Ovation Hollywood is leaning into holiday programming this season as a deliberate strategy to pull consumers into its 460,000-square-foot shopping, dining, and entertainment complex in the heart of Hollywood. The destination—formerly known as Hollywood & Highland and situated steps from the TCL Chinese Theatre—has scheduled a run of mostly free events from late November through late December, giving its restaurant and foodservice tenants a sustained reason for guests to extend their visit and spend.
The Event Calendar
The season opens November 21 with an annual Tree Lighting paired with the AKASSA Holiday Market, where guests can browse women-owned small businesses while enjoying hot chocolate and cookies before Santa illuminates the Courtyard. On November 27, Ovation Hollywood adds a "Make Merry Mixer" featuring a marionette performance by the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre, a holiday kids' craft, and a free double-feature film screening of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and A Christmas Story—with complimentary blankets and hot cocoa distributed before the show. That same day marks the start of complimentary Santa photo sessions, running Thursdays through Sundays on Level 3 through December 24, a draw that hospitality operators know reliably converts foot traffic into dwell time and dining covers.
Food, Drinks, and Workshops
The property's most direct hospitality play is its ticketed Craft & Cocktail series. A wreath-making class on December 3 and a candle-pouring class on December 10 are priced at $45 per person or two tickets for $75, available via Eventbrite. Events pairing hands-on crafts with beverage service have become a reliable revenue channel for experiential venues, blending retail and food and beverage programming to capture guests who might otherwise skip a midweek outing. A Grand Menorah Lighting in partnership with Chabad of Hollywood is set for December 8 from 6 to 8 p.m., broadening the property's community draw.
Stilt walkers and carolers will circulate throughout the complex all season, and two anchor events round out the calendar: the 94th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade on November 29—which Ovation is positioning as a destination viewing party—and a performance by the Jonesboro High School Marching Band on December 28, ahead of the group's Rose Bowl Parade appearance.
Why Operators Should Take Note
For restaurant and hospitality professionals tracking experiential retail and mixed-use venue strategy, Ovation Hollywood's approach illustrates how destination landlords are increasingly taking on the role of event programmer to protect tenant sales volumes during a competitive holiday period. Rather than relying solely on retail foot traffic, the property is engineering multiple evening occasions that position its dining tenants as natural complements to ticketed and free experiences.
"The holidays are an opportunity to bring people together," said Amy Brenot, Director of Specialty Leasing and Marketing at Ovation Hollywood, "and we're excited to help Angelenos and visitors get into the spirit." The comment underscores a broader industry truth: in mixed-use destinations, event-driven traffic consistently outperforms passive walk-in business, particularly in urban entertainment corridors where competition for the dining dollar is intense.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
