A 2004 Ford trolley is in a repair shop this month, waiting on mechanical, electrical and cosmetic work. A few miles away, the front drive of the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village is getting ready for artificial snowfall every half hour, every evening, starting December 1. The trolley won't carry anyone to that snowfall this year. Still, much of the 2026 holiday season takes place at the trolley's old stops and in its old evening hours, so the city's purchase is about reconnecting places that never stopped hosting the season.
A $30,500 Trolley, Back in the Shop
The vehicle belonged to Calabasas, which ended its own trolley service last year and put the trolley up on a government surplus auction site in early September. The bidding was open to buyers internationally. Westlake Village won it for $30,500, and the City Council then authorized up to $200,000 for repairs and restoration, according to The Acorn. The city is aiming for a summer 2027 relaunch.
The trolley was a good fit for the city's criteria. It met California emissions standards, and its transmission and air-conditioning system had been rebuilt or upgraded within the previous 18 months. City Manager Rob de Geus called the cost "a significant budget item" that wasn't in the adopted spending plan, and said the "return on investment" would be "very high." The council approved the budget amendment unanimously. The 2026-27 budget projects a $1.1 million surplus, so the purchase plus the most the council authorized for restoration, about $230,500 combined, fits inside it with plenty of room.
"This is not a gamble. It's been proven to be beloved by our community. It works."
Mayor Pro Tem Brad Halpern said that at the September 30 meeting, as The Acorn reported. The city's first trolley program started in 2014 and ended in 2020 after ridership declined, service became unreliable and the pandemic disrupted operations.
The Route Was Always About December
The original trolley ran in two seasons. One was Memorial Day through Labor Day. The other ran from the Friday after Thanksgiving through the first Friday after Christmas, on Friday and Saturday evenings from 4 to 10 p.m. Its pickup and drop-off points included the Westlake Village Inn, the Four Seasons, The Shoppes and The Landing.
On this year's calendar, that holiday window would have started Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, and ended Friday, January 1, 2027. The Four Seasons snowfall runs December 1, 2026 through January 1, 2027. One of the old trolley stops is staging a season that ends on the same night the trolley's season would have ended.
The hours line up as well. Here is how this year's confirmed evening events compare with the old 4 to 10 p.m. window:
| Event | Where | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas at The Promenade at Westlake | The Promenade at Westlake | Saturday, Nov. 21 | 4–8 p.m. |
| Snowfall on the Front Drive | Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village | Daily, Dec. 1 to Jan. 1 | Every half hour, 5–8 p.m. |
| Yakitori Nights at Onyx | Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village | Wed. to Sat., from Dec. 1 | 5 p.m. to close |
| Holiday Sing-Along | The Shoppes at Westlake Village | Sunday, Dec. 6 | 3–6 p.m. |
Three of the four rows fall inside the hours the trolley used to run. The Sing-Along is a Sunday afternoon event. The season is still built around evenings at a handful of addresses. This December, you'll need your own car to get between them.
Saturday, Nov. 21: The Promenade Opens the Season
The Promenade at Westlake sits just across Westlake Boulevard and was never one of the named trolley stops. It still starts the season. Its tree goes up November 15 and stays through December 25. On Saturday, November 21, from 4 to 8 p.m., the center holds its 30th Annual Tree Lighting Celebration. The evening includes musical entertainment, Santa's arrival and a fireworks finale. Before the show there's strolling entertainment, kids' activities, in-store offers and a Holiday Market with treats from the center's restaurants and retailers.
Santa's arrival that night also opens Letters to Santa. From November 21 through December 24, kids can pick up a free postcard at Santa's Cottage and mail it right there. If you have young kids, a letter mailed on lighting night still leaves more than a month before Christmas Eve.
A Month of Evenings at the Four Seasons
Of all the old stops, the Four Seasons has planned the most for this season. Its 2026 programming has an Alpine theme, and much of it is open to locals as well as hotel guests.
The snowfall on the front drive is the part you can see from the car, every half hour from 5 to 8 p.m., from December 1 through January 1. The hotel's seasonal menus start the same day.
