✨ Holiday season
Best Christmas lights in SoCal
Curated by Simir Shah
33 spots across Southern California — add your zip or city to sort by what's closest to you
Candy Cane Lane (Pinecrest)
Mission Viejo
Resident-decorated streets ideal for a slow drive or stroll in south OC.
🗓️ December, nightly
Hikari — A Festival of Lights
Irvine · Ticketed event
Japanese-themed light festival with a tractor light-path ride, food and Santa on a working farm.
🗓️ ~Nov 28–Dec 28, evenings
💵 $$ ticketed
Roger's Gardens — Magic of Christmas
Corona del Mar
Famed garden-nursery holiday boutique with 28 themed trees and a walk-through display; no admission.
🗓️ Oct 20–Dec 31, 9am–6pm
Balboa Island (Marine Ave)
Newport Beach
Walkable island village with storefronts and bayfront cottages decked out; busy during the boat parade.
🗓️ December, nightly
Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade
Newport Beach
100+ decorated yachts on a 14-mile harbor route, with opening-night fireworks.
🗓️ Dec 17–21, ~6:30pm nightly
Sleepy Hollow / Christmas Tree Lane
Anaheim Hills
Hillside cul-de-sacs off Avenida de Santiago famous for dense, decades-old resident displays.
🗓️ Dec 1–Jan 1, nightly 5–10pm
Sparkle Ball Lane
Fullerton
Hundreds of glowing handmade 'sparkle balls' strung above N. Yale Ave since 2002.
🗓️ December, nightly 6–10pm
Eagle Hills
Brea
100+ homes with synchronized lights, music and live nativity scenes near Primrose Ave.
🗓️ Late Nov–Dec 27, nightly
Knott's Merry Farm
Buena Park · Ticketed event
Theme-park holiday overlay with snowfall, light displays and shows; included with admission.
🗓️ Nov 21–Jan 4, select days
💵 $$ park admission
Fillmore Street Lights
Chino
50+ decorated homes on and around Fillmore St.
🗓️ December, nightly
Mission Inn Festival of Lights
Riverside
~10 million lights on the historic hotel + downtown, with a switch-on fireworks night. A USA Today best-in-nation pick.
🗓️ Nov 22–Jan 6, nightly
Naples Island
Long Beach
Canal-island neighborhood with water 'platform trees'; peaks during the Dec boat parade.
🗓️ December, nightly
Thoroughbred Christmas Lights
Rancho Cucamonga
A 30+ year tradition where every home on Thoroughbred & Jennet Sts is themed.
🗓️ Dec 5–24, drive-thru 5–11pm
San Diego Botanic Garden Lightscape
Encinitas · Ticketed walk-through
A one-mile illuminated trail with international light-art installations (firefly field, laser garden).
🗓️ Nov 14–Jan 4, evenings
💵 $$ ticketed ($18–28+)
Sleepy Hollow (Seaside Ranchos)
Torrance
A 40-year tree-lined display; enter from PCH along Robert Rd.
🗓️ Day after Thanksgiving–~Jan 1, 5–10pm
Upper Hastings Ranch
Pasadena
A 74-year tradition with themed streets; rebuilding post-fire, with lost lots marked by stars.
🗓️ December, nightly 6–10pm
Christmas Tree Lane
Altadena
The oldest large-scale outdoor lighting display in the US (since 1920) — a mile of lit deodar cedars.
🗓️ Dec 6–Jan 7, nightly
Candy Cane Lane
El Segundo
A single-block tradition since 1949 with heavy decorations and Santa visits.
🗓️ Mid–late Dec, nightly
Enchanted Forest of Light
La Cañada Flintridge · Ticketed walk-through
A one-mile illuminated garden trail at Descanso Gardens with 10 interactive art installations.
🗓️ Nov 16–Jan 4, timed entry
💵 $$ ticketed ($27–45)
L.A. Zoo Lights: Animals Aglow
Los Angeles · Ticketed walk-through
Giant illuminated animal lanterns, a walk-in kaleidoscope and Santa photos in Griffith Park.
