Yoga in the Gardens at Sunnylands Center & Gardens got popular enough to cause a traffic problem. Some sessions drew more than 400 people, and their cars all arrived at once at the entrance on Bob Hope Drive.
That is Sunnylands' own explanation. In a September 30, 2026 announcement, it said Yoga in the Gardens would move from weekly to monthly this season. The change tells you how the whole 2026–27 season at 37977 Bob Hope Drive is set up. Admission to the grounds is free, but the best-attended programs and the house tours are scheduled around how many people the site and the road can handle. The calendar now turns on three dates: the third Friday, Saturday mornings and the 15th of each month.
The Friday class that became a monthly date
The Sunnylands announcement explains the change in plain terms:
"Over the years, Yoga in the Gardens has grown into one of our most popular community programs, with attendance sometimes exceeding more than 400 participants per session. While we are delighted by the enthusiasm, the large number of vehicles arriving at the same time can create traffic congestion outside the Sunnylands entrance along Bob Hope Drive."
The fix is fewer sessions. Yoga now meets on the third Friday of each month from November through April. Each one-hour session starts at 9 a.m., and the first one is November 20, 2026. Sunnylands also says it will work with local law enforcement on traffic outside the entrance, and it asks people to carpool when they can.
Everything else stays the same. The program is still free, and instructors Stéfane Barbeau and Kristin Olson are back for the season. The event listing says sessions are open to all ages and experience levels, with poses from beginner to intermediate. Bring your own mat. Sun protection and water are recommended, and reservations, parking and admission are all free.
Counting third Fridays on the calendar gives six sessions this season:
- Friday, November 20, 2026
- Friday, December 18, 2026
- Friday, January 15, 2027
- Friday, February 19, 2027
- Friday, March 19, 2027
- Friday, April 16, 2027
The November and December dates come straight from Sunnylands. The 2027 dates are calculated from the third-Friday rule, and Sunnylands posts its instructor schedule for the full season in a PDF linked from the announcement. Sunnylands also says the schedule can change, and outdoor programs may be canceled for rain, lightning or strong winds.
A weekly class from November through April would run about 25 sessions. Six sessions means each one is a bigger event. If 400 people came out when there was a class every week, the single morning each month will probably draw a large crowd too. Carpooling, which Sunnylands asked for, is the simplest way to get there without sitting in the line on Bob Hope Drive.
Saturdays stay weekly
Tai Chi in the Gardens kept its weekly schedule. Free 60-minute sessions meet every Saturday at 9:30 a.m. from November 7, 2026 through April 24, 2027. The class teaches the opening positions of the Yang Family 108 Long Form, and no tai chi experience is needed. Reservations aren't required, and parking and admission are free.
With yoga down to once a month, Tai Chi is now the only free wellness class here that meets every week. For anyone who used the gardens as a regular weekday morning routine, Saturday at 9:30 is the fixed weekly slot this winter. Sunnylands' season announcement says the wellness programs, including yoga, tai chi and bird walks, all start in November.
November also has a one-time performance. On Sunday, November 15, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Nickerson-Rossi Dance presents a free Dance in the Gardens performance that moves through the grounds. That makes November 15 to 21 the busiest stretch of the fall here: the dance performance on Sunday, the first monthly yoga session on Friday and Tai Chi again on Saturday the 21st.
What's on in October, before the wellness classes start
The Center & Gardens reopened September 9 after the summer break. It's open Wednesday through Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., from mid-September to early June, and entry is free. The rest of October has a few smaller programs, and some of them require registration:
- Day of the Dead mosaic skulls, Saturday, October 17, noon to 3:30 p.m. This art workshop is for adults only, costs $71.97 and requires registration.
- Happy Worm horticulture workshop, Sunday, October 18, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This herb-garden session costs $55.59 and requires registration.
- Birdability Week walk with Audubon California, Thursday, October 22, 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. This guided, accessible bird walk is free and doesn't require registration.
Two other things run all season, so you can fit them around any of those dates. The photo exhibition Curating Canopy: Trees at Sunnylands is back for a second season and stays up through June 6, 2027. Palm Springs Life reported the same June 2027 end date when the show opened. The trees carried over to the outdoor movies this fall too. Films in the Gardens ran three free Friday screenings in September at 7:30 p.m.: The Hidden Life of Trees, Big Fish and At Eternity's Gate.
The café has also changed its menu. Sunnylands says it added new and returning items, including French-press coffee and iced tea made the way Mrs. Annenberg liked it.
The 15th of the month is the other date to remember
The gardens are free and open to everyone. The house is limited to a few people at a time, and the ticketing rules are built around that limit.
Each Historic House Tour holds seven guests. Tours last 90 minutes and cost $58.19 per person. Guests take a shuttle to the front door and walk through the Annenbergs' 25,000-square-foot home. Here's how ticketing works this season:
| Rule | How it works |
|---|---|
| Release date | 9 a.m. Pacific on the 15th, for the following month's tours |
| Where to buy | Online only at Sunnylands.org; no phone, email or in-person advance sales |
| Same-day tickets | Sometimes sold at the reception desk, in person only, not guaranteed |
| Sold-out tours | No waitlists |
| Groups | Group tickets not available |
| Minimum age | 10 years |
| Accessibility | All tours wheelchair accessible |
The next release is this Thursday. November tour tickets go on sale October 15 at 9 a.m. Pacific, following the rule on the Sunnylands tours page. That page also offers a reminder sign-up before each monthly sale. In October, tours run Wednesday through Sunday, the same days the Center is open.
There's one more limit that's specific to Sunnylands. The estate still hosts high-level meetings, and Sunnylands warns that these convenings can occasionally cancel scheduled tours, even ones that have already sold. In those cases it says refunds are issued promptly. The trust has hosted world leaders and experts at the estate since 2012, so the same diplomatic role that makes the house worth seeing can also close it on short notice.
If you're booking tours for out-of-town guests, the 15th sets the timing. A December visit means buying on November 15, and a January visit means buying on December 15, right when the holidays get busy.
Dates the Center is closed
The Plan Ahead page lists three holiday closures for the Center & Gardens: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. On this year's calendar, that's Thursday, November 26, 2026, Friday, December 25, 2026, and Friday, January 1, 2027. Neither yoga session near the holidays is affected. December's falls on the 18th, a week before Christmas, and January's is on the 15th.
Knowing which mornings back up Bob Hope Drive, and when the house tickets go on sale, is the kind of practical detail Lori Ebeling has picked up over more than 25 years living in the Coachella Valley. If you're settling into Rancho Mirage, or have family visiting and want help planning around Sunnylands' calendar, Lori is happy to share what she knows. Schedule a 15-minute consultation.
