Carmel's Holiday Season Opens on a Saturday Run by Its Churches and Clubs

On Saturday, November 21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., four separate craft fairs open at once within walking distance of one another. The City calls the day Carmel Craftapolooza, all four fairs are free, and every one has a different host: the City with the Carmel Host Lions, All Saints' Episcopal Church, the Carmel Woman's Club and Church of the Wayfarer.

The rest of the holiday calendar, which runs from mid-November to December 20, follows the same pattern. The theater, the tree lighting and the decorated inns are each run by a local organization rather than a merchant. So the best way to read the village's holiday season is to look at who hosts each event, not at what is for sale.

Four hosts, four corners, one morning

The City's listing for the day places all four fairs between 7th and 9th avenues, along Lincoln, Dolores and San Carlos. If you start at the north end and work south, one route looks like this:

1. Church of the Wayfarer Annual Holiday Faire, Lincoln & 7th. Crafts, vendors, jewelry and Christmas decor.
2. All Saints' Episcopal Church Craftapalooza, Dolores & 9th. Returning and new artisans, a baked goods table and tours of the sanctuary.
3. Carmel Woman's Club Annual Artisan Event, San Carlos & 9th. Craft items, succulent pumpkins, vintage Christmas decor and the Big Sur Taco Truck.
4. City of Carmel's 55th Homecrafters' Marketplace, Sunset Center North Lot at San Carlos & 8th. More than 70 booths of jewelry, candles, soaps, clothing and wreaths, plus the Carmel Host Lions food tent.

You could walk the loop in either direction. The order matters less than the fact that one morning on foot covers four institutions, each with its own way of running a fair.

The marketplace at the center has a long count behind it

The Homecrafters' Marketplace is the oldest thread in the day, and you can follow its age through the City's own numbering. The City's listing for November 23, 2019 called that year's event the 49th. Last year, Monterey County NOW covered the 54th edition on November 22, 2025 and described the marketplace as a long-running tradition. This year is the 55th.

The other three fairs have grown up around that anchor on the same Saturday, which is why the City now promotes "not one, not two, not three, but four craft shows" as a single event. Questions about the marketplace go to the City's community activities office at [email protected] or 831.620.2020.

Lunch comes from four different kitchens

Lunch is the clearest sign that the day is run by community groups. Every stop on the route feeds people in its own way:

• Carmel Host Lions tent, Sunset Center North Lot. Meal deals built around a hot dog, a bratwurst with sauerkraut or tri-tip, each with chips plus soda, coffee or water.
• All Saints', Dolores & 9th. Authentic Indian lunches made from scratch by Sameera Sharif, who returns this year after missing one, plus a table of baked desserts and pastries.
• Carmel Woman's Club, San Carlos & 9th. The Big Sur Taco Truck.

A service club grilling tri-tip, a church congregation's home cooking and a taco truck brought in by a women's club are all within a short walk of each other. A merchant-run holiday weekend would look different.

All Saints' turns the fair into an anniversary

All Saints' Episcopal Church is folding its fair into a larger celebration. The church is marking its 75th anniversary, and during the fair it is offering "Art in our Sacred Space" tours that meet in the sanctuary on Dolores. The church's event page sets the tone for the day:

"Rain or shine, we are doing it again!"

The first 100 shoppers get a free extra-large vinyl shopping bag, which you pick up next to the All Saints' Baked Goods table at the top of the patio stairs. The same table also carries the church's 1960s Portly Padre Cookbook, a small piece of village history that is easy to miss. If you want both the bag and the lunch, start here early.

At Lincoln & 7th, every dollar goes back out

Church of the Wayfarer makes the most direct case that this Saturday is about community groups. In a notice in the Carmel Pine Cone's October 16–22, 2026 issue, the church said 100% of funds raised at its Annual Holiday Faire on November 21 go to local nonprofits that serve recovery programs, unhoused residents and people facing food insecurity. The same notice says the church accepts donation drop-offs Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 7th and Lincoln.

When you buy a wreath or a piece of jewelry at that corner, the money passes through a church fundraiser and ends up at local nonprofits.

The calendar after Craftapolooza keeps the same hosts

The weeks that follow are hosted the same way. A local theater company, the City and a heritage nonprofit are in charge, each in a long-standing village venue.

PacRep at two Carmel stages. Pacific Repertory Theatre is staging Come From Away at the Founders Theatre at the Golden Bough Playhouse, running November 19 through December 20. For families, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Jr. plays at the Forest Theater from November 28 through December 20.

Holidays in the Park, Friday, December 4. The City's annual Holiday Tree and Menorah Lighting Celebration takes over Devendorf Park on Ocean Avenue between Junipero and Mission from 3 to 7 p.m. The schedule is tight and specific:

• 3:30 p.m. Santa arrives on a fire truck, with the Del Monte Brass playing.
• 4 to 4:30 p.m. The menorah lighting ceremony, with gelt, dreidel spinning and singing.
• 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. The holiday tree lighting ceremony, with the tree lit at 5:30 p.m. or very soon after.

After the tree is lit, the evening continues with the Carmel Plaza Holiday Open House, with small bites, warm drinks, face painting, kids' activities and visits with Santa and Martin the Magical Elf. The shopping center's party begins once the City's ceremony is over.

Inns of Distinction Tour, Sunday, December 6. The Carmel Heritage Society's annual self-guided walking tour goes through some of Carmel's historic inns, each decorated for the holidays, with tastings from local restaurants and wineries along the way. According to the Society's ticket page, tickets are $100, members get $25 off, and a ticket bundled with a membership costs $140. That page also lists live music on the route. Check the ticket page for the afternoon's start time before you plan around it.

Planning the season from mid-November to December 20

Taken together, these events run from PacRep's November 19 opening through its December 20 closings, and most of them are within walking distance in the village:

For Craftapolooza itself, the practical choices are when to arrive and where to eat. Arrive early at All Saints' if you want one of the 100 free bags. Pick your lunch stop before noon: the Lions tent at Sunset Center, the Indian lunch at All Saints' or the taco truck at the Woman's Club. If you plan to drop off donations at Church of the Wayfarer instead, that window is Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Our team at J.R. Rouse Properties Group works from Pacific Grove, and Carmel's holiday calendar shows how the village's churches, clubs and civic groups keep its traditions going. If you are thinking about a move within the Peninsula and want to talk about Carmel's neighborhoods with someone who knows the village well, schedule a free consultation.