- Alpine Fondue at Prosperous Penny, the hotel's 1920s-inspired bar: Swiss Gruyère fondue with house-made Red Fife sourdough croutons, Weiser Farms fingerling potatoes and Bündnerfleisch. It's served Monday through Friday starting December 1, at $55 for two plus tax and gratuity.
- Après Ski Girl Dinner, also at Prosperous Penny: Caesar salad, skinny fries with caviar, mimosa eggs and steak tartare. It's served Saturdays and Sundays from 5 p.m. to close starting December 1, at $65 per person.
- Yakitori Nights at Onyx, the hotel's Japanese sushi restaurant: American Wagyu and seasonal skewers cooked over the robata grill, Wednesday through Saturday from 5 p.m.
The hotel also offers a series of hands-on workshops that it says are for guests and locals alike. They're listed in date order in the calendar below. Christmas Day brings The Hamptons Christmas Day Brunch Buffet, Friday, December 25, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The ballroom overlooks the Waterfall Lawn, Santa visits from 12:30 to 2 p.m., and the price is $250 for adults and $100 for children under 12, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are on OpenTable. On the same day, Coin & Candor serves a three-course prix fixe brunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 6: The City's Own Night at The Shoppes
The Shoppes at Westlake Village, at 30770 Russell Ranch Road, was another of the old trolley stops. It's also where the city holds its own holiday event. The Holiday Sing-Along runs Sunday, December 6, from 3 to 6 p.m. The city recruits community members, local nonprofits and businesses to perform, and it collects donations for three local causes: Manna Conejo, Casa Pacifica and Books R' Us. Each donated item earns a raffle ticket. If your choir, scout troop or band wants a spot, there's a group submission form on the city's Holiday Sing-Along page.
The Sing-Along is the one event on the calendar that falls on a Sunday afternoon, outside the old trolley's Friday and Saturday evenings. It's also the event that most closely matches what de Geus told the council residents had said during the city's 2035 strategic planning, that riding the trolley "truly does create a sense of community."
The 2026 Calendar, in Order
- Nov. 15 to Dec. 25: The Promenade at Westlake's Christmas tree is on display.
- Sat., Nov. 21, 4–8 p.m.: 30th Annual Tree Lighting at The Promenade, which also starts Letters to Santa through Dec. 24.
- Tue., Dec. 1: Snowfall begins on the Four Seasons front drive, and the Prosperous Penny and Onyx seasonal menus start.
- Wed., Dec. 2 and Fri., Dec. 4, 5 p.m.: Wreath Making at the Four Seasons, ages 15 and up, $95.
- Sun., Dec. 6, 3–6 p.m.: City Holiday Sing-Along at The Shoppes at Westlake Village.
- Fri., Dec. 11, 6:30 p.m.: Floral & Flutes centerpiece workshop at the Four Seasons, $80.
- Thu., Dec. 17, 5:30 p.m.: Behind the Line steak cooking class at the Four Seasons, $195.
- Fri., Dec. 18, 5 p.m.: Paint & Sip at the Four Seasons, $65.
- Tue., Dec. 22, 1–2:30 p.m. or 4–5:30 p.m.: Gingerbread Building & Photos with Santa at the Four Seasons, $55 per person.
- Fri., Dec. 25: The Hamptons Christmas Day Brunch Buffet and the Coin & Candor brunch.
- Fri., Jan. 1: The last night of snowfall, and the date the old trolley's holiday season would have ended.
Where the 2027 Route Gets Decided
City staff plans to revisit the route and design and to gather community input through the city's Cultural Recreation Committee as the relaunch approaches. Councilmember Kelly Honig described the purchase to The Acorn as a chance "to repurpose something and make it new again for our city." This December, people across town will be driving between The Promenade, the Four Seasons and The Shoppes at Westlake Village on their own. That's useful firsthand experience to bring to the committee when the 2027 stops are on the table.
When the trolley comes back, the stops it connects are part of what makes a Westlake Village address feel like home. If you'd like to talk about the places behind those evenings, Juliana Lisheski would love to share what she knows about life around the lake. Discover the Ventura Life.
