This year's Castro Valley holiday season happens along one mile of Castro Valley Boulevard that closes on Saturday, November 14, and at the two shopping centers along it. The Castro Valley/Eden Area Chamber of Commerce runs the Light Parade. The Castro Valley Marketplace at 3295 Castro Valley Boulevard hosts two First Fridays, and Castro Village Shopping Center, up near Redwood Road, lights its tree in early December.
Both of those centers are in the middle of changes. The Marketplace side keeps adding tenants, and the Chamber listed one of them for a grand opening five days before the parade. Castro Village holds its tree lighting while Phase 1 of a redevelopment is still underway. Knowing what has shifted at each end makes the next four weeks easier to plan.
November 14 closes the stretch between them
The 2026 Castro Valley Light Parade is Saturday, November 14, and this year's theme is "Holiday Sweet Street Spectacular." The Chamber lists the event as running from 3 to 9 p.m. Castro Valley Boulevard closes from Lake Chabot Road to Redwood Road, and the posted detours use Norbridge or Somerset. Vendor spots for 2026 are sold out.
The Chamber's vendor map makes the layout clear. The prime booths, Zone 1, sit in front of the Marketplace. Zone 2 runs west of the Marketplace, and Zone 3 is labeled "Far West." In other words, the whole event is organized around the Marketplace block.
Last year's event is a useful guide to timing. The 2025 parade was on November 8 with the theme "Children are the Future," and BART's weekend roundup put the start around 5:45 p.m. The Castro Valley Forum's preview of that parade described how the day ran:
- Closure: the Boulevard closed sometime between 1 and 3 p.m. for setup and staging, with CHP detour signs posted on both sides.
- Booths: vendors lined the Boulevard from Santa Maria to Redwood Road, with live music and a kids' area starting at 3 p.m.
- Step-off: around 5:30, as it got dark.
- Viewing: the Forum named the north side between San Miguel Avenue and Redwood Road, and the south side between Wilbeam Avenue and Redwood Road, as the places to see every entrant. Floats exit on Wilbeam toward the Castro Valley BART station.
- Staging: float drivers entered via southbound Lake Chabot Road, the check-in area sat west of San Miguel Avenue, and walking groups met at the Bank of America parking lot.
That's last year's pattern, so check the Chamber page the week of the event for this year's times. The basic geography is the same: the same corridor, the same detour streets and the same 3 p.m. start for booths. After the 2025 event, the Forum reported that thousands attended.
Parade day starts before the Boulevard closes. The Lyal Nickals Annual Holiday Market runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that same Saturday at 2743 Castro Valley Blvd, with local vendors, gifts, crafts, holiday décor, refreshments, raffles and giveaways. If last year's timing holds, the market wraps up about when setup crews start closing the parade corridor.
The Marketplace end has a new tap list
The Castro Valley Marketplace is open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Its merchants include Akemi Sushi, Seven Hills Baking, La Perla, Cordial Cellar, Pho 5-10, Baron's Meats, Slice House, Natural Grocery, Amphora Nueva, Beard Papa's and The Kitchen. Parking is free in the lots on the west and south ends of the building, plus street parking out front. On parade day, the street parking sits inside the closure.
The newest neighbor is Pour House, a self-pour taproom at 3315 Castro Valley Blvd. The Chamber listed its grand opening and ribbon cutting for Monday, November 9, at 11:30 a.m. The Pour House website advertises 30 beer taps, a full bar and American comfort food with handcrafted snacks. The leasing announcement for the Marketplace Shops called this the concept's first location and targeted a June 2026 debut. The Chamber's November date puts the taproom's grand opening just days before the parade, right next to the prime vendor zone.
Two more changes are coming to this end of the Boulevard:
- Workroom Pilates has signed a lease at the Marketplace Shops for a Reformer Pilates studio and fitness boutique, scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2027.
- Campus Burgers is listed as opening soon in the former Knudsen's Ice Creamery space, a longtime local stop for ice cream. The Castro Valley Forum covered Knudsen's closing when the owner retired after more than 20 years on the Boulevard.
The Marketplace also hosts the season's recurring evening. First Fridays Community Night brings local makers, food and live music from 5 to 8 p.m. The Marketplace calendar lists editions on November 6 and Friday, December 4.
The Castro Village end is under construction
At the other end, Castro Village Shopping Center is partway through a rebuild. The center's project page says Phase 1 replaces existing retail buildings with a new one. It also realigns the drive aisle, adds parking, updates the sidewalks near Castro Village Bowl and adds an outdoor seating area. Castro Village Bowl stays open throughout, and Phase 1 is expected to finish in spring 2027. In the meantime, the center has warned that parking, sidewalks and the drive aisle will see temporary impacts as construction moves through its stages.
The county record describes the plan in more detail. An Alameda County staff report covers demolishing two buildings and replacing them with a five-suite retail building, plus a new outdoor dining patio by Castro Village Bowl. The project parcels are at 20413 Redwood Road, also known as 3501 Village Drive, and 20634–20638 Patio Drive. The Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council voted 5–0 on the project at its December 9, 2024 meeting, according to the draft minutes.
The holiday program goes ahead regardless. Castro Village's free Annual Christmas Tree Lighting is Friday, December 4, from 5 to 8 p.m., outdoors near Loard's Ice Cream. The tree lights at 6 p.m., with holiday music, live entertainment and free photos with Santa. Guests need to be in the Santa line by 7:30 p.m.
December 4 splits the evening between the two ends
That puts the Marketplace's First Friday and the Castro Village tree lighting on the same night, in the same 5-to-8 p.m. window. On November 14 the whole corridor runs as one event. On December 4 the two ends of the Boulevard have separate programs at the same time.
The times make it workable. The tree lights at 6 p.m. and the Santa line closes at 7:30, so families who want both can start at Castro Village and finish at the Marketplace, where the program runs until 8. Expect parking at Castro Village to be tighter than in past years while the drive aisle and lots are under construction. The Marketplace's west and south lots are the free alternative.
The weekend continues on Saturday, December 5. The Chamber's December calendar lists a grand opening and ribbon cutting for Clay Space, along with the Castro Valley Women's Club Open House & Poinsettia Sale.
Off the Boulevard, Thanksgiving weekend has one ticketed show. "(As Told by Santa) Live: Holiday Storytelling & Musical Celebration" plays Saturday, November 28, at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Castro Valley Center for the Arts, 19501 Redwood Rd.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | Lyal Nickals Annual Holiday Market | 2743 Castro Valley Blvd |
| Sat., Nov. 14, 3–9 p.m. | Castro Valley Light Parade, "Holiday Sweet Street Spectacular" | Castro Valley Blvd, Lake Chabot Rd to Redwood Rd |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 2 and 6:30 p.m. | (As Told by Santa) Live | Castro Valley Center for the Arts, 19501 Redwood Rd |
| Fri., Dec. 4, 5–8 p.m. | First Fridays Community Night | Castro Valley Marketplace, 3295 Castro Valley Blvd |
| Fri., Dec. 4, 5–8 p.m., tree at 6 | Annual Christmas Tree Lighting | Castro Village, near Loard's Ice Cream |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Clay Space grand opening; Women's Club Open House & Poinsettia Sale | Chamber calendar listings |
If watching the Boulevard change has you thinking about how your own property in the hills above it fits into Castro Valley's next few years, Kristy Peixoto is glad to talk it through quietly and on your schedule. Schedule your white-glove consultation whenever the timing feels right.
