Between 8 and 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 14, the north-side parking lot near the Rancho Santa Margarita Lake amphitheater fills with certified farmers market stalls. At 10 a.m., before the market packs up, a holiday door swag workshop starts on the far side of the water at Lago Santa Margarita Beach Club. Two different organizers run them, on two different schedules, with two different sets of rules about who can come.
The morning schedule is new for the lake this fall. SAMLARC's holiday events at Lago Santa Margarita now share the shoreline with a Saturday morning schedule run by the Rancho Santa Margarita Chamber of Commerce. Through the second week of December, the two calendars share some Saturdays and split others.
The Market Is Eight Weeks Old
The RSM Certified Farmer's Market began this September. Citizen Portal reported that Sean Patterson, president of the Rancho Santa Margarita Chamber of Commerce, told the City Council on September 8, 2026, that the Chamber would soft-launch the market at the RSM Lake amphitheater that Saturday. That was September 12. Patterson said the plan was to run it on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month, 8 to 11 a.m., and eventually year-round.
The City's calendar shows the market keeping to that schedule. It ran October 24, and it is listed for November 14 and November 28, each time from 8 to 11 a.m. in the north-side parking lot near the amphitheater. An Orange County Scoop listing also describes it as running twice a month on 2nd and 4th Saturdays, marks it as free, and gives a Chamber email for vendors who want to sell there.
Because the market runs on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays, the 1st Saturday of each month stays clear. SAMLARC's Family Holiday Craft Workshop and Christmas Tree Lighting both land on those clear Saturdays.
Two Organizers, One Shoreline
Laid out week by week, the lake's season from this Saturday through mid-December looks like this:
| Saturday | Morning | Afternoon and evening | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 7 | Family Holiday Craft Workshop, 10 to 11:30 a.m., Beach Club | None listed | SAMLARC |
| November 14 | Farmers market, 8 to 11 a.m., north-side lot; Holiday Door Swag workshop, 10 to 11:30 a.m., Beach Club | None listed | Chamber and SAMLARC |
| November 28 | Farmers market, 8 to 11 a.m., north-side lot | None listed | Chamber |
| December 5 | None listed | Christmas Tree Lighting, 5 to 7 p.m., Lakeshore | SAMLARC |
| December 12 | 2nd Saturday on the market rotation | Carols 'Round the Lake, 5 to 7 p.m., Lakeshore and Beach Club | Chamber and SAMLARC |
The two November mornings at the Beach Club are hands-on events with registration. The two December evenings at the Lakeshore are walk-up gatherings. The market takes the mornings in between.
November 7 Starts the Season at the Beach Club
SAMLARC's Family Holiday Craft Workshop runs Saturday, November 7, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Lago Santa Margarita Beach Club. Children make a pine cone bird feeder and a snowman craft. Adults make a candle hurricane. Everyone then makes a Polaroid photo frame ornament together. A mini pancake breakfast from Fluffy Delights runs during the crafting.
Each person needs a ticket, because adults and children get separate crafts. Registration also requires a SAMLARC login. With the event two days after this post goes live, anyone hoping to go should sign in and buy tickets well before Saturday.
November 14 Is the First Double Booking
The middle Saturday of November is the first time this season that both calendars fall on the same morning. The farmers market opens at 8 a.m. in the north-side lot and closes at 11. SAMLARC's adult Craft & Garden Workshop: Holiday Door Swag runs from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Beach Club.
The times overlap by an hour. Someone attending both has a two-hour window at the market before the workshop starts, which is plenty of time to shop for greenery or produce and still get to the Beach Club by 10.
Who Gets In at Which Hour
The two calendars differ in who can attend as much as in when they run. SAMLARC calls itself a master homeowners association with defined boundaries. Homeowners who buy within those boundaries agree to its governing documents and pay assessments. Tenants can apply for access cards with their landlord's authorization, and apartment residents get cards through their apartment manager. SAMLARC's FAQ also says members can bring up to five guests on top of their own household, and those guests must stay with the member.
The 2026 Christmas Tree Lighting page uses that same framing, inviting "members and guests" to the Lakeshore on Saturday, December 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. No registration is required. Hoag Urgent Care, Cityside Fiber and Andre Landscape are the Diamond Event Sponsors. If out-of-town family is visiting that weekend, the five-guest limit and the stay-with-the-member rule decide how the evening works.
The farmers market runs on a different basis. It is a Chamber of Commerce event on the City calendar, and the Orange County Scoop listing marks it as free. Access rules for any SAMLARC facility come from the association, so check its FAQ or office for your own household's situation. This post is general information and not legal advice about HOA rules.
The Weeknights and Weekends In Between
A few dates on the season's calendar sit outside the Saturday pattern, and each connects back to the lake or the town center.
- Thursday, November 12. The City's Veterans Day Recognition opens with a 6 p.m. reception at Bell Tower Regional Community Center. A 7 p.m. recognition follows in City Hall Council Chambers at 22232 El Paseo. Details are on the City's event page.
- November 22 through December 12. SAMLARC's Holiday Home Decorating Contest runs across this window. It ends on the same day as Carols 'Round the Lake.
- Tuesday and Wednesday, December 1 and 2. SAMLARC's North Pole Hotline calls run from 6 to 7 p.m. each evening, according to its events calendar.
The Veterans Day Recognition falls two days before the November 14 double Saturday. The decorating contest window ends on December 12, the same day as the season's final lake event. Most of the City's and SAMLARC's holiday dates sit in the same few weeks.
December 12 Stacks Both Calendars
The second Saturday in December brings both organizers to the lake again, this time at opposite ends of the day. It falls on the Chamber's 2nd-Saturday rotation, so the market's regular 8 to 11 a.m. slot applies. The City has posted listings through November 28, so check the City calendar for a December entry closer to the date. That evening, Carols 'Round the Lake runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Lakeshore and Beach Club with no registration. Hoag Urgent Care, Cityside Fiber and Andre Landscape return as Diamond Event Sponsors.
A full lake Saturday that day could run like this:
- 8 to 11 a.m. Farmers market in the north-side lot near the amphitheater, if the December listing confirms it.
- Midday. A break before the evening, with El Paseo's restaurants a short drive away. The summer piece on El Paseo's dining strip covers what changed there.
- 5 to 7 p.m. Carols 'Round the Lake at the Lakeshore and Beach Club.
- Same day. Last day of the Holiday Home Decorating Contest window.
The market has stated plans to go year-round, so it should keep its 2nd and 4th Saturday mornings after SAMLARC's holiday events end. Carols 'Round the Lake is the last SAMLARC lake event on this season's calendar.
Our family-founded team has been based in Rancho Santa Margarita since 1994, so a new tradition at the lake is local news to us. If you are wondering how the past year has affected your home's value here in Rancho Santa Margarita, The Bowen Team can tell you with an Instant Home Valuation, whether you get to the market at 8 a.m. or the carols at 5.
