets going a week earlier than it did last year. Plan around that one Saturday and the rest of the month gets much easier.
November 21: The Rink Opens First
Modesto On Ice opens for the season on November 21, 2026, and runs through January 18, 2027. The operator calls this its 11th year. Single sessions cost $19 for skaters 13 and up and $15 for children ages 3 to 12. The minimum age is 3.
It's open every day of the season, holidays included. Each session lasts 90 minutes: about 80 minutes of skating and 10 minutes for resurfacing. Start times change from day to day, so check the ticket system before you go. Skating walkers rent for $5 a session at the Ticket Booth. Only 35 are available per session, first come, first served, so arrive early if your group needs one.
ModestoView's holiday guide mentions theme nights, group skates, a big covered tent and a snack bar with hot cocoa and hot dogs. If you're planning a December party, the rink also books private events with pizza and loaded hot cocoa. Those bookings opened October 15.
Since the rink is open every day for eight weeks, it doesn't have to compete with the busy weekends. A weeknight session in late November or mid-January is a different trip from a Saturday in December.
Thanksgiving Weekend Fills In Fast
The week after the rink opens is already busy. At the Gallo Center for the Arts, Irish Christmas in America plays the Foster Family Theater on Tuesday, November 24, at 7 p.m. Then come two shows in the Mary Stuart Rogers Theater on Thanksgiving weekend:
- The Carpenters Songbook: At Christmas, Saturday, November 28, at 7:30 p.m.
- Jake Shimabukuro's Holidays in Hawai'i ft. Justin Kawika Young, Sunday, November 29, at 5 p.m.
Those same two days, the Holiday Art Market moves to a new home. ModestoView calls it "a special new location," inside the Graffiti USA Museum. The museum lists the market for November 28 and 29, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, at 610 North 9th Street at Coldwell Avenue. The Modesto Artists Movement is the host. Visit Modesto's listing says 26 local and regional artists will take part.
The new location puts the market under the same roof as an exhibit already running. The Modesto Bee reports that the Advocates for the Visual Arts' Winter Art Show is up at the museum from November 6 to December 30, with work from 25 local and regional artists. One trip to North 9th Street gets you holiday shopping and the gallery show on the same Saturday or Sunday.
The Season by Week
Put it all on a calendar and the order is clear. The rink opens, the art and music arrive, then everything downtown lands on one Saturday.
| Week | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 21 | Modesto On Ice opens, daily through Jan. 18 | Downtown rink |
| Nov. 24 | Irish Christmas in America, 7 p.m. | Gallo Center, Foster Family Theater |
| Nov. 28–29 | Holiday Art Market, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Carpenters Songbook Nov. 28; Jake Shimabukuro Nov. 29 | Graffiti USA Museum; Gallo Center |
| Dec. 3 | Rat Pack Christmas, 2 p.m., free | State Theatre |
| Dec. 4–5 | Modesto Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops | Gallo Center, Mary Stuart Rogers Theater |
| Dec. 5 | Parade, Rockin' Tree lighting, first Rockin' Holiday night | I, 10th and J streets; Tenth Street Plaza |
| Dec. 11–20 | Central West Ballet's The Nutcracker | Gallo Center |
ModestoView calls the Rat Pack show the "unofficial season opener." Matt "Sinatra" Henderson's annual Rat Pack Revue plays the State Theatre on Thursday, December 3, at 2 p.m. It's free for all ages and includes a celebration for veterans. By the calendar, though, the rink has been open for almost two weeks by then.
December 5, in Order
The first Saturday in December holds the most. Here's how the day runs:
- 2 p.m.: The Modesto Symphony Orchestra's Holiday Pops matinee in the Mary Stuart Rogers Theater. There's also an evening show the night before, Friday, December 4, at 7:30 p.m.
- During the day: Pickup for Omega Nu's Sweet Shop orders at Gather. The Sweet Shop is part of the group's fundraiser, which also includes a tour of four designer-decorated homes with $65 tickets.
- 1 p.m.: Parade road closures start on 14th through 16th streets between I and H. All closures are in place by 4 p.m. The full closure area runs from 10th to 17th streets between K and H.
- 5:30 p.m.: The Celebration of Lights parade, themed "Winter Wonderland," starts at 14th and I streets. It heads west on I to 10th, north on 10th to J, then east on J to 17th. The City of Modesto lists the parade on its calendar for Saturday, December 5, 2026.
- Right after the parade: The Rockin' Tree lighting at Tenth Street Plaza.
ModestoView's advice for the evening is to claim a spot along the route early, because "your fave restaurant patios will fill up fast." With closures starting at 1 p.m., anyone leaving the symphony matinee will be driving into a downtown that is already partly blocked off. Park once and walk.
The parade and the tree lighting kept the same order last year. The Modesto Bee's coverage of 2025 puts the tree lighting right after the parade, which ran Saturday, December 6, with the theme "Elves Just Want To Have Fun."
The Weekend Nights Start a Week Earlier
The change this year comes after the tree lighting. Rockin' Holiday brings live music, "snow," Santa and his elves to Tenth Street Plaza every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening from 6 to 9 p.m. In 2026 it starts December 5, parade night itself.
In 2025 those weekend nights started December 12, six days after that year's parade, according to the Modesto Bee. This year the plaza stays busy after the parade crowd leaves, and the first full Thursday-to-Saturday stretch starts December 10. The organizers post updates at @rockinholiday on Facebook and Instagram.
For a downtown evening that's calmer than parade night, a Thursday in mid-December works well: the rink, the plaza and dinner, all within the same few blocks.
Two Nutcrackers, One Sunday
After December 5, the season moves into theaters. Central West Ballet's The Nutcracker opens at the Gallo Center on Friday, December 11, at 7 p.m. More shows follow on December 12 at 2 and 7 p.m., December 13 at 2 p.m., December 19 at 2 and 7 p.m., and December 20 at 2 p.m.
Sunday, December 13, has a second option. Juline's School of Dance presents its own Nutcracker at the MJC Performing Arts Theatre that day, with a Green Cast show at noon and a Red Cast show at 5 p.m. Families with a dancer in either company may need to plan that Sunday early.
After the last Nutcracker on December 20, the Winter Art Show stays up at the Graffiti USA Museum through December 30, and Modesto On Ice stays open through January 18.
If you're planning your December around these dates, I'm happy to help. Whether it's where to park on parade night or which Rockin' Holiday Thursday is best for an out-of-town guest, Lisa Vandermeer is a quick call away. Schedule a Free Consultation, and we can talk about downtown Modesto over a hot cocoa at the rink.
