Santa Monica Starts Fall with the Promise of Winterlit

The cheerful chill-down will open the day after Halloween.

What to Know

  • Ice at Santa Monica skates from Nov. 1-Jan. 20, 2020
  • Tree lighting on Third Street Promenade on Dec. 5
  • Menorah lighting on Third Street Promenade from Dec. 22-30

Is hearing about an upcoming wintry tradition on the first full day of autumn akin to seeing snowman ornaments nestled next to the Halloween candy on the shelves of your favorite store?

Well, not quite.

After all, you may not need to purchase that snowman ornament in September, but planning ahead for a major event, one that drifts like a snowflake into our worlds when the weather grows cooler, is always advisable.

As if reading our minds, Downtown Santa Monica chose the fall's first full day to reveal some details about Winterlit, its annual holidaytime treat. 

Just hours after Halloween 2019 officially wraps, and the miniature candy bars are stowed, given away, or, yes, saved for later snacking, one of Southern California's largest seasonal ice rinks will open. It's Ice at Santa Monica, which will again pirouette onto the corner of Fifth Street and Arizona Avenue.

So if you'd like to strap on the blades on day one, mark Nov. 1 on your cold-weather calendar. Or, um, temperate-weather calendar, since early November can sometimes assume a summery air.

The Scene

Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.

Things to do this weekend: WonderCon, a pop culture wonderland, alights in Anaheim

Theodore Payne Foundation's ‘poppy-ular' Poppy Days Spring Sale is about to sprout

The Ice grand opening, however, is schedule for Nov. 7, 2019.

Other happenings to keep in mind? The tree lighting on Third Street Promenade will take place on Dec. 5, and, yep, Santa Claus'll be there. And the nightly menorah will glow each night, beginning at sundown, from Dec. 22 through 30.

True story: It's not Halloween yet. Goodness, it isn't even October, but one of our region's most popular ice rinks will be spinning into Santa Monica in just over a month.

Does that mean you need to light some Christmas bulbs in addition to your jack o'lantern? Nope, but best ring your skate-sweet buds and plan your Winterlit 2019 outings on the soonish side, for the last fourth of the year is nearly here.

Copyright F
Contact Us