Where does a Torrance holiday season begin? The first two big community events of the season both happen on Skypark Drive, and they're five days apart. On Thanksgiving morning, the 46th Annual Harry Sutter Memorial Turkey Trot starts and finishes there. On December 1, the Torrance Memorial Foundation's Holiday Festival opens its white tent at the corner of Skypark Drive and Medical Center Drive.
Once you know the season runs on that corridor, the rest of the calendar is easier to plan. The festival's longest public day lands on the same Wednesday as the Downtown Torrance Holiday Stroll. Ten days later, the last big community event takes place at Wilson Park.
Thanksgiving morning moves across the street
The Turkey Trot used to start in the Sam's Club lot. In 2025, the City's calendar listed the run at the Sam's Club parking lot off Skypark Drive, 2601 Skypark Dr. On Thursday, November 26, 2026, check-in and the start/finish move across the street to the Lowe's parking lot, which the City lists at 2700 Skypark Drive.
The new spot changes parking more than anything else. You can't park at Lowe's. The City's Turkey Trot page sends participants to park at Sam's Club, entering from Lomita Boulevard, or at Torrance Crossroads by the Home Depot. From there you walk across Skypark Drive to check in.
The race-morning schedule is short:
- 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. Check-in, registration and race-day packet pickup in the Lowe's lot
- 7:30 to 7:50 a.m. Warm-up and announcements
- 8:00 a.m. The 3-mile fun run starts
- 9:15 a.m. Prize drawing and closing remarks
The prizes come from local sponsors and include mountain bikes, gift cards, gym memberships and apparel. To enter, you drop the tear-away tab from your race bib at the main stage raffle wheel after 9:00 a.m. You have to be there to claim a prize, so the morning really ends closer to 9:30 than 8:45.
Some rules matter if the whole household is coming. Pets, bicycles, scooters, skates, skateboards and rollerblades aren't allowed on the course. If you're pushing a baby jogger, you start behind all the runners and walkers. All ages can join. The City's release promises each participant a commemorative long-sleeve shirt, but the event page says registered participants get a shirt only while supplies last.
The run doubles as a canned food drive. You can drop off canned goods at City Hall West Annex, 3031 Torrance Blvd., before race day, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The office is closed every other Friday.
Five days later, a white tent at Medical Center Drive
The Torrance Memorial Foundation describes its Holiday Festival as a longtime tradition and one of its main fundraisers. Public hours are free, and everything happens in the white tent at Skypark Drive and Medical Center Drive. The Foundation's festival page lists decorated holiday trees, live entertainment, holiday gifts and shopping, children's activities, a food court and free health screenings.
Public hours change from day to day.
| Day | Public hours | What's different |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, Dec. 1 | 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Boutique and vendor shopping |
| Wednesday, Dec. 2 | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Senior hours 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Thursday, Dec. 3 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Senior hours for the full day |
| Friday, Dec. 4 | Closed to the public | Ticketed gala and live auction |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Free health screenings |
| Sunday, Dec. 6 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Free health screenings |
Only Wednesday and Saturday run into the evening. Seniors and groups with accessibility needs are invited during the dedicated hours on December 2 and 3. Festival parking is at the West Parking Structure, 3325 Medical Center Drive.
December 2 is the one night two free events overlap
On Wednesday, December 2, the festival tent stays open until 8 p.m. That same evening, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., the Downtown Torrance Holiday Stroll fills downtown. Both events are free. No other night in the season stacks two free community events this way.
The Downtown Torrance Business Owners Association organizes the Stroll. The City lists vendors, games, carolers, music, snowfall and photos with Santa, plus appearances by Jack Skellington and the Grinch, an Elf on the Shelf scavenger hunt and opportunity drawings. A Local Anchor event listing puts the activity on the streets around Sartori and El Prado.
The two venues are in different parts of the city, so the hours decide the order:
- Daytime visit to the tent. Wednesday's senior hours run 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you can get to Skypark during the day, the tent is quietest before the downtown event starts.
- Downtown at 4 p.m. The Stroll runs its full four hours, so you can arrive at the start and still catch the snowfall and Santa before 8.
- Tent after work. If the evening is your only option, the festival stays open until 8 p.m. You'll be choosing one event for the evening rather than seeing both in full.
If Wednesday doesn't work, Saturday, December 5 offers the same 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. festival hours, with free health screenings added.
Wilson Park hosts the last big event on December 12
The season's community events end inland. On Saturday, December 12, from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m., Wilson Park at 2200 Crenshaw Blvd. hosts the City's 3rd Annual Snow Day. The program includes photos with Santa, snow play, live entertainment, crafts, games, food vendors, food trucks and community information booths.
There are two price tiers, and the cutoff is age. For children and youth 18 and under, a $5 fee covers snow play, game booths and the craft table while supplies last. They must preregister. Parents and guardians don't need to register. Santa photos, the 360 video experience, live entertainment on stage and the information booths are free for everyone. Registration for the Snow Day opens Tuesday, December 1, the same day the Torrance Memorial tent opens on Skypark.
If you got to know Wilson Park through summer events, as covered in our post on the Torrance Summer Nights season that outgrew Wilson Park, this is the park's December role.
On the same Saturday, Seaside Heroes Park at 22851 Anza Avenue holds a volunteer beautification and native-plant session from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. That session ends four hours before Snow Day begins. The park holds an earlier session this Saturday, November 14, during the same hours.
Santa between the big dates
Del Amo Fashion Center covers the weeks between the big events. Its Santa Photo Experience opens this Saturday, November 14, and runs through December 24, with Santa in Macy's Women's Court at 3525 W. Carson St. Two special sessions are listed: Caring Santa on December 6 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m., and pet photos on December 13 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Pet photos at Del Amo fall the day after Snow Day, and pets aren't allowed on the Turkey Trot course. If you want the dog in the holiday card, that evening is the slot on this calendar.
The registration dates that come first
The events are spread over three weeks, but most of the deadlines arrive before Thanksgiving:
- Friday, November 20. Last day of the $35 Turkey Trot rate. Register online at Torrance.rec.us, where you need a Rec account and a card surcharge applies, or by mail or walk-in at 3031 Torrance Blvd.
- Monday, November 23 and Tuesday, November 24. The City takes no Turkey Trot registrations on these days.
- Wednesday, November 25. Late registration opens at $40, cash or check, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at City Hall West Annex. The same hours apply to advance packet pickup at Ken Miller Recreation Center, 3330 Civic Center Drive, and you'll need your receipt.
- Thursday, November 26. Race-day registration runs 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. Call Community Services at (310) 618-2930 to confirm which Skypark lot has the table that morning.
- Tuesday, December 1. Snow Day registration opens for kids 18 and under.
Picking up your packet early on November 25 means less time in the Lowe's lot before an 8:00 a.m. start, when everyone is walking over from Sam's Club and Torrance Crossroads at once.
Which part of Torrance you live in shapes how you use this calendar. A Thanksgiving start on Skypark, a Wednesday evening downtown and a Saturday at Wilson Park look different depending on where your front door is. If you're wondering what your home near any of these spots is worth this season, DK Realty Grp is glad to talk Torrance with you, from the Turkey Trot route to your own block. Get Your Free Home Valuation at dkrealtygrp.com/home-valuation, or browse more on our Torrance neighborhood page.
