A holiday rink has gone up at the corner of Fifth Street and Arizona Avenue since about 2007. A 2017 Downtown Santa Monica release described that winter as the rink's "11th season." Last winter it was listed as Ice at Santa Monica. This year it opened on November 5 as Frost on Fifth, at the same address, 1324 5th St.
Six days from now, on Wednesday, November 18, a second rink opens on the Santa Monica Pier Event Deck. It sits inside Swiss Winter Village, a market of more than 60 chalets. The Pier market is City Hall's first big test of its oceanfront events plan, and it runs under a license the City Council negotiated with resident benefits built in.
A Summer Washout Set Up This Winter
The Pier was supposed to have a different first big event this year. In September, Hurricane Marie's surf stripped sand from the beach south of the Pier. It pushed the high-tide line 96 feet inland of the planned fire lane for the inaugural Ocean Way Festival, and runoff from the Pico-Kenter storm drain cut a channel across the spot where the festival's main entrance was going to be. The City canceled the festival. Public Works crews spent the weeks after moving sand, building a berm along the water's edge and clearing all five beach storm drains ahead of an expected El Niño winter.
The City's September release laid out what the beach is being prepared for:
- February 2027: ESPN bases its Super Bowl LXI coverage at ESPN Beach, with daily programming live from the Pier starting Monday, February 8, and free fan activations before the February 14 game.
- 2027: Ocean Way returns with Goldenvoice, with dates still to be announced.
- 2028: National hospitality houses for the LA28 Games, with Club France and House of Switzerland already named.
With Ocean Way gone from the 2026 calendar, Swiss Winter Village opens that sequence. Under the Major Special Events Ordinance the City adopted in April, the Council waived certain municipal code rules on construction hours, noise and signage for the market. In exchange, the licensee agreed to point background music inward and monitor sound at the property lines of existing Pier tenants. In a November 2 City release, Mayor Caroline Torosis put it plainly: "Swiss Winter Village is exactly what our Realignment Plan is about: bringing major events to Santa Monica that fill our streets, our restaurants and our shops."
What the License Says
The deal is public, and it reads differently from a typical holiday pop-up. The Santa Monica Daily Press reported that the Council approved a license with Swiss Xmas Inc. at its June 23 meeting. The City receives a guaranteed $320,200 or 8% of net ticketing revenue, whichever is greater. Staff described the structure as full cost recovery with no City subsidy expected. Organizers projected 250,000 to 400,000 visits over the run.
The schedule has also grown. In June, the public run was set for November 27 through January 3. The City's November 2 announcement and the organizer's site both now say November 18 through January 3, which adds the weeks before Thanksgiving. Closing time was debated as well. Councilmember Dan Hall moved to change the agreement's closing time to "11 p.m. or the pier closing time, whichever is later, at the discretion of the vendors," and the motion passed unanimously.
The same Daily Press account said the activation includes a faux-ice skating rink. Councilmember Barry Snell urged the City to coordinate with the Downtown Santa Monica board about the downtown rink. The organizer markets its rink as an "Ice Rink" by the sea.
The Two Rinks, Side by Side
Fever and Swiss Xmas, Inc. organize the Pier market. In 2024, Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. ran the Fifth Street rink with Willy Bietak Productions.
Frost on Fifth | Swiss Winter Village | |
|---|---|---|
Location | 1324 5th St., at Arizona Avenue | Event Deck, Santa Monica Pier |
Season | Nov. 5, 2026 to Jan. 18, 2027 | Nov. 18, 2026 to Jan. 3, 2027 |
Weekday hours | 3 to 10 p.m. | Mon to Wed 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thu 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
Weekend hours | Noon to 10 p.m., also holidays | Fri to Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
Skating price | $22 with skate rental, before tax, 60-minute session | Silver from $20.90; Family from $18.90 |
Extras | Lockers $5, skate helpers $6, gloves or socks $5 | Gold from $39.90 adds skip-the-line and one Pacific Park ride; Platinum from $64.90 adds unlimited rides and grab-and-go raclette |
Multi-visit | Two-session pass $33; season pass $165, both excluding holiday blackout dates | Not listed |
The calendar matters as much as the prices. Fifth Street is the only rink in town from November 5 through November 17, and again from January 4 through January 18, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Pier's 47-day run falls entirely inside Frost on Fifth's 75 days.
The Pier also has its own holiday hours. Opening night, November 18, runs 5 to 11 p.m. Christmas Eve closes at 6 p.m., and New Year's Eve stays open until 1 a.m. Santa portraits run at an alpine chalet on the Pier from November 27 through December 20, Thursday through Sunday, 1 to 7 p.m. You don't need a separate reservation; any Swiss Winter Village session includes them.
Terms Written for Residents
You can visit the Pier market without skating, but you still need a ticket. On Fever's ticket page, entry-only tickets are $12.90 for adults and $8.90 for children ages 4 to 12. Children under 3 get in free. A $10.90 discounted entry covers Santa Monica residents, along with seniors 65 and over, students, military and Metro riders. When the Council approved the license in June, admission was described as roughly $15 per person.
The resident discount is one of several commitments in the agreement. According to the City and the Daily Press's account of the June meeting, these include:
- Donated tickets: 1,000 tickets go to Santa Monica nonprofits through the Housing and Human Services Department, with priority for groups serving underserved children and foster families.
- Resident windows: Planned free and discounted admission opportunities for residents in Santa Monica ZIP codes.
- A senior golden hour: Earlier hours paired with local senior-center partnerships, which staff presented as a way to ease holiday isolation.
- Local vendors first: A weighted selection process that prioritizes eligible Santa Monica businesses, plus a rotating stall reserved for first-time local creators.
- Pier tenants: Engagement with the Pier Tenants Union, priority booth access for Pier tenants, on-site promotion of permanent Pier businesses and coupons for participating ones.
Some of this extends past January. The organizer gave $3,500 to Heal the Bay, which funded free admission to one of its October events. The City is also exploring holiday storytime with the Santa Monica Public Library and a free Arts Month concert in April 2027 at Miles Memorial Playhouse.
Reaching the Event Deck During Bridge Work
The market opens while the Pier bridge demolition is still underway. The Moomat Ahiko Way on- and off-ramps at PCH began a closure of about two months on September 28, with detours via PCH and Ocean Avenue. The City's Pier construction page maps a temporary pedestrian bridge at Ocean Avenue, a temporary vehicle and pedestrian ramp in the Pier parking lot, and access from Ocean Front Walk and the beach. Routing has changed several times this fall, so check that page on the day you go.
Downtown also has its own dates this season. The Santa Monica Daily Press's October 29 Around Town roundup lists a Regent Santa Monica Beach tree lighting on November 19, the Promenade tree lighting on November 22, and a Main Street tree lighting and holiday party on December 6. The City's street-closure listings show the 1200 and 1300 blocks of Court closed from 2 p.m. to midnight on November 14 and December 12 for Santa Monica Block Fest, with alleys kept open.
At Pence Hathorn Silver, we follow the City's oceanfront events calendar from our office on Montana Avenue, from this winter's market through ESPN's Super Bowl week and the run-up to 2028. If you'd like to talk about how the Pier's busier year fits into your own plans around downtown, we're glad to sit down with you. Schedule a Free Consultation.
