Illustration by Ross May / Los Angeles Times; Photos by Carolyn Cole; Gabriella Angotti-Jones; Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times
Craving Christmas cheer? Here are 28 sparkling SoCal holiday light shows
Holiday light shows are back in a big way this year so there are even more opportunities for seasonal dazzle, with a wide variety of nighttime light shows that include everything from freebie strolls or drive-throughs to pricier extravaganzas.
Note that most of these shows are rain-or-shine events, so don’t expect a refund if it starts to drizzle on the night you bought tickets. Dress warmly, bring an umbrella and count your blessings that low temperatures in the L.A. area rarely dip below 40 degrees.
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Many of the free light shows included in this list are in residential areas where an informal group of neighbors voluntarily go all out to create annual holiday displays. The start and stop dates for these events are sometimes vague. If you can, try to visit on weekday nights because traffic can get congested on weekends. Or better yet, if the area has sidewalks, park your car a block or two away and walk the route. We’ve divided the holiday light shows into four categories: free or paid walk-throughs and free or paid drive-throughs, which you can filter using the navigation bar above.
Showing Places
(Bruno Destombes)
Astra Lumina at South Coast Botanic Garden
Rolling Hills Estates Paid Walk-Through
South Coast Botanic Garden is partnering with Moment Factory and Fever to present “an enchanted night walk amongst the stars” — a cosmic light show meshing lights, projection and sound into a starry event as you walk through the garden. The walk-and-gape show takes about 60 minutes.
Dates: Dec. 8 to Jan. 15
Hours: Timed entry between 5:30 to 9 p.m. nightly except Dec. 25. Visitors can stay until gates close at 10 p.m.
Admission: Reserved tickets are required; $29 for 13 and older, $24 for seniors, students or military and $20 for children ages 4 to 12. Children under 4 enter free. South Coast Botanic Garden members get a 15% discount on tickets, but need a promo code from the garden. Preferred on-site parking is $20; off-site parking pass with a shuttle to the gate is $8. Food and beverages may be purchased on-site.
Dates: Dec. 8 to Jan. 15
Hours: Timed entry between 5:30 to 9 p.m. nightly except Dec. 25. Visitors can stay until gates close at 10 p.m.
Admission: Reserved tickets are required; $29 for 13 and older, $24 for seniors, students or military and $20 for children ages 4 to 12. Children under 4 enter free. South Coast Botanic Garden members get a 15% discount on tickets, but need a promo code from the garden. Preferred on-site parking is $20; off-site parking pass with a shuttle to the gate is $8. Food and beverages may be purchased on-site.
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Brea Eagle Hills Christmas Lights
Brea Free Drive-Through
Brea Eagle Hills Christmas Lights is a longstanding and very popular neighborhood light event, so expect tons of sloooow-moving traffic — plan at least 45 minutes for the tour — if you choose to drive. Many visitors recommend parking outside the housing tract and walking the route. Public parking and restrooms are available nearby at the Brea Sports Park, 3333 E. Birch St. Some neighbors have traditionally sold snacks and warm drinks from their yards. The city of Brea also limits parking to only one side of the street in the Eagle Hills neighborhood between 4 and 10 p.m. for emergency vehicles.
Dates: Dec. 1 to 31
Hours: Dusk to 10 p.m.
Admission: Free
Dates: Dec. 1 to 31
Hours: Dusk to 10 p.m.
Admission: Free
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Candy Cane Lane in El Segundo
El Segundo Free walk-through
El Segundo’s Candy Cane Lane has been a tradition since 1949, except for 2020 during the pandemic. This year Santa Claus will oversee the official lighting ceremony on Dec. 10, turning on the lights at each house and display starting at 7 p.m. The lights will stay on through Christmas Eve until 11 p.m. each night.
Dates: Dec. 10-24
Hours: Lighting ceremony on Dec. 10 starts at 7 p.m.; the lights stay on nightly until 11 p.m.
Admission: Free
Dates: Dec. 10-24
Hours: Lighting ceremony on Dec. 10 starts at 7 p.m.; the lights stay on nightly until 11 p.m.
