On Saturday, November 14, Perris Auto Speedway's gates open at 5:00 for the last Night of Destruction on its 2026 schedule. Three days earlier, the Southern California Railway Museum on South A Street starts a holiday ride that has nowhere else to run in Southern California this year.
Those two dates bracket the week Perris switches seasons. The race season's last two Saturdays fall on November 7 and November 14. The Polar Express begins on Wednesday, November 11, which is Veterans Day. For people who live here, this is the stretch when weekends get booked up.
Why the Polar Express Only Runs in Perris This Year
The event's 2026 FAQ says the operator has moved everything to the Southern California Railway Museum at 2201 S. "A" Street. The Fillmore & Western Railway in Fillmore no longer runs excursions and won't host the ride in 2026.
So anyone in the region who wants this ride now books it in Perris. The same FAQ lists two other changes that matter to anyone who has gone before:
- No outdoor North Pole set. Santa still boards the train and hands out the First Gift of Christmas during the show. The operator says it dropped the outdoor set to put the effort into the show inside the train.
- The ride works the same way. It's a one-hour trip set to the movie soundtrack. Car hosts punch golden tickets, chefs serve hot chocolate and a cookie, and passengers read along with Chris Van Allsburg's book. Every guest takes home a sleigh bell.
- First departure is November 11. The museum's homepage lists that date. The museum's event page lists the season as select November and December 2026 dates.
The Week the Calendar Changes Hands
These dates come from the City of Perris, Perris Auto Speedway and the Polar Express operator. Together they set the pace for November.
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Veterans Celebration | Downtown D Street | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Jerry Dodd Champions Night | Perris Auto Speedway | Gates 5:00, racing 7:05 |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | THE POLAR EXPRESS™ first departure | Southern California Railway Museum | Departures vary by date |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Night of Destruction, final listed event | Perris Auto Speedway | Gates 5:00, crashing 7:05 |
| Tue., Nov. 24 | Sensory-friendly Polar Express | Southern California Railway Museum | 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. |
You can do both events on Saturday, November 7. The City of Perris lists its Veterans Celebration for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Downtown D Street. Speedway gates open three hours after it ends.
The Speedway's Last Two Saturdays
Perris Auto Speedway calls 2026 its "30th Diamond Anniversary" season, and its posted schedule ends in November. The schedule was last updated October 21, 2026, and notes that dates can change.
November 7, Jerry Dodd Champions Night. The card lists PASSCAR Super Stocks, Street Stocks and Factory Stocks. In 2024, SoCal Motorsports Media previewed Champions Night as the finale where PASSCAR points titles in those stock car classes are decided. Advance tickets on Tix.com are listed at $12 to $33, fees included.
November 14, Night of Destruction. It's the last event on the 2026 schedule, with Demo Cross, Figure 8s, Trailer Figure 8s, Mini Stocks and Double Deckers. Tix.com lists the night as running 5 to 10:30 p.m., with tickets at $12 to $27, fees included. For comparison, the Speedway's March 2026 Night of Destruction notice priced gate tickets at $25 for adults and $5 for active military with ID. Children five and under got in free, and fairgrounds parking was $20 by card. Those were March prices and may not apply on November 14.
After the 14th, the Speedway's schedule has nothing else listed for 2026. The next big draw is the railway museum's holiday season.
Picking a Departure on South A Street
The Polar Express charges different prices for different departures. The FAQ is clear that the ride is the same on every train. Only the date and time change the price, with lower-demand departures costing less.
| Tier | Adult | Child, ages 2 to 11 |
|---|---|---|
| Value | $56.25 | $49.25 |
| Standard | $74.25 | $67.25 |
| Premium | $88.25 | $81.25 |
Prices include all fees. For a family of two adults and two children, the gap between a Value train and a Premium train is $128, and they get the same hot chocolate and the same Santa. The 2026 price calendar shows which dates fall in which tier. It lists departure times of 11:30, 1:30, 4:00, 6:00 and 8:00, and which times run changes by date.
Locals have an edge in a few places, mostly around timing:
- The showtime is when boarding starts, not when the train leaves. The operator requires guests to arrive about 60 minutes before showtime to park and check in at the Box Office.
- The box office closes at showtime. No one boards after that, even if the rest of their party is already on the train.
- Plan for about two hours at the museum, from arrival through the ride.
- Buy parking with your tickets. Event parking at the museum costs $6 per vehicle, and your ticket confirmation serves as the parking pass. If you need more passes later, you have to call the operator at (702) 357-3526.
- The sensory-friendly trains run Tuesday, November 24, at 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. They keep the same show with softer audio, fewer startling sound effects, limited strobe and flashing lights, and normal car lighting.
What Changes for the Museum's Regular Weekends
During the holiday season the museum mostly runs the Polar Express. Its events page lists the Polar Express as the November and December special event. The page also notes that the regular Saturday and Sunday train and trolley rides, where visitors can ride as many times as they like during operating hours, don't run during special ticketed events.
If your family treats the museum's weekend trolley rides as a standby outing, check the date before you go in November or December. The Polar Express is the ticketed event that takes over those weekends now. Since Fillmore no longer hosts it, the ride's full Southern California season runs on this one stretch of track.
Back on D Street After the Racing Ends
Downtown is busy at both ends of November. The Veterans Celebration opens the month on November 7. The Perris Valley Chamber describes the City of Perris Night Market as an every-fourth-Friday event, 5 to 10 p.m. at 223 S. D Street, with food vendors, local shopping and music. In November 2026 the fourth Friday is November 27, the day after Thanksgiving. Check the city's channels before you plan around it. We covered how that monthly market lasted through Perris's busy summer in our August look at Perris errands and evenings.
The next big date on the city calendar is the 36th Annual Christmas Parade. It's set for Saturday, December 12, at 10 a.m. on the Downtown D Street route, and the city lists it as rain or shine. By then, racing is over and the Polar Express has been running for a month.
If you're thinking about how a home near downtown, the museum or the fairgrounds fits into the town's yearly calendar, Alton Jones and our team are glad to talk it through on our Perris neighborhood page or in person. Schedule a Consultation.
