Most of Henderson's 2026 holiday calendar asks you to show up and maybe pay a few dollars at the gate. The small add-ons, on the other hand, have limited spots, and a couple of them started taking reservations before the season even opened.
The season starts tonight, Thursday, November 5. Ethel M Chocolates opens its 33rd Annual Holiday Cactus Garden Lights at 2 Cactus Garden Drive, and the garden stays open nightly through Sunday, January 3.
Tonight's Opening Asks For Three Dollars And Nothing Else
The garden itself needs no reservation. Ethel M says so on its 2026 Holiday Cactus Garden page, and the price is low enough to decide on the drive over. Entry is $3 per person. Children under 2 and adults 65 and older get in free. You can pay with cash or card, and part of the proceeds goes to Help of Southern Nevada and Three Square Food Bank.
Hours run 5 to 10 p.m. on most nights. The exceptions are Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day, when the garden closes at 8 p.m. It's closed on Christmas Day.
Several nights don't cost anything at all:
- Veterans Day, November 11: free entry with valid ID, plus 15% off in-store purchases for veterans
- Henderson Silver Knights & Vegas Golden Knights Night, November 20: wear Knights gear for free entry and a visit with Lucky
- First Responders Night, December 1 through 3: free entry with valid ID and the same 15% in-store discount
None of these nights requires a reservation.
The Pavilion also has a free choir and music schedule that runs most of the season. Gunderson MS Choir and Coronado HS Choir open it tonight at 5 p.m. The Del Sol Mariachi plays December 10, Sam Shades performs December 20, and Jessica Manalo, a contestant on Season 27 of The Voice, closes the music calendar on December 22. The holiday bars, which serve a Chocolate Espresso Cocktail and a Merry Mocktail, open only on set dates. Most of those dates are Thursday-through-Sunday stretches, starting with tonight through November 8.
The New Pass Is The Part Of Ethel M That Runs Out
The main change at the garden this year is capacity for one thing: time with Santa. KSNV News 3 reported that the Santa Express Pass is new this season. For $40, it reserves a set date and time to visit Santa between November 6 and December 23. One pass covers up to six people, and children under 2 and guests over 65 don't count toward that limit.
Only a limited number of passes are sold each night, through Ethel M's FareHarbor booking page. That cap is the reason to plan ahead. The walk-up Santa line is still free to join, but Ethel M stops it at 9 p.m. sharp. Santa is there from 5 p.m. until an hour before closing, and he's gone for good after December 23. So if your family has a weekend in mid-December in mind, you'll be planning against a cap, a nightly cutoff, and a final date.
Photos are optional. You can take your own, or buy prints from Cashman Photography: $35 for one framed 8x6, $50 for two, and $20 for each additional print, with tax included.
Two other Ethel M programs also need reservations, and both cost $5 plus tax per person:
- Holiday Themed Trivia Nights, Friday, December 4, and Saturday, December 12, both at 6 p.m.
- Winter Wonderland, December 29. Snow starts falling at 5:30 p.m., Frozen screens at 6 p.m., and Elsa and Anna do a meet-and-greet, with a face painter on site.
The snow finale has been around before. KSNV News 3 reported last year that it was called "Snowy Nights" and was scheduled for December 30, 2025. This year it comes one day earlier, and it gives families with young kids one of the few planned outings in the week after Christmas, once Santa is gone.
November 21 Is The Busiest Free Night On The Calendar
Two free events fall on the same Saturday, and both ask for a sign-up even though neither charges.
The District at Green Valley Ranch holds its Annual Tree Lighting from 5 to 8 p.m. on Main Street. The event has snowfall, a meet-and-greet with the Snow Prince, Snow Princess and Snow Angels, live holiday music, and local artisans at Market in The Alley. It ends with Santa lighting the tree. It's free, and The District asks guests to RSVP through Eventbrite.
That same night, the City of Henderson is hosting a free public skate at America First Center from 7 to 9 p.m., and you have to register in advance. The America First Center page lists skate rentals as free for that night. The tree lighting starts at 5 p.m. and the skate at 7, so one household can do both in a single evening with no tickets, as long as both sign-ups are done ahead of time.
