Beverly Hills spent $685,151 on its Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration last year. Now a city committee has reviewed the budget for this year's edition, scheduled for Nov. 19.

The City Council Liaison/Rodeo Drive/Special Events/Holiday Program Committee met at 3:15 p.m. on Aug. 14 at City Hall to consider the Rodeo Drive Committee's proposal for the celebration, according to the Beverly Hills Courier. The event is a joint production between the city and the Rodeo Drive Committee, a nonprofit whose members include retailers, hoteliers and landowners along the famous shopping street.

This year's celebration carries the theme "50 Years of Brilliance," marking the Rodeo Drive Committee's approaching 50th anniversary. The nonprofit was founded in 1977 and incorporated in 1982 as Rodeo Drive, Inc.

Hundreds of thousands at stake

The holiday lighting ceremony is one of Beverly Hills' priciest annual productions. In 2025, Rodeo Drive holiday decor added another $497,969 on top of the celebration's $685,151 price tag, according to a city budget document from April. Both line items are funded separately from the city's $3.5 million annual year-round and holiday lighting capital improvement project.

The city also provides $50,000 annually to the Rodeo Drive Committee specifically for Rodeo Drive decor, apart from the celebration budget.

At a July 21 study session, the City Council discussed a purchase order of up to $566,959.20 for 2026 holiday decor materials and services tied to the "50 Years of Brilliance" theme, according to earlier Courier reporting.

What comes next

The Aug. 14 liaison committee review is one step in the approval process. Annual signature events like the holiday lighting ceremony must go before both the liaison committee and the full City Council for review and approval, according to a May city agenda. No date for a full council vote has been announced.

The event is free. Last year's celebration on Nov. 13, 2025, ran from 5 to 8 p.m. and featured live performances. The city has not yet released programming details for the Nov. 19 event.