Admission: Free
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(Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Candy Cane Lane in Woodland Hills
Woodland Hills Free Drive-Through
Candy Cane Lane is an annual neighborhood holiday decor extravaganza — the kind of 60-plus-year tradition that happens when homeowners work together and get a little competitive about who has the best light display — that start at the intersection of Lubao and Oxnard streets (by Pierce College) in Woodland Hills. This is a pretty informal event, without any specific spokesperson or website, but the lights typically go up after Thanksgiving and stay on through the end of the year, according to the West Valley-Warner Center Chamber of Commerce. This is a slow-drive-through-the-neighborhood-and-gape event.
Dates: Through Jan. 1
Hours: 6-10 p.m.
Admission: Free
Dates: Through Jan. 1
Hours: 6-10 p.m.
Admission: Free
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(Andrew Worthington / Mission San Juan Capistrano)
Capistrano Lights at San Juan Capistrano Mission
San Juan Capistrano Paid Walk-Through
The venerable courtyard of Orange County’s only mission at San Juan Capistrano is bathed in lights and oversized holiday decor, with music by the Dickens Era Carolers, crafts for children, a huge nativity scene and photos with Santa.
Dates: Dec. 3 to 30
Hours: Tickets available for selected days only: Dec. 3-4, 10-11, 16-18, 23 and 27-30. Ticketholders can enter as early as 9 a.m. to tour the mission, but the holiday programming of lights, music and Santa begins at 4 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m. when the mission closes.
Admission: Limited tickets are available at the door, but online purchases are recommended due to high demand, $20 ages 12-59, $17 seniors age 60+, $14 ages 5-11 and free for children 4 and younger. Member tickets are $5 less.
Dates: Dec. 3 to 30
Hours: Tickets available for selected days only: Dec. 3-4, 10-11, 16-18, 23 and 27-30. Ticketholders can enter as early as 9 a.m. to tour the mission, but the holiday programming of lights, music and Santa begins at 4 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m. when the mission closes.
Admission: Limited tickets are available at the door, but online purchases are recommended due to high demand, $20 ages 12-59, $17 seniors age 60+, $14 ages 5-11 and free for children 4 and younger. Member tickets are $5 less.
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(Calvin B. Alagot / Los Angeles Times)
Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena
Altadena Free Drive-Through
Christmas Tree Lane officially marked its 100th year of elaborate holiday decorations in 2020, but its traditional lighting ceremony and winter festival were canceled that year and again in 2021 due to COVID concerns. So there’s a lot of pent up celebrating to be had on Dec. 10, when the lighting ceremony and festival return from 3 to 9 p.m. at the Altadena Public Library, 600 East Mariposa St. The event features an arts and crafts fair, food and beverages and a chance to participate in the count down at 6 p.m. to ignite the lights on Christmas Tree Lane, nearly a mile worth of shining decor strung among the 135 massive Deodar Cedar trees lining both sides of Santa Rosa Avenue.
Traffic will be blocked on the street until 9 p.m. said volunteer foreman Tony Walsh, so revelers can safely admire the lights on foot. That’s the only time organizers recommend walking the route, said Walsh, because there are no sidewalks and it’s difficult to see pedestrians unless they are brightly lit. So the safest course is to drive the route unless you’ll be there on Dec. 10 before 9 p.m., when the street will be reopened to cars. This is a slow-drive-through-the-neighborhood-and-gape event, and admiring is free, but the association accepts $35 memberships online to offset the cost of stringing lights in the venerable cedar trees and keeping them healthy.
Dates: Dec. 10 to Jan. 6
Hours: 5:30 p.m. to midnight
Admission: Free
Traffic will be blocked on the street until 9 p.m. said volunteer foreman Tony Walsh, so revelers can safely admire the lights on foot. That’s the only time organizers recommend walking the route, said Walsh, because there are no sidewalks and it’s difficult to see pedestrians unless they are brightly lit. So the safest course is to drive the route unless you’ll be there on Dec. 10 before 9 p.m., when the street will be reopened to cars. This is a slow-drive-through-the-neighborhood-and-gape event, and admiring is free, but the association accepts $35 memberships online to offset the cost of stringing lights in the venerable cedar trees and keeping them healthy.
Dates: Dec. 10 to Jan. 6
Hours: 5:30 p.m. to midnight
Admission: Free
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(Patricia Marroquin/Moment Editorial/Getty Images)
Christmas Tree Lane in Oxnard
Oxnard Free walk-through
You can walk or drive through Oxnard’s 70-acre district of 139 historic homes, most built before 1925, representing various architectural styles, including Mission/Spanish Revival, Bungalow, Craftsman and Colonial Revival. These homes are extraordinary to view any time, but during the holidays, the lights and decor in the Henry T. Oxnard Historic District of Oxnard make the walk all the more special.