WinterFest Takes Two Nights And No Tickets
The city bills WinterFest as the biggest holiday event in Southern Nevada, and neither night needs a ticket. According to the City of Henderson's WinterFest page, the Tree Lighting Ceremony & Drone Show is Thursday, December 3, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Water Street Plaza. It includes performances by The Swingles and local chorus groups, food vendors, and a drone show presented by Nevada State Bank. The Electric Light Parade follows on Friday, December 4, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. It runs along Water Street between Basic Road and Victory Road and lasts about 90 minutes. Both nights are free.
The one open item is logistics. As of this week, the city says the full 2026 route map and street closure details will be posted closer to the event, and the full schedule of activities is still marked "coming soon." Check that page during the week of the parade, not now. Water Street Plaza is at 240 S. Water St.
The calendar overlaps here too. Ethel M's First Responders Night runs December 1 through 3, and its first trivia night is December 4. That puts a free WinterFest night and a ticketed garden night side by side two evenings in a row.
The Adults-Only Booking Is Already Open
Green Valley Ranch is bringing back Winter at the Terrace, its seasonal pop-up lounge at The Backyard Terrace. It has fireside seating, cocktails, light bites, private igloos and fire pits. The lounge runs November 27 through December 27, from 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Guests must be 21 or older.
The Winter at the Terrace page says table reservations started November 1, by phone at 702.617.7744. Large parties and special events book through 702.617.6800. So as of publication day, the reservation window has been open for four days and the lounge doesn't open for three more weeks. If you want a Friday or Saturday in December for hosting out-of-town guests, that's the one reservation in this post that's already underway.
The Short List, Then The Full Calendar
Here are the entries that need action before the night itself:
- Winter at the Terrace table: booking by phone since November 1, for nights from November 27 through December 27
- Santa Express Pass: $40, limited each night, for November 6 through December 23
- Free skate registration at America First Center: for November 21
- Tree Lighting RSVP at The District: free, for November 21
- Ethel M trivia: $5 plus tax, December 4 or 12
- Ethel M Winter Wonderland: $5 plus tax, December 29
Everything else on the calendar works on a walk-up basis.
| Date | Event | Where | Cost | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 5 to Jan. 3 | Holiday Cactus Garden Lights | Ethel M, 2 Cactus Garden Dr. | $3; free under 2 and 65+ | None |
| Nov. 6 to Dec. 23 | Santa Express Pass | Ethel M | $40 for up to six | Required, limited nightly |
| Nov. 11 | Veterans Day | Ethel M | Free entry with ID | None |
| Nov. 20 | Knights Night | Ethel M | Free entry in Knights gear | None |
| Nov. 21, 5 to 8 p.m. | Annual Tree Lighting | The District at Green Valley Ranch | Free | Eventbrite RSVP |
| Nov. 21, 7 to 9 p.m. | Free Public Skate | America First Center | Free | Registration required |
| Nov. 27 to Dec. 27 | Winter at the Terrace, 21+ | Green Valley Ranch | Not listed | Phone reservations |
| Dec. 1 to 3 | First Responders Night | Ethel M | Free entry with ID | None |
| Dec. 3, 5 to 7:30 p.m. | Tree Lighting & Drone Show | Water Street Plaza | Free | None |
| Dec. 4, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Electric Light Parade | Water Street, Basic to Victory | Free | None |
| Dec. 4 and 12, 6 p.m. | Holiday Trivia | Ethel M | $5 plus tax | Required |
| Dec. 29 | Winter Wonderland | Ethel M | $5 plus tax | Required |
Our team keeps track of Henderson's seasonal calendar for the same reason we keep track of its market. Clients settling into Ascaya ask us about both. If you're hosting family this season and thinking about what comes next for your home, Brenda Beltran / Infinity Brokerage would be glad to help. Schedule a personal consultation, in English or Spanish, at a time that works around your December.
