When does the holiday season start on Rinaldi Street? At The Vineyards at Porter Ranch it starts on a Thursday evening. Thirteen days later comes a Wednesday. Neither date falls on a weekend, and both are free.
The free annual Tree Lighting Celebration is on the Town Green on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. Sweetgreen is opening a Porter Ranch location at the same center. Its RSVP preview with a free bowl is Wednesday, Dec. 2, and the official opening is Thursday, Dec. 3. The Sunday farmers market keeps its usual hours every week of November. All of it fits inside one shopping center along a single stretch of Rinaldi Street.
The calendar from now to Dec. 3
| Date | What | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 8 | Weekly farmers market | The Vineyards | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council board meeting | Vineyards Community Room | 6 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Weekly farmers market | The Vineyards | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Tree Lighting Celebration | Town Green, 20065 Rinaldi St. | 6 to 8 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Weekly farmers market | The Vineyards | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Weekly farmers market | The Vineyards | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Wed., Dec. 2 | Sweetgreen RSVP preview, one free bowl per guest | 20140 Rinaldi St., Suite 110 | RSVP via Eventbrite |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Sweetgreen opening day | 20140 Rinaldi St., Suite 110 | Opening day |
Read down the table and you'll see that every weekend entry is the farmers market. Everything else falls on two Wednesdays and two Thursdays.
Thursday, Nov. 19: the Town Green from 6 to 8
L.A. Parent's listing describes the tree lighting as free and family-friendly, with live performances and festive activities for all ages on the Town Green. It calls the event "annual," and it runs from 6 to 8 p.m. The listing gives the address as 20065 Rinaldi St.
The time matters. A 6 p.m. start on a Thursday is right after work and school pickup. By 6 on Nov. 19 it's already dark, so the tree lighting looks the way it's meant to, and families with young kids can still get home at a reasonable hour on a school night. The two-hour window also lets you arrive late and still catch the evening.
If you keep one date from this list, keep this one. It's the only stop on the calendar that's both free and open to everyone without an RSVP.
Where dinner fits after the lights
The tree lighting ends at 8 p.m. Salina, the coastal Italian restaurant at 20005 Rinaldi St., Suite 120, stays open until 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. That leaves about 90 minutes for dinner without leaving the center.
Salina is still new to the 91326. Observer reported that the owners behind the Arts District's Michelin-starred Camphor quietly opened it on April 2, 2026. The same Observer piece describes tall ceilings with exposed white beams, white marble tables, leather banquettes and a vintage photo booth. Observer's menu highlights include spicy calamari with grilled Sichuan peppers, ricotta ravioli with sage and wood-fired pizzas. A holiday-season Thursday will be the first time many neighbors see the dining room after dark with the Town Green lit up nearby.
Here are Salina's posted hours set against the calendar above:
| Day | Salina hours | What else is at The Vineyards that day |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Farmers market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Monday to Thursday | 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. | Tree lighting Thu., Nov. 19, 6 to 8 p.m. |
| Friday and Saturday | 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. | Nothing on the events calendar |
On Sundays the two schedules overlap well. Salina opens at 11:30 a.m. and the market runs until 2 p.m., so you can shop the stalls and then sit down for lunch around noon.
For a faster bite, Mendocino Farms is also at the center, serving sandwiches and salads. The center's directory lists Cafe Landwer, which serves Mediterranean-inspired food, as coming soon.
Wednesday, Dec. 2: the preview comes with a bowl
Thirteen days after the tree lighting, the center's next date is the Sweetgreen opening. Sweetgreen's Eventbrite page lists the Porter Ranch opening for Thursday, Dec. 3, with an RSVP preview and a complimentary meal on Wednesday, Dec. 2. The address is 20140 Rinaldi Street, Suite 110.
Unlike the tree lighting, the preview has a few requirements. According to the Eventbrite page, getting the free bowl works like this:
- RSVP through the Eventbrite listing.
- Download the Sweetgreen app.
- Create an account in the app, which the page says is part of entry.
- Come to 20140 Rinaldi St., Suite 110, on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Each guest who RSVPs gets one free bowl.
The page describes the menu as made-from-scratch bowls and plates. That puts a second quick lunch option at the center next to Mendocino Farms, alongside Salina's sit-down dining room.
If you plan to go to the preview, RSVP and set up the app early. Both steps take a few minutes, and neither is easy to do in line on a Wednesday.
The Sundays in between
For the rest of November, the weekend schedule at The Vineyards doesn't change. The center's events page lists the farmers market every Sunday, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. With Nov. 1 already past by publish week, four of those Sundays are still ahead:
- Nov. 8: the Sunday before the Veterans Day neighborhood council meeting
- Nov. 15: four days before the tree lighting
- Nov. 22: the Sunday before Thanksgiving week, a good morning for produce and holiday-table shopping
- Nov. 29: Thanksgiving weekend, the last market before the Sweetgreen preview
For the next month, the new events at The Vineyards are on weeknights, and the weekend stays as it was. We covered the same pattern this summer, when the center's 2026 openings brought a full Porter Ranch Saturday back inside the 91326. You can find that post here. This winter, the new additions are on Thursday and Wednesday evenings instead.
Nov. 11: the Community Room
One more weeknight is on the list. The Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council has a board meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 6 p.m. in the Vineyards Community Room. Board meetings are where neighborhood business comes to the council, and this one is in the same center as the tree lighting and the new Sweetgreen. If you go, it's a good chance to see how the rest of the center has filled in since summer.
That makes four weeknights in less than a month: a council meeting on Nov. 11, a free tree lighting on Nov. 19, a free-bowl preview on Dec. 2 and Sweetgreen's opening day on Dec. 3. Each has its own start time and its own entry rules. The Sunday market runs the same way every week in between.
Putting the stretch together
If you want the season without making a project of it, here's one way to plan it:
- Shop the market on Sunday, Nov. 15, and pick up anything you need for the week of the tree lighting.
- Arrive at the Town Green near 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19. When the lights are on, walk to Salina for dinner, which still gives you 90 minutes before its 9:30 p.m. Thursday close.
- RSVP for the Sweetgreen preview before Thanksgiving weekend, then go on Wednesday, Dec. 2, with the app already set up.
Everything on that plan is within the same center on Rinaldi Street. From the market on Nov. 15 to the Sweetgreen preview on Dec. 2 is 17 days, and the market, the tree lighting and the preview bowl in that window all cost nothing to attend.
If places like the Town Green, Salina and the new Sweetgreen have you wondering what a nearby Porter Ranch home is worth, Armando & Valerie can help. If you're curious what yours would bring this season, Get a Free Home Valuation and we'll show you how your street compares. You can also browse more local notes on our Porter Ranch neighborhood page.