The houses are clustered on F and G streets between 5th Street and Palm Drive. Be sure to drive past Oxnard’s giant Christmas tree display — billed as the tallest in Ventura County — starting Dec. 1, before Christmas Tree Lane officially kicks off on Dec. 11, at Plaza Park, 500 S. C St. The tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 1 runs from 5 to 9 p.m. with entertainment, food trucks, a holiday marketplace and Santa.
Dates: Dec. 11 to 26
Hours: Nightly
Admission: Free
The houses are clustered on F and G streets between 5th Street and Palm Drive. Be sure to drive past Oxnard’s giant Christmas tree display — billed as the tallest in Ventura County — starting Dec. 1, before Christmas Tree Lane officially kicks off on Dec. 11, at Plaza Park, 500 S. C St. The tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 1 runs from 5 to 9 p.m. with entertainment, food trucks, a holiday marketplace and Santa.
Dates: Dec. 11 to 26
Hours: Nightly
Admission: Free
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Christmas in Color Drive-Thru Animated Light Show
San Dimas Paid Drive-Through
This drive-through show features giant candy canes, snowmen, illuminated tunnels and more than a million lights synchronized to music that visitors can tune in to their own car radios. A portion of all ticket sales is donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Dates: Through Jan. 1
Hours: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. nightly except Dec. 25
Admission: $35 per vehicle. Party Pack ticket of $55 includes admission for one vehicle, plus four pairs of 3-D glasses, two light-bulb necklaces, two light wands and one air freshener. Holiday scented, I presume?
Dates: Through Jan. 1
Hours: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. nightly except Dec. 25
Admission: $35 per vehicle. Party Pack ticket of $55 includes admission for one vehicle, plus four pairs of 3-D glasses, two light-bulb necklaces, two light wands and one air freshener. Holiday scented, I presume?
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(Descanso Gardens)
Descanso Gardens’ Enchanted Forest of Light
La Cañada Flintridge Paid Walk-Through
Descanso’s annual holiday light show stretches a mile through the gardens, with an exhibit that includes a “town” of stained-glass buildings in the Rose Garden created by sculptor Tom Fruin and a field of glowing tulips that constantly change colors.
Dates: Through Jan. 8
Hours: Timed entry every half-hour between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m.; open until 10 p.m. daily, rain or shine, except Dec. 24 and 25.
Admission: Tickets must be purchased online, $22 to $28 for members; $34 to $40 for nonmembers. (Children under 2 enter free, but still require a ticket.)
Dates: Through Jan. 8
Hours: Timed entry every half-hour between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m.; open until 10 p.m. daily, rain or shine, except Dec. 24 and 25.
Admission: Tickets must be purchased online, $22 to $28 for members; $34 to $40 for nonmembers. (Children under 2 enter free, but still require a ticket.)
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(Emily Ganiko / Tanaka Farms)
Hikari: Festival of Lights at Tanaka Farms
Irvine Paid Walk-Through
Hikari means “shine” in Japanese, and Tanaka Farms is living up to that name with wagon rides to the “Land of a Thousand Lanterns” and a walk with more lights, live music, food for purchase, arts and crafts, barnyard animals and a chance to visit with Santa.
Dates: Through Dec. 30
Hours: Open nightly 4:30 to 10 p.m. (last entry at 8 p.m.), except Dec. 4-5, 12-13 and 24-25.
Admission: $20 to $30, depending on the time of entry; children 2 and under as well as military service members, retirees and veterans enter free with military ID. Parking is $10.
Dates: Through Dec. 30
Hours: Open nightly 4:30 to 10 p.m. (last entry at 8 p.m.), except Dec. 4-5, 12-13 and 24-25.
Admission: $20 to $30, depending on the time of entry; children 2 and under as well as military service members, retirees and veterans enter free with military ID. Parking is $10.
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(Line 8 Photography)
Holiday Road at King Gillette Ranch
Calabasas Paid Drive-Through
Walk along Holiday Road to see glowing swans, nutcrackers and polar bears, giant gingerbread folk and houses, twinkling tunnels and trees all draped in lights, along with 10-foot-tall menorahs in honor of Hanukkah, and a chance to see Santa. Hot chocolate and toddies are available for purchase.
