Every Montrose Holiday Wine Walk ticket comes with $10 in paper money that only works on one stretch of Glendale. It's called Montrose scrip. Every guest gets it at check-in, the pour stations are hosted by Montrose merchants, and the scrip spends like cash at Shopping Park businesses that accept it. Most of Glendale's holiday calendar works the same way. From the Wine Walk on Nov. 14 through the winter solstice, the shops, restaurants and volunteer groups along Honolulu Avenue organize the season themselves, and they set it up so the money and foot traffic stay in Old Town Montrose.
City Hall has its own holiday dates, and they fit around Montrose's schedule. Here is how the next six weeks line up, followed by how each piece works.
The Calendar From the Wine Walk to the Solstice
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Montrose Holiday Wine Walk, 5 to 8 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 27: Montrose tree lighting. Carolers start at 5:30 p.m. and the tree lights at 6:15 p.m.
- Saturdays and Sundays, Nov. 28 to Dec. 20: Old Town Christmas activities, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 3: City Hall Holiday Tree Lighting at Perkins Plaza, 6 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 5: 48th annual Montrose Christmas Parade, 6:10 p.m. on Honolulu Avenue.
- Saturday, Dec. 12: Holiday at the Stone Barn Solstice Celebration, 3 to 5:30 p.m.
Four of these six entries happen on Honolulu Avenue. The Wine Walk opens the season, so it's a good place to see how the system works.
The Wine Walk Pays Part of Itself Back
The Montrose Holiday Wine Walk is Saturday, Nov. 14. It runs 5 to 8 p.m., and check-in opens at 4 p.m. at Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue. The check-in booth closes at 6:45 p.m., and every guest has to be checked in by then. Bring a government-issued photo ID. The event goes on rain or shine, it's for ticketed adults only, and the organizers ask guests not to bring children or anyone without a ticket.
Here's what the $55 ticket includes:
| At check-in | What it's for |
|---|---|
| 15 tasting tickets | Pours at more than 30 stations hosted by Montrose merchants |
| Logo wine glass and wristband | Your glass for the evening, and yours to keep |
| Wine Walk map | Shows each pouring station and what it's serving |
| $10 in Montrose scrip | Spends like cash at Shopping Park businesses that accept it |
The organizers point out that the scrip brings the real cost of a ticket down to $45. They also say the scrip never expires, so it works anytime. The guest gets $10 back, and the merchants get a reason for that guest to come back. The stations pour red or white wine with snacks, bottled water is free, and there's live music around the Shopping Park. Part of the ticket money goes to the event's co-sponsor, the La Crescenta Woman's Club.
You can still buy tickets in person at two Montrose businesses: It Takes A Village at 2317 Honolulu Ave. and Copy Network at 3600 Ocean View Blvd. #9. Tickets can also be bought online. If the event hasn't sold out, the check-in station will sell tickets that night. All sales are final.
Last year's pour stations show who hosts the Wine Walk. The 2025 participant list includes Sweet Demi Lune Bakery, Toasted Cafe, Sabrina's Pizzeria Napoletana, Giuseppe's Pizza, Big Mama's & Papa's Pizzeria, El Charro Mexican Restaurant, Pepe's Mexican Restaurant and Casa Cordoba. Shops and studios were on it too: Lost Books, Once Upon A Time, Pattye's Closet, Andersen's Pets, Lara's Gift, Mountain Rose Gifts, La Canada Furniture & Design and Pedal Spin Studio. The map you get at check-in on Nov. 14 will show this year's stations.
Four Weekends of Free Rides on the Avenue
Thirteen days after the Wine Walk, Honolulu Avenue holds its own tree lighting. On Friday, Nov. 27, strolling carolers start at 5:30 p.m., Santa Claus shows up, and the tree lights at 6:15 p.m. It's the day after Thanksgiving, so Montrose has its tree lit almost a week before City Hall does.
The next morning, the weekend schedule starts. From Nov. 28 through Dec. 20, the Old Town Christmas activities run Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A horse-drawn trolley gives free rides up and down Honolulu Avenue, Santa takes photos, and there's live Christmas music on the street. On Saturdays, the Shopping Park lists Santa from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and trolley rides from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
That covers four weekends: Nov. 28 and 29, Dec. 5 and 6, Dec. 12 and 13, and Dec. 19 and 20. The Shopping Park's holiday page describes the shops as "family owned and/or operated," dressed up for the season, with "plenty of free parking." The rides and the parking are free, so most of what a family spends on a December Saturday in Montrose goes to the restaurants, cafés and bakeries along the avenue.
A Parade Run by Volunteers
The Glendale News-Press reports that the 48th annual Montrose Christmas Parade starts at 6:10 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, along Honolulu Avenue. The paper says the parade is billed as the nation's oldest Christmas parade organized entirely by volunteers. More than 130 community organizations, marching bands, drill teams and local public safety agencies take part. Santa does a helicopter fly-by first, then arrives on a Glendale Fire Department truck.
The parade has always been a local effort. According to the same report, actor Dennis Morgan founded it in the early 1950s, and local merchant Frank Roberts revived it in 1976. This year's grand marshal follows the same pattern. Mary Pinola is a longtime philanthropist and former Honorary Mayor. She started the Mary Pinola/Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund in 1990, and it has given more than $410,000 in grants to local schools and programs. She also worked 30 years as development director for the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center and ran more than 25 Los Angeles Marathons to raise money for education.
"Mary has spent decades giving back to our community," Chris Waldheim, president of the Montrose Christmas Parade Association, told the Glendale News-Press. "That generosity of spirit represents everything the Montrose Christmas Parade stands for."
Parade night falls on the second weekend of trolley rides, so Dec. 5 can be a full day on Honolulu Avenue. You can go for Santa and the trolley in the late morning and come back in the evening for the parade. If you miss it, Charter Cable will air the parade throughout the holiday season, and montrosechristmasparade.com has more details.
Where City Hall Fits In
The City of Glendale's events fall in the gaps between the Montrose dates. Its City Hall Holiday Tree Lighting is Thursday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Perkins Plaza, 141 N. Glendale Ave., with performances and a visit from Santa. It's on a weeknight, two days before the parade, so it doesn't overlap with anything on Honolulu Avenue.
On Saturday, Dec. 12, from 3 to 5:30 p.m., the city holds its Holiday at the Stone Barn Solstice Celebration. It falls on the trolley's third weekend, and you can find details on the city's special events page.
Downtown has a new food stop to watch this season. Sandough, at 126 S. Brand Blvd., has been aiming for a late November or early December 2026 opening, according to Visit Glendale's coming-soon tracker. If the timing holds, it could become a stop on the way to Perkins Plaza on Dec. 3.
The Sunday Market Runs All Season
The Montrose Harvest Market runs on its own schedule, separate from the holiday events. The market's listing says it's open every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. Easter Sunday is its only listed closure. That means its hours overlap with every Sunday of Old Town activities from Nov. 29 to Dec. 20, and the market opens three hours before those activities start at 11 a.m. If Glendale's markets are part of your weekly routine, our earlier look at how the city's new restaurants got their start at the farmers market covers the downtown side.
The Wine Walk opens the season on Saturday, Nov. 14. Check-in closes at 6:45 p.m. at Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue, and your $10 in scrip will still be good when the trolley starts running on Nov. 28.
At Mary Dix, we keep a close eye on Glendale's neighborhood calendar, from Montrose's parade route to the latest openings on Brand. If you're thinking about what's next for your home in Glendale this season, we'd love to talk it over. Schedule your concierge consultation.
