New Year’s in Big Bear 2026–27: Five Nights in the Mountains With the Whole Family

The kids are out of school. The family is together. Why celebrate New Year’s for one night when you can spend five nights in Big Bear?

New Year’s week is one of the best times of winter to bring the whole family—or several families—together in the mountains.

Snowboard Bear Mountain. Ski Snow Summit. Try a night session. Walk through The Village under the holiday lights. Watch more than 200 skiers and snowboarders light up Snow Summit during Big Bear’s annual New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade.

Then wake up January 1 and start 2027 back on the mountain.

At Edgar’s Hideaway, New Year’s stays have a five-night minimum, giving your group time to actually enjoy a Big Bear winter vacation instead of rushing up for a night or two.

And bring everybody.

Edgar’s Hideaway sleeps up to 16 guests at approximately 7,200 feet in Upper Moonridge overlooking Bear Mountain.

Why Spend New Year’s in Big Bear?

New Year’s falls right in the middle of winter break for many families.

The kids are out of school. Parents may already have time away from work. And it’s one of those rare times when getting grandparents, adult kids, cousins or several families together for a longer vacation can actually work.

Big Bear Mountain Resort has designated the Christmas and New Year’s period as a peak holiday period, with expanded winter operations planned at the mountains.

Instead of trying to squeeze Big Bear into a normal weekend, make New Year’s a five-night mountain vacation.

There’s plenty to do.

Snowboard Bear Mountain

If you’ve got snowboarders in the group, Bear Mountain belongs on the itinerary.

Bear Mountain is particularly well known for its terrain parks and freestyle riding, and Big Bear Mountain Resort says its park crews expand available features as snow conditions permit during the holiday season.

For the 2026 holiday period, Bear Mountain is currently scheduled to operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., subject to weather, snow and mountain conditions.

Check Bear Mountain & Snow Summit hours

And Edgar’s Hideaway has a pretty special connection to Bear Mountain.

We’re at approximately 7,200 feet in Upper Moonridge overlooking Bear Mountain.

Wake up in the mountains.

Look toward Bear Mountain.

Get everybody fed.

Grab the boards.

Let’s go boarding.

Ski Snow Summit

Set aside another day for skiing Snow Summit.

Snow Summit offers the classic Big Bear skiing experience and gives your group another mountain to explore during a five-night stay.

During portions of the Christmas and New Year’s holiday period, Snow Summit also offers extended operations and Night Sessions, allowing guests to stay on the slopes after dark when scheduled and conditions permit.

That gives you an easy plan:

Snowboard Bear Mountain one day.

Ski Snow Summit the next.

And with five nights in Big Bear, there’s no reason you can’t do both.

Try a Snow Summit Night Session

Night skiing is another reason not to cram your New Year’s trip into two nights.

During scheduled holiday Night Sessions, Snow Summit keeps portions of the mountain open after dark.

Spend the morning relaxing at Edgar’s Hideaway. Head into town for lunch. Then put on the ski gear and spend the afternoon and evening at Snow Summit.

For kids who have never skied after dark, it can become one of the things they remember most about the trip.

Night Session dates and hours can change with mountain and snow conditions, so check the official schedule before heading over.

Big Bear Mountain Resort Hours & Night Sessions

Buy Your Lift Tickets Before You Come

New Year’s week is one of Big Bear’s busiest winter periods.

Don’t wait until 16 people are standing in the kitchen at Edgar’s Hideaway to start figuring out lift tickets.

Big Bear Mountain Resort recommends buying tickets online in advance. The resort advises that prices can increase as the date approaches and that peak and holiday dates can sell out.

Another nice feature for a five-night trip: Big Bear Mountain Resort lift tickets provide access to its operating mountains under the terms of the ticket, giving your group flexibility to experience Bear Mountain and Snow Summit during the stay.

Buy Bear Mountain & Snow Summit Lift Tickets

Buy early, especially for New Year’s week.

Spend an Evening in The Village at Big Bear Lake

Not every day needs to be spent on the slopes.

Save an afternoon or evening for The Village at Big Bear Lake.

During the holidays, The Village takes on a completely different atmosphere with Christmas lights, seasonal decorations, shops and restaurants.

Walk around with the kids.

Do some shopping.

Stop for dinner.

Grab a hot chocolate.

Enjoy being in a mountain town during the holidays instead of racing from one activity to another.

Visit Big Bear continues updating its event calendar as the holidays approach, so check the official calendar before your trip for concerts, family activities and other New Year’s events.

See What’s Happening in Big Bear Lake

That’s another advantage of five nights: you actually have time to enjoy Big Bear beyond the ski resorts.

New Year’s Eve: The Snow Summit Torchlight Parade

Then comes New Year’s Eve.

One of Big Bear’s great holiday traditions returns on Thursday, December 31, 2026.