Dates: Through Dec. 30
Hours: Open nightly 5 to 10 p.m. except Dec. 5 to 6 and 25
Admission: Tickets are $24.99 to $39.99 per person, depending on the night. Children 2 and younger enter free.
Dates: Through Dec. 30
Hours: Open nightly 5 to 10 p.m. except Dec. 5 to 6 and 25
Admission: Tickets are $24.99 to $39.99 per person, depending on the night. Children 2 and younger enter free.
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(Jamie Pham / L.A. Zoo)
L.A. Zoo Lights
Griffith Park Paid Walk-Through
The L.A. Zoo’s “Animals Aglow” holiday event features oversized flora and fauna with some serious glow and animation (like the wondrous bright blue peacock unfurling its tail), along with the obligatory, eye-popping walk under a shining tunnel. One wonders what the zoo’s residents think?
Dates: Through Jan. 22
Hours: Open daily except Dec. 5-6, 12-13 and 24-25, and Jan. 2-4, 9-10 and 16-17, from 6 to 10 p.m.
Admission: $34 to $39 for ages 13 and older, $27 to $32 for ages 2 to 12, depending on the day. Children under 2 enter free. Discounts up to 27% for members of the zoo.
Dates: Through Jan. 22
Hours: Open daily except Dec. 5-6, 12-13 and 24-25, and Jan. 2-4, 9-10 and 16-17, from 6 to 10 p.m.
Admission: $34 to $39 for ages 13 and older, $27 to $32 for ages 2 to 12, depending on the day. Children under 2 enter free. Discounts up to 27% for members of the zoo.
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(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
Lightscape at Los Angeles County Arboretum
Arcadia Paid Walk-Through
Lightscape has added “bigger, bolder, brighter” displays to its annual holiday light show, which winds about a mile though the Arboretum’s gardens, including a walk-through winter cathedral of white lights and a “fire garden” along paths that are wheelchair accessible.
Dates: Through Jan. 8
Hours: Tickets must be reserved in advance, timed entry between 5:30 and 8:45 p.m., but visitors can stay until the gates close at 10 p.m.
Admission: Tickets are $37 to $39 for adults and $18 to $20 for ages 3 to 12. Members save $3 per ticket, and children 2 and under enter free. Expect an additional $3 service fee per ticket. VIP tickets ($80/$75 members) permit flexible, priority entry on the ticketed date as well as on-site parking. Food and drink are available for purchase.
Dates: Through Jan. 8
Hours: Tickets must be reserved in advance, timed entry between 5:30 and 8:45 p.m., but visitors can stay until the gates close at 10 p.m.
Admission: Tickets are $37 to $39 for adults and $18 to $20 for ages 3 to 12. Members save $3 per ticket, and children 2 and under enter free. Expect an additional $3 service fee per ticket. VIP tickets ($80/$75 members) permit flexible, priority entry on the ticketed date as well as on-site parking. Food and drink are available for purchase.
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(California Botanic Garden)
Luminaria Nights at the California Botanic Garden
Claremont Paid Walk-Through
California Botanic Garden has the state’s largest collection of California native plants, and now visitors can view them at night with special holiday luminaria, live music and food and beverages for purchase.
Dates: Dec. 9 to 10, 16 to 17
Hours: 6 to 9 p.m.
Admission: $16 adults, $12 seniors age 65+, students with ID and children ages 3 to 12. Members pay $12 for adults and $8 for seniors, students and children 3 to 12. Children under 3 enter free.
Dates: Dec. 9 to 10, 16 to 17
Hours: 6 to 9 p.m.
Admission: $16 adults, $12 seniors age 65+, students with ID and children ages 3 to 12. Members pay $12 for adults and $8 for seniors, students and children 3 to 12. Children under 3 enter free.
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(Magic of Lights)
Magic of Lights at Coachella Valley's Empire Polo Club
Indio Paid Drive-Through
Here’s an immersive holiday light drive-through with a very appealing price. You can basically fill up your car (safely) to experience four lighted tunnels — odes to blizzards, snowflakes and candy canes — plus a fourth that’s 200-feet long, and some 40 scenes of lighted holiday displays over a winding, milelong route. There will be a winter wonderland (in the desert), the 12 days of Christmas, Toyland, elves, monster trucks, a 32-foot-tall animated Christmas Barbie who waves and a “prehistoric Christmas” featuring life-sized dinosaurs “celebrating the season” while blowing the minds of paleontologists everywhere.