🗓️ Nov 13–Jan 11, select nights
💵 $$ ticketed (~$19–29)
Christmas Card Lane
San Diego (Rancho Peñasquitos)
~200 families display giant hand-painted Christmas-card cutouts on Oviedo/Ellingham Sts since 1985.
🗓️ After Thanksgiving–Dec 25, nightly
Candy Cane Lane
Poway
A long-running resident street display in north county.
🗓️ December, nightly
San Diego Zoo — Jungle Bells
San Diego · Ticketed event
After-dark zoo with lights, costumed characters and a Twinkle Light Trolley; included with a zoo ticket.
🗓️ Dec 19–Jan 4, to 8pm
💵 $$ park admission
Balboa Park December Nights
San Diego
California's largest free holiday festival (~350k attendees) with a facade light show, food and performances.
🗓️ First Fri–Sat of Dec
Candy Cane Lane
Woodland Hills
An eight-square-block Valley display with figures and artificial snow; partly street-closed.
🗓️ 2nd Sat of Dec–end of Dec
Wakefield Court
Santa Clarita
Saugus's 'Candy Cane Lane' — a double cul-de-sac of 41 homes with a ceiling of lights strung house-to-house and 'The Night Before Christmas' on display.
🗓️ December, nightly
Heart of Valencia (Old Orchard)
Santa Clarita
Old Orchard neighborhood around Plaza Escovar known for a unique, well-loved residential light display.
🗓️ December, nightly
Auburn Lane Community Lights
Simi Valley
Summerwood Ave off Cochran, where the whole neighborhood strings lights house-to-house over the street into a Christmas wonderland.
🗓️ December, nightly
Via Patricia Animated Lights (Dos Vientos)
Thousand Oaks
A 50,000-light residential display in Newbury Park's Dos Vientos synced to music on FM radio from your car.
🗓️ December, nightly
Candy Cane Lane
Moorpark
Pinedale, Clearwood and Cedardale Rds light up with dense resident displays for a slow drive or stroll.
🗓️ December, nightly 5–10pm
Gemini & Waverly Holiday Lights
Camarillo
Camarillo's top light streets, packed with cartoon characters, trains, snowmen and thousands of lights.
🗓️ December, nightly 6–10pm
Christmas Tree Lane
Oxnard
Ten blocks of decked-out craftsman bungalows on F & G Sts in the historic district — Ventura County's largest residential display, with animated merry-go-rounds.
🗓️ Mid Dec–Dec 26, nightly 6–10pm
Ventura Harbor Parade of Lights
Ventura
Two dozen+ decorated boats loop the harbor each night, capped by fireworks, with carnival rides and a bubble show on the village lawn.
🗓️ Mid Dec, Fri–Sat ~6:30pm
Frequently asked questions
When do SoCal Christmas light displays run?
Most neighborhood light displays and drive-through shows in Southern California run from late November or early December through around New Year's, with some wrapping up right after Christmas. Ticketed drive-through and walk-through events often open earlier in November and sell timed entry, so book ahead for weekend slots. Free neighborhood streets usually light up nightly through the holidays, typically switching on around dusk.
Are Christmas light events free or ticketed?
Both exist across SoCal. Famous decorated neighborhoods and streets are free to stroll or slowly drive, while large produced shows with light tunnels, projections, or drive-through routes usually sell timed tickets. If you're on a budget, the free neighborhood displays can be just as magical for young kids. For ticketed events, buying in advance is smart because popular weekend dates sell out.
Any tips for seeing Christmas lights with kids?
Go earlier in the evening on a weeknight to dodge the biggest crowds and later bedtimes, and bring layers since SoCal nights get chilly once the sun's down. Pack a thermos of hot cocoa, and if you're doing a walk-through, a stroller or wagon helps tired little legs. For free neighborhood displays, park a few blocks away and walk in, and be respectful of residents by keeping noise down and not blocking driveways.
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Heads up:displays usually run from after Thanksgiving through New Year's (dusk–10pm), but neighborhood streets are resident-run and dates shift yearly. Be respectful in residential areas — park legally, keep noise down, and confirm ticketed events before you go.