The 62nd Annual New Year’s Eve Concert & Torchlight Parade at Snow Summit is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

More than 200 skiers and snowboarders are expected to descend Snow Summit carrying lights, creating a stream of light down the mountain before the resort’s grand snowball drop.

And admission to the concert and parade viewing area is free.

Snow Summit New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade

You can spend December 31 skiing Snow Summit and then stay for one of Big Bear’s signature New Year’s Eve traditions.

That’s a pretty good way to say goodbye to 2026.

Five Nights Means You Don’t Have to Rush

There’s a reason Edgar’s Hideaway has a five-night minimum for New Year’s.

This isn’t supposed to be a rushed overnight trip.

You’re coming to Big Bear during winter break and one of the biggest holiday weeks of the year.

Enjoy it.

A five-night trip could look something like this:

Day 1: Arrive, settle in and have dinner together at Edgar’s Hideaway.

Day 2: Snowboard Bear Mountain.

Day 3: Explore Big Bear and The Village, then ski a Snow Summit Night Session if one is scheduled.

Day 4 — New Year’s Eve: Ski Snow Summit, then stay for the Torchlight Parade and New Year’s celebration.

Day 5 — New Year’s Day: Sleep in—or get up, grab the boards and make your first runs of 2027.

And there’s still time to enjoy the house rather than spending the entire vacation running from one activity to another.

Bring the Whole Family — Edgar’s Hideaway Sleeps 16

New Year’s is better when everybody can come.

Edgar’s Hideaway sleeps up to 16 guests, making it particularly well suited for extended families, multiple families traveling together, groups of friends and ski and snowboard groups.

Instead of putting everybody in separate hotel rooms or several cabins, stay together.

And there’s an important difference between a house that technically sleeps a large number of people and one designed to actually accommodate a large group.

Edgar’s Hideaway has five bathrooms.

The large kitchen has room for several people to prepare meals together and includes double ovens, two microwaves and a warming drawer.

We’ve had four or five people cooking in the kitchen while another three or four sit at the bar without the space feeling crowded.

And when everyone comes back cold from Bear Mountain or Snow Summit, hot water matters.

Our commercial tankless hot-water system includes an 80-gallon reserve tank, helping handle the demands of a house full of guests getting ready at the same time.

Stay Home and Have Fun

With a five-night stay, there will probably be an evening when nobody wants to leave the house.

Good.

You don’t have to.

Edgar’s Hideaway has plenty to keep the group entertained, including:

• Golden Tee
• Skee-Ball
• Shuffleboard
• Darts
• Karaoke
• Sauna

Get dinner going.

Let the kids play.

Put on some music.

Relax after a day on the mountain.

When you’re traveling with 12, 14 or 16 people, sometimes the best part of the vacation is simply having one place where everybody can be together.

Will There Be Snow for New Year’s 2026?

That’s the question everyone is going to be asking this year.

As we’ve discussed in our 2026–27 Big Bear winter forecast, an unusually strong El Niño is developing, and long-range forecasts are giving Southern California an interesting setup for winter precipitation.

But nobody can tell you months ahead whether it will snow on December 31.

Big Bear snowfall depends upon the temperature, storm track, available moisture and—particularly important for Big Bear—the snow level.

Edgar’s Hideaway sits at approximately 7,200 feet, so elevation can make a considerable difference when the rain-snow line moves up and down the mountain.

We’ll be watching closely.

Always Check Ben’s Weather Before Coming to Big Bear

Long-range forecasts are useful when planning a winter vacation.

When you’re actually getting ready to drive up the mountain, you need a local Big Bear weather forecast.

Before coming to Big Bear, we recommend checking Ben’s Weather for locally focused Big Bear conditions and forecasts.

Check Ben’s Weather Before Your Trip

Pay particular attention to:

• Expected snowfall
• Snow level
• Storm timing
• Wind
• Temperatures
• Road and chain conditions

Mountain weather can change quickly.

NOAA can tell us about the big-picture winter pattern.

When an actual storm is headed toward Big Bear, we’ll be checking Ben’s Weather.

Start 2027 in Big Bear

The kids are out of school.

The family is together.

So don’t make New Year’s a one-night event.

Make it five nights in Big Bear.

Snowboard Bear Mountain.

Ski Snow Summit.

Try a night session.

Walk The Village under the holiday lights.

Watch more than 200 skiers and snowboarders illuminate Snow Summit during the New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade.

Then wake up on January 1 and make your first runs of 2027.

And bring everybody.

Edgar’s Hideaway sleeps up to 16 guests at approximately 7,200 feet in Upper Moonridge overlooking Bear Mountain.

Five nights. One house. The whole group.

Snowboard Bear Mountain. Ski Snow Summit. Ring in 2027 in Big Bear.

Event dates, resort hours, Night Sessions and mountain operations are subject to change based on weather, snow conditions and resort operations. Check the official links above before your trip.