Dates: Through Jan. 1
Hours: 6 to 10 p.m. nightly
Admission: $35, $40 or $45 per standard vehicle, depending on the dates you choose; prices increase as you get closer to Christmas. A limo or party bus ticket costs $75, buses are $100.
Dates: Through Jan. 1
Hours: 6 to 10 p.m. nightly
Admission: $35, $40 or $45 per standard vehicle, depending on the dates you choose; prices increase as you get closer to Christmas. A limo or party bus ticket costs $75, buses are $100.
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(Roundhouse Aquarium)
Manhattan Beach Pier
Manhattan Beach Free walk-through
Here’s a chance to catch some lights and ocean breezes, all for free. The 928-foot-long Manhattan Beach Pier is bedecked with lights all the way to the towering lights on the Roundhouse Aquarium at the end of the pier. Downtown Manhattan Beach has lights to enjoy too in its business area, so this could be a nice way to walk, window shop and enjoy the ceaseless carol of the Pacific Ocean.
Dates: Through early January
Hours: Nightly at dusk
Admission: Free
Dates: Through early January
Hours: Nightly at dusk
Admission: Free
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(Mission Inn)
Mission Inn Festival of Lights
Riverside Free walk-through
This is the grand daddy of SoCal’s holiday light shows. The city of Riverside provides a riot of vendors and holiday lights along its Main Street promenade, but the chief attraction is the Mission Inn — an extraordinary venue that covers a full city block and is draped with lights and moving figures on all sides.
The COVID pandemic shut down the festival for two years, but it’s all back this year, which means you should expect huge crowds and parking headaches as well.
Pro tip: Try to arrange your visit on a weekday and pay attention to the city’s handy parking guide. If you want to see the Mission Inn’s elaborate indoor holiday decor without renting a room or buying a meal, buy tickets for a tour with the Mission Inn Museum. You’ll get a peek inside this storied hotel, learn something about its fascinating history and if you take the last tour of the day, the outside lights will be ablaze when you emerge. The 75-minute tours are by reservation only and cost $20 for ages 12 and older, $17 for seniors and $15 for children ages 11 and younger as well as residents of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It’s far easier to park if you arrive before dark.
There are several stores nearby, such as the always-festive Mrs. Tiggy Winkles gift shop, if you want to browse a little before the lights come on, and a plethora of decent restaurants.
Dates: The Mission Inn lights stay lit through Jan. 6; the city lights and vendors end at midnight on Dec. 31.
Hours: Lights come on at dusk every night, around 5 p.m.
Admission: Free to walk outside; however if you want to see the decorations inside, you’ll need to rent a hotel room (starting at $329 during the holiday season) or have a reservation at one of the Inn’s restaurants. (Or maybe grab a drink at one of its two lounges.)
The COVID pandemic shut down the festival for two years, but it’s all back this year, which means you should expect huge crowds and parking headaches as well.
Pro tip: Try to arrange your visit on a weekday and pay attention to the city’s handy parking guide. If you want to see the Mission Inn’s elaborate indoor holiday decor without renting a room or buying a meal, buy tickets for a tour with the Mission Inn Museum. You’ll get a peek inside this storied hotel, learn something about its fascinating history and if you take the last tour of the day, the outside lights will be ablaze when you emerge. The 75-minute tours are by reservation only and cost $20 for ages 12 and older, $17 for seniors and $15 for children ages 11 and younger as well as residents of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It’s far easier to park if you arrive before dark.
There are several stores nearby, such as the always-festive Mrs. Tiggy Winkles gift shop, if you want to browse a little before the lights come on, and a plethora of decent restaurants.
Dates: The Mission Inn lights stay lit through Jan. 6; the city lights and vendors end at midnight on Dec. 31.
Hours: Lights come on at dusk every night, around 5 p.m.
Admission: Free to walk outside; however if you want to see the decorations inside, you’ll need to rent a hotel room (starting at $329 during the holiday season) or have a reservation at one of the Inn’s restaurants. (Or maybe grab a drink at one of its two lounges.)
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(Newport Dunes)
Newport Dunes Annual Lights of the Bay
Newport Beach Free walk-through
Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort has been lighting up the bay for more than three decades, and this year the display includes 50 floating holiday trees and decorations that reflect off the water in a magical way. The lights come on daily at dusk and you can view them for free, but of course there are opportunities to spend money too. You can buy ingredients for s’mores at the resort’s store, which can be used in the public fire pits (first come, first served), and there’s a beachfront grill and bar (open on Saturdays and Sundays only).
