Sherman Gardens Has No Kitchen This December. Its New Holiday Night Sends Dinner Back to Coast Highway.

In 2024, Sherman Library & Gardens held the tenth Nights of 1000 Lights on nine public evenings. Gates were open from 5 to 8 p.m. with entries at 5, 6 and 7, and members paid $30 while nonmembers paid $50. For December 2026, Sherman has renamed the event Merry & Bright Nights and calls it "all new." It runs 14 nights from 5 to 9 p.m. with two entry times, at $45 for members and $65 for everyone else.

The garden hasn't had a restaurant since October 2025, and its replacement isn't due until 2027. Every Merry & Bright ticket comes with a dinner question, and East Coast Highway is where it gets answered. On Sunday, December 6, the Corona del Mar Christmas Walk wraps up at the same Dahlia Avenue corner where Sherman's first entry begins.

Fourteen Nights, Two Entry Times, One Extra Hour

Sherman's event page lists the 2026 dates as December 3 to 6, 10 to 13 and 17 to 22. Entries are at 5 p.m. or 7 p.m. Here's how that stacks up against the last edition Sherman documented:

The program changed too. In 2024 the anniversary edition brought back the light tunnel, the Moon Goddess, a 3D conservatory display, a Scandinavian Christmas in the sun garden, a Crystal Disco tea garden and a s'mores fire pit. This year's list has Santa, the Wishing Tree, holiday crafts, a model train running through a holiday scene, and a dance party. Sherman estimates the visit takes an hour to an hour and a half. So a 7 p.m. entry has a 9 p.m. close behind it. In 2024 the last entry had only an hour before the gates shut.

All of this happens in a garden that's still under construction. Sherman's homepage says the grounds stay open during improvements, the entrance has moved to Dahlia Avenue, some areas are closed off, and visitors may hear construction. The Stu News Newport report on Sherman's Botanical Ball says Sherman expects to be fully reopened by October 2027.

The Kitchen Closed a Year Ago

During the 2024 member nights, 608 Dahlia served dinner inside the gardens. That chapter ended October 26, 2025, when 608 Dahlia served its last night at Sherman after a four-year run, according to the Orange County Business Journal. The paper, which had named its chef-owner Chef of the Year, reported plans for a new garden-to-table concept in Sunset Beach.

The next operator has been named. Stu News Newport reported that Hazeltine's and proprietor Damian Orozco catered Sherman's sold-out Botanical Ball this fall and will run Sherman's new restaurant, which is set to open in late 2027. Sherman's own site describes it as a reimagined farm-to-table restaurant opening in fall 2027, and it notes that regular dining isn't available on site in the meantime.

So here's what Merry & Bright Nights offers for food. Sherman's FAQ lists a taco cart selling tacos, quesadillas, water and hot chocolate, cash only, along with a no-host beer and wine bar. No outside food is allowed. For a sit-down dinner, especially before a 7 p.m. entry, the village is the place.

Dinner Moves Out to East Coast Highway

Sherman sits at 2647 East Coast Highway. Three long-running dining rooms are an easy hop from its Dahlia entrance, all listed in the Corona del Mar Chamber's dining directory:

• Avila's El Ranchito, 2515 East Coast Highway. It's the closest of the three. The Orange County Register covered the Newport Beach location's 50th anniversary in 2025, and the Newport Beach Independent's 2025 dining roundup described it as still serving the family's recipes.
• The Bungalow, 2441 East Coast Highway. Stu News Newport noted that owner Jim Walker's restaurant turned 30 on October 20, 2026.
• Five Crowns and SideDoor, 3801 East Coast Highway. These sit farther east toward Poppy, and both appear in the Newport Beach Independent's look back at 2025 dining.

A 7 p.m. entry puts dinner first, while a 5 p.m. entry returns you to Coast Highway around 6:30 with the evening still open. Either way the meal lands in the village, the same stretch of storefronts the Chamber's December event is built around.

December 6 Puts Both Events at Dahlia

The 47th Corona del Mar Christmas Walk runs Sunday, December 6, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's free and has no fixed starting point. Visitors walk the PCH sidewalks through the village, with 17-plus local bands, Santa visits, a beer and wine garden with dancing to the Pinch Me Band, vendors, children's activities, street performers, and merchant and restaurant promotions. The Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce presents it, and it benefits the Marines' Toys for Tots program. The vendor fair is at PCH and Dahlia, on the same corner as Sherman's temporary entrance.

That Sunday is one of Sherman's 14 nights, and tickets were still on sale when last checked. The full day could run like this:

1. 11 a.m. The Walk opens along PCH. Start anywhere, since there's no official beginning.
2. Midafternoon. Browse the vendor fair at PCH and Dahlia and get a feel for the corner you'll come back to that evening.
3. 5 p.m. The Walk ends and Sherman's first Merry & Bright entry opens.
4. 7 p.m. Second entry. This slot leaves room for a sit-down dinner on Coast Highway once the street event winds down.
5. 9 p.m. Sherman closes.

Parking is the weak spot. Sherman has two free lots off Dahlia, one at the corner of Dahlia and East Coast Highway and one behind the building, plus street parking, all first come, first served. The Chamber's 2026 page hasn't posted a parking or shuttle plan for the Walk, and its entertainment-locations link goes to the previous year's event guide. If you're going to both, walking in from your own street or getting dropped off will likely beat circling Dahlia at 4:45.

The Fine Print on a Ticket

Sherman's rules are stricter than a typical holiday walk-through:

• Dates are fixed. Tickets can't be rescheduled, and tickets and memberships are nonrefundable.
• Rain or shine. It's an outdoor event, and weather doesn't trigger refunds.
• One night already sold out. Thursday, December 3 showed sold out when last checked. Public sales opened October 19, two weeks after members got first access.
• No group rate. Reciprocal garden memberships don't get the member price either.
• Daytime is separate. A Merry & Bright ticket doesn't include regular admission, and daytime hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Stroller and wheelchair accessible. No pets except ADA service animals, and no tripods or drones.
• Garden Shop stays open during the event with seasonal plants and holiday gifts.

The Stu News Newport holiday preview lists the first stretch as December 4 to 6, which doesn't match Sherman's event page. Go by Sherman's schedule when you buy.

The Corridor Hosting Dinner Is Under Study

The restaurants picking up Sherman's dinner crowd are on a stretch the city is reviewing. On February 10, 2026, City Council started General Plan, Local Coastal Program and Municipal Code amendments tied to the Corona del Mar Commercial Corridor study. The city's description covers walkability, safety, reinvestment, outdoor dining and parking. On Thursday, November 12, from 8 to 9:30 a.m., the Chamber's Good Morning CdM meeting at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, 1601 Bayside Drive, will have city planners Joselyn Perez and Liz Westmoreland walking through the proposed zoning recommendations, milestones and next steps. These are proposals for now, and none have been adopted.

Hosting family in December and wondering how your own place shows with the holiday décor up? Cassie French and the Classy AF Interiors team stage homes all over Corona del Mar, and we'd love to show you what yours could look like when it counts. Request a free home valuation and staging plan, then go enjoy your tacos under the lights at Sherman.