Filoli's holiday season is back in Woodside, and this year the estate has added a Family Farm stocked with mini cows, goats, sheep and donkeys to its lineup of yuletide attractions. The addition joins Thistlewyck Village as part of the daytime holiday experience, while the estate's evening Holiday Lights display returns with its now-signature glow across the gardens.
According to Filoli, the daytime and Holiday Lights experiences run from November 14, 2026, through January 10, 2027. That timeline marks a shift from last year's season, which Filoli's own announcement said ran from November 22, 2025, to January 11, 2026 — meaning this year's run starts eight days earlier and wraps up one day sooner, per the estate's press materials. Thistlewyck Village itself has a slightly shorter window, available from November 14 through January 3, 2027, Filoli says. Notably, a separate account from NBC Los Angeles lists the Holiday Lights start date as November 13, a day earlier than what Filoli's own site states — Hoodline could not independently resolve the discrepancy.
Mini Cows and an Elf Academy Headline the Daytime Lineup
The new Family Farm lets visitors meet mini cows, goats, sheep and donkeys, according to Filoli's holiday daytime listing. It's part of a broader shift in how Thistlewyck Village is themed this year: the estate's holiday page now highlights the Family Farm and Elf Academy games, a change from last year's version of the village, which featured miniature trains, fairy houses, an Elf Emporium, a Post Office and the Train Depot Toy Shop, per Filoli's prior press release.
Elsewhere in Thistlewyck, the Elf Academy invites guests to test their elf skills, send letters to the North Pole, and take the official Thistlewyck Elf Oath, Filoli says. A Thistlewyck Passport also guides visitors through the village, letting them collect stamps along the way — a concept that echoes last year's passport activity, which Filoli's 2025 announcement described as a children's scavenger hunt that came with free hot cocoa and a small gift.
Thistlewyck is included with a daytime ticket rather than requiring separate admission, Filoli notes, and daytime access is free for members and covers the Historic House, Garden and village. Daytime hours run from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with the last admission at 1:30 p.m., according to the estate.
Evening Lights Return to the 16-Acre Garden
Once the sun goes down, Filoli's Holiday Lights experience takes over, with the estate describing 350,000 lights strung across the House and Garden. Evening hours run from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., with the latest admission at 8 p.m., Filoli's holiday page states. Last year's version of the display was described in Filoli's press release as featuring more than 350,000 twinkling lights spread across the estate's 16-acre formal garden, along with a 210-foot light tunnel.
For guests wanting an upgraded evening out, Filoli offers a 90-minute private firepit experience, with tickets starting at $950 for groups of up to eight guests and $1,500 for groups of up to 12, according to the estate. Last year, similar programming upgrades included private fire pits and a champagne lounge, Filoli's press release noted at the time.
A Season Built on Familiar Favorites
Even with the new Family Farm, much of what's made Filoli's holiday season popular in past years appears to carry over. Last year's house and garden decorations included 130 wreaths, 108 Christmas trees and more than 7,000 ornaments, according to Filoli's earlier announcement — details the estate hasn't revised for this season but that give a sense of the scale guests can expect walking through the historic house.
Whether visitors are chasing the glow of hundreds of thousands of lights after dark or spending an afternoon meeting mini donkeys and mailing letters to the North Pole, Filoli's 2026 holiday season gives Peninsula families another reason to make the trip to Woodside before the display wraps up in January.