Dates: Through Jan. 1
Hours: Dusk to 11:30 p.m. daily
Admission: Free, but on-site parking is $10.
Dates: Through Jan. 1
Hours: Dusk to 11:30 p.m. daily
Admission: Free, but on-site parking is $10.
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(Kate Jones)
Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration
Beverly Hills Free walk-through
So maybe you can’t do all (or even some) of your holiday shopping on Rodeo Drive, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking a stroll along this iconic street between Santa Monica and Wilshire boulevards to do some window drooling — uh, shopping — and take in the city’s lavish light displays.
After your walk on Rodeo Drive, check out the Lights on Lily Pond at Beverly Gardens Park on Santa Monica Boulevard between N. Cañon and N. Beverly drives, with show times at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and again at 9 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.
There’s also the swirling ribbons of light from the Glowing Gardens scribble sculptures at Beverly Cañon Gardens, 241 N. Canon Drive, and the Magic Projection Show at Beverly Hills City Hall, 455 N. Rexford Drive, projecting holiday-flavored scenes and colors onto the historic building every half hour from 6 p.m. until the last show at 9:30 p.m. And don’t forget to check out Santa and his reindeer frozen in flight above Wilshire Boulevard and Beverly Drive. The displays are all within a few blocks of each other, and easy to find using the city’s printable map of all its holiday decor, which also indicates places to park.
Dates: Through Jan. 1
Hours: Every evening at dusk
Admission: Free
After your walk on Rodeo Drive, check out the Lights on Lily Pond at Beverly Gardens Park on Santa Monica Boulevard between N. Cañon and N. Beverly drives, with show times at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and again at 9 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.
There’s also the swirling ribbons of light from the Glowing Gardens scribble sculptures at Beverly Cañon Gardens, 241 N. Canon Drive, and the Magic Projection Show at Beverly Hills City Hall, 455 N. Rexford Drive, projecting holiday-flavored scenes and colors onto the historic building every half hour from 6 p.m. until the last show at 9:30 p.m. And don’t forget to check out Santa and his reindeer frozen in flight above Wilshire Boulevard and Beverly Drive. The displays are all within a few blocks of each other, and easy to find using the city’s printable map of all its holiday decor, which also indicates places to park.
Dates: Through Jan. 1
Hours: Every evening at dusk
Admission: Free
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(Courtesy of the Santa Barbara Zoo)
Santa Barbara Zoo Lights
Santa Barbara Paid Walk-Through
Santa Barbara Zoo joins the holiday light fray this year with thousands of silk-covered “lanterns” in the form of animals and exotic plants, including giant butterflies, peacocks and creatures from the African plains and Australian outback.
Dates: Through Jan. 15
Hours: 4:30 to 8:30 p.m daily, except Dec. 5-6, 12-13, 15, 19, 24-26, 31, and Jan. 2-3 and 9-10.
Admission: $22 or $32 ages 13 and older, $20 or $30 ages 3 to 12, depending on dates, children 2 and under enter for free. Zoo members pay $2 less per ticket.
Dates: Through Jan. 15
Hours: 4:30 to 8:30 p.m daily, except Dec. 5-6, 12-13, 15, 19, 24-26, 31, and Jan. 2-3 and 9-10.
Admission: $22 or $32 ages 13 and older, $20 or $30 ages 3 to 12, depending on dates, children 2 and under enter for free. Zoo members pay $2 less per ticket.
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(Donnie Shilling)
Santa’s Speedway Christmas Lights Experience
Irwindale Paid Drive-Through
Santa’s Speedway has turned its drive-through experience into a stroll through gigantic glowing displays and tunnels designed to make visitors feel “elf sized.” There are 20-foot tall lollipops in Christmas Sweets Land, a 30-foot tall Santa on a rocking horse and a free-standing light tree that’s 110 feet tall and made up of 100,000 LED lights. There’s also an under-the-sea land, “Race Car Stables” (with race cars decked out bumper to bumper in lights), Santa’s village, a new family cafe, and in case you were worried, “multiple selfie spots.”
Dates: Through Jan. 1 except Dec. 5 to 6 and 12 to 13.
