Christmas and New Year's Eve in Palm Springs

Weather over the holidays

Late December delivers the valley's coolest weather: highs typically around 68F to 75F and overnight lows in the low 40s. Pools without heating are unusable, so confirm your hotel heats its pool if swimming matters. Afternoons are close to perfect for hiking, golf and walking downtown.

What is actually on

Palm Canyon Drive is decorated through December, and the weekly downtown VillageFest street fair on Thursday evenings runs through the holidays with its own seasonal character. Neighbourhood light displays are a local tradition, with the Movie Colony and the mid-century tracts drawing steady evening traffic. Check our events calendar for the specific dates of tree lightings, holiday concerts and NYE parties in the current year rather than relying on last year's schedule.

New Year's Eve

NYE splits into three kinds of night: hotel pool-deck parties, downtown bars and clubs, and prix-fixe restaurant dinners. All three sell out. Hotel parties are usually ticketed separately from the room, and many restaurants switch to a fixed holiday menu at a higher price point. Book both the room and the dinner before December.

Booking realities

• Minimum-stay requirements of two to four nights are standard over both holidays.
• Rates over Christmas week and NYE are among the highest of the year, comparable to festival weekends.
• Cancellation windows tighten around holidays; read the policy rather than assuming the usual 48 hours.
• The week between Christmas and New Year's is busier than the days immediately before Christmas.

Making it work with family

The holiday window is one of the easier times to travel here with kids: mild afternoons, the Aerial Tramway with occasional snow at the mountain station, the Living Desert in Palm Desert, and short valley-floor hikes that would be unwise in summer. Build in the light-display drive after dinner — it is the cheapest and most reliably charming thing on the itinerary.

What closes

Christmas Day sees widespread restaurant closures, with hotel restaurants and a handful of independents the main exceptions. Museums and attractions commonly close Christmas Day and open on shortened hours around it. Confirm directly for the current year.