Hours: Nightly 5 to 10 p.m.
Admission: $29 to $35 for ages 13 and older, depending on the day, and $19 for ages 2 to 12. Children under 2 enter free.
Dates: Through Jan. 1 except Dec. 5 to 6 and 12 to 13.
Hours: Nightly 5 to 10 p.m.
Admission: $29 to $35 for ages 13 and older, depending on the day, and $19 for ages 2 to 12. Children under 2 enter free.
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(Seaside Neighborhood Assn.)
Seaside Holiday Lights
Torrance Free Drive-Through
Residents of the Seaside Ranchos neighborhood of Torrance, otherwise known as Sleepy Hollow, have been working together to create elaborate residential holiday light displays since 1984. This is an all-volunteer effort. No one is required to participate, but the displays involve about 300 houses and bring in thousands of visitors every year. The city of Torrance puts out cans to collect trash and restricts street parking to only one side of the road for emergency vehicles.
Many residents sell food and drink from their property, said Seaside Neighborhood Assn. president Tricia Blanco, but there are no public restrooms and visitors are asked to stay out of people’s yards. Walkers are welcome if they park elsewhere, but if you drive, expect long waits, especially on weekends. The website includes a map of the light displays, which are largely located on Robert Road, Doris Way, Linda Drive, Carol Drive, Reese Road and Sharynne Lane. Enter from Pacific Coast Highway and Robert Road.
“This used to be just a neighborhood thing, but now it’s an attraction,” Blanco said.
Dates: Through Jan. 1
Hours: 6 to 10 p.m. nightly
Admission: Free
Many residents sell food and drink from their property, said Seaside Neighborhood Assn. president Tricia Blanco, but there are no public restrooms and visitors are asked to stay out of people’s yards. Walkers are welcome if they park elsewhere, but if you drive, expect long waits, especially on weekends. The website includes a map of the light displays, which are largely located on Robert Road, Doris Way, Linda Drive, Carol Drive, Reese Road and Sharynne Lane. Enter from Pacific Coast Highway and Robert Road.
“This used to be just a neighborhood thing, but now it’s an attraction,” Blanco said.
Dates: Through Jan. 1
Hours: 6 to 10 p.m. nightly
Admission: Free
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(Charles Park/Charles Park Photography)
Sherman Library & Gardens Nights of 1000 Lights
Corona del Mar Paid Walk-Through
Sherman Library & Gardens is a tiny botanic garden that packs a mighty punch with its annual holiday show, which typically sells out early in the sesaon. This year’s theme is “Hooray for Hollywood,” which includes a red carpet walk through its tunnel of lights, and takes on famous movies such as “Moulin Rouge,” with can-can dancers and French cabaret singers, and twists on other classics such as a walk through the “Sherman Shop of Horrors” with life-size carnivorous plants. Visitors can also pose by a classic 1938 Packard 120 Convertible Sedan and enjoy historic photos of Tinseltown from the Sherman Library archives.
Dates: Dec. 11 to 22, although as of press time most days were sold out except Dec. 15, 18 to 21.
Hours: 6 to 9 p.m. with three possible entry times, at 6, 6:45 and 7:30 p.m.
Admission: $35, ($25 members, children 3 and under enter free.) Special packages ranging from $90 to $110 provide annual memberships and two tickets. The family package of $175 offers family membership and four tickets.
Dates: Dec. 11 to 22, although as of press time most days were sold out except Dec. 15, 18 to 21.
Hours: 6 to 9 p.m. with three possible entry times, at 6, 6:45 and 7:30 p.m.
Admission: $35, ($25 members, children 3 and under enter free.) Special packages ranging from $90 to $110 provide annual memberships and two tickets. The family package of $175 offers family membership and four tickets.
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(CBF Productions)
Snow N Glow Holiday Festival
Ventura Paid Walk-Through
Snow N Glow in Ventura promises a festive holiday walk along a trail with a million lights in the form of animated scenes, tunnels and light sculptures accompanied by music, “a winter wonderland in sunny Southern California.” For more money, you can ride the snow slide and rent an “igloo” for your party, but a “Glow Only Experience” ticket gives you access to the lights, community fire pits for cooking s’mores and a chance to visit with Santa.
Dates: Dec. 2 to 4, 9 to 11 and 16 to 26
Hours: 4 to 9 p.m.
Admission: Glow Only Experience tickets to lights, community fire pits and visit with Santa are $17.99 for ages 10 and older and $14.99 for ages 3 to 10. Children 2 and under enter free. Tickets to also include snow tubing are $34.99 for all ages.
Dates: Dec. 2 to 4, 9 to 11 and 16 to 26
Hours: 4 to 9 p.m.
Admission: Glow Only Experience tickets to lights, community fire pits and visit with Santa are $17.99 for ages 10 and older and $14.99 for ages 3 to 10. Children 2 and under enter free. Tickets to also include snow tubing are $34.99 for all ages.
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(Jon Nalick)
Upper Hastings Ranch Holiday Light Up
Pasadena Free Drive-Through
Holiday Light Up is another longstanding (since 1952) friendly neighborhood competition that benefits everyone willing to marvel at what ultra-creative homeowners can do with a jigsaw, digital animation, recorded music and jabillions of lights. You can drive the route (there’s a map online) or park your car and walk to get a closer look, including a visit to the Mini Village, a.k.a. Miniature Christmas Village, in the 3800 block of Cartwright Street through Dec. 26. Carolers, Christmas bands and hot chocolate stands will be outside on selected nights as well; check out the neighborhood’s calendar for more details.
Dates: Dec. 10 to 31
Hours: 6 to 10 p.m. nightly
Admission: Free
Dates: Dec. 10 to 31
Hours: 6 to 10 p.m. nightly
Admission: Free
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Wakefield Winter Wonderland
Santa Clarita Free Drive-Through
Santa Clarita locals know this Wakefield Court neighborhood as “Candy Cane Lane,” but it’s better known on social media as the Wakefield Winter Wonderland, a double cul-de-sac street of about 41 homes all lavishly decorated, complete with a ceiling of lights strung over the streets from home to home. The traffic gets pretty heavy (some reviewers on Yelp reported a milelong line of waiting cars), so many visitors recommend parking outside of the neighborhood and walking to take in the lights. Nights get cold in Santa Clarita so dress warmly. In years past, some of the neighbors have kept things warm with outdoor fires or by selling food and warm drinks from their yards.
Dates: Starts Dec. 1 (Usually lasts through Dec. 31, but check the event’s Facebook page before you go for notices)
Hours: 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Admission: Free
Dates: Starts Dec. 1 (Usually lasts through Dec. 31, but check the event’s Facebook page before you go for notices)
Hours: 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Admission: Free
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Illuminated creatures at WildLights at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens.
(The Living Desert Zoo Gardens)
WildLights at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
Palm Desert Paid Walk-Through
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens’ annual creation of a festive winter wonderland in the middle of Palm Desert features glowing, life-size animal lanterns, a tunnel of lights with holiday music, bedecked G-scale model trains with 3,300 feet of track, a carousel, visits with Santa and food and beverages available for purchase.
Dates: Dec. 2-3, 9-10, 16-24 and 26-30
Hours: 6 to 9 p.m.
Admission: $16 ($14 members, $12 children ages 3-12, free for children under 3.)
Dates: Dec. 2-3, 9-10, 16-24 and 26-30
Hours: 6 to 9 p.m.
Admission: $16 ($14 members, $12 children ages 3-12, free for children under 3.)
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(Anthony Joseph Domingo)
Yolanda Lights
Reseda Free walk-through
Think of Yolanda Lights as more of an art installation than your typical neighborhood holiday display. For one, there’s no competition here — it’s just neighbors in the 7300 block of Yolanda Avenue working together to create a dazzling tunnel of lights for a good block on both sides of their street. Visitors are encouraged to walk the route — or bring scooters, roller blades or skateboards to glide through (just be careful not to mow down any other pedestrians enjoying the view).
If you’re interested in creating a similar tunnel in your neighborhood, creator and “electronics handyman” Anthony Domingo includes instructions about how to build your own arches of light. The opening dates haven’t been posted yet, so check the website or the event’s Facebook page before you go.
Dates: Through Jan. 6 (approximate)
Hours: “Always open,” but the lights look best at night.
Admission: Free
If you’re interested in creating a similar tunnel in your neighborhood, creator and “electronics handyman” Anthony Domingo includes instructions about how to build your own arches of light. The opening dates haven’t been posted yet, so check the website or the event’s Facebook page before you go.
Dates: Through Jan. 6 (approximate)
Hours: “Always open,” but the lights look best at night.
Admission: Free
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