California Christmas | List of Attractions Open on Christmas Day

Christmas in California

See Christmas Lights in California

Lights are fascinating, mesmerizing and everybody wants to see them at Christmas. In the past several years the popularity of large scale light installations has grown and now you can see them at tree lightings, boat parades, zoos, botanical gardens, and walking-through & drive-through attractions.

Here are few Lights to See in California:

Commercial Attractions

ANAHEIM: Disneyland Festival of Holidays November 13, 2026-January 6, 2027. A Christmas Fantasy Parade, Believe...in Holiday Magic Fireworks, World of Color – Season of Light glimmering pixar stories come to life, Buena Vista Street Holiday Tree Lighting, It's a Small World Holiday Lighting and millions of lights throughout two theme parks make the holidays bright.

ARCADIA: Enchant Christmas November 20-December 27, 2026 at Santa Anita Park / Racetrack. Holiday attraction includes "World's Largest Christmas Maze". Back for its second season in Arcadia, the race park never looked so brilliant!

BAKERSFIELD: Holiday Lightasmic! November 28, 2026-January 2, 2027. Stroll through millions of lights in holiday-themed lands featuring over 200 displays. calmholidaylights.org

BIG BEAR LAKE: Big Bear Alpine Zoo Wild Lights November 12, 2026-January 4, 2027. Back for its second year, this fairly new event shines one million holiday lights on the treasured zoo.

BUELLTON: Santa Ynez Valley Holiday Lights Festival December 4-20, 2026 at Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden is a breathtaking journey through a world filled with millions of twinkling lights, festive decorations & holiday cheer.

BUENA PARK: Knott's Merry Farm Christmas November 20, 2026-January 3, 2027. Dazzling lights, festive live shows, rides & attractions, Santa, and specialty holiday food & drink. See Snoopy light up the ice with his skating tricks.

CALABASAS: Holiday Road USA at King Gillette Ranch is taking a break for the 2026 season due to projected severe El Niño weather conditions in Los Angeles, along with circumstances related to the venue. The management says this is not the end of the Holiday Road story.

CARLSBAD: Christmas Bricktacular November 21, 2026-January 3, 2027 at Legoland California. Celebrate the fantasy with Lego Christmas Tree made of 360,000 Lego & Duplo bricks and life-size Lego reindeer & Santa. Hear the Brass Band, and enjoy the fun.

COSTA MESA: Winter Fest OC November 27, 2026-January 3, 2027 (Thursday-Sunday) at Orange County Fair & Event Center. The icons of Christmas displayed in lights, snow, ice tubing, ice skating, rides, fire pits and more.

ENCINITAS: Lightscape November 20, 2026-January 3, 2027 at San Diego Botanic Garden. By day its a lush landscape, but by night it becomes a brilliant Lightscape which includes over one million lights in 20 artistic installations along a one-mile, walkable garden path.

ESCONDIDO: Wild Holidays November 28, 2026-January 3, 2027 at San Diego Safari Park. Festive decorations, incredible light displays and holiday entertainment in what was previously called Wild Animal Park.

FOLSOM: Wild Nights, Holiday Lights December 4-22, 2026. Nighttime lights experience illuminates Folsom's beloved Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary during this limited time holiday experience not to be missed!

FORT BRAGG: Festival of Lights at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens November 27-December 20, 2026 is a fantasy stroll through lush gardens filled with ocean and nature themes as seen in through lights that create the shapes and fill the imagination with holiday delight.

FRESNO: IllumiNature returning November 19, 2026-January 3, 2027 at Fresno Chaffee Zoo, is a special holiday event featuring lighted lantern displays that entertain and amaze kids of ALL ages!

INDIO: Coachella Valley Magic of Lights Drive-Thru November 20, 2026-January 2, 2027 at Empire Polo Club. Holiday scenes and characters of the season using the latest LED technology and digital animations.

IRVINE: Dream Glow Lights Festival November 6-December 30, 2026 transforms Wild Rivers Waterpark into a dazzling nighttime wonderland with more than 1,000 handcrafted light displays across three magical worlds. 2026 festival introduces three immersive themes: Sweet Dreams, featuring whimsical, colorful displays; Outer Space, taking guests on a glowing cosmic adventure; and Christmas Fantasy, bringing the holiday spirit to life with festive lights and enchanting snow scenes.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE: Enchanted Forest of Light at Descanso Gardens November 22, 2026-January 9, 2027 celebrates the return of Flower Power and The Enchanted Forest of Light debuting a laser light show on the Main Lawn ending in a “snowfall” finale, plus the 60th anniversary of the Japanese Garden with a special appearance of the Giant Koi in the Garden of Good Fortune. Tom Fruin's luminous house sculptures move to the Oak Grove this year.

LOS ANGELES: LA Zoo Lights, Animals Aglow November 20, 2026-January 10, 2027 at Los Angeles Zoo. Experience a world of dazzling LED animals like larger-than-life birds, butterflies, insects, flowers, marine creatures, and Ice Age giants. Projections, custom lanterns & lights create an illusion of a vibrant world filled with plants, pollinators, and the wonders of nature past and present. See the latest iteration of L.A.'s most cherished family holiday tradition!

LOS GATOS: Fantasy Lights Drive Through Holiday Display at Vasona Lake Park Walk-Through Only in 2026! December 5, 6, 12 & 13, 2026. No cars allowed in the 1.5 mile trail this year. It will be strictly a walking event with tickets required for each person attending, sold in advance.

OAKLAND: Temple Hill Days of Christmas November 27-December 31, 2026 offers an amazing array of holiday events and attractions that are mostly free. Sitting atop a hill overlooking the San Francisco Bay, your journey begins with the lights display and light tours, continuing through the mostly free concerts and plays and nativity tours that span over a month of days.

OAKLAND: Glowfari, Wildly Illuminating Lantern Festival at Oakland Zoo November 6, 2026-January 31, 2027. The Wildly Illuminating Lantern Festival features new scenes & themes in 2026-2027 such as California forests, San Francisco Bay, Montana, Florida Everglades, and Hawaii, highlighting the biodiversity of these regions and how species interact with their habitats.

POMONA: Imaginarium at Fairplex November 14, 2025 - January 4, 2026

REDDING: Garden of Lights November 20, 2026-January 3, 2027, 5-9 p.m. at McConnell Arboretum

RIVERSIDE: Mission Inn November 22, 2025 - January 5, 2026 Landmark dazzles with millions of holiday lights in Southern California's free lights display that attracts visitors from all over the nation and world.

SACRAMENTO: Imaginarium November 14, 2026-January 4, 2027 at Cal Expo. Imaginarium "Holiday Magic" with glowing lights and colorful sparkles, captures the enchanting atmosphere of California’s Largest Holiday Light Festival. Discover 13 festive worlds with over 15 million LED lights. There's KPop Holiday Tribute Show, three FREE spectacular circus performances each night. Glide across the ice at the REAL ICE rink. Ride to your heart’s delight.

SAN DIEGO: SeaWorld San Diego Christmas Celebration November 13, 2026-January 3, 2027. Twinkling Lights + Ocean Delights with more than one million dazzling lights, all-new Baby Shark’s Christmas Adventure to the North Pole, featuring interactive moments, favorite songs, and a special holiday mission. Plus, Santa, real reindeer and seasonal treats - it's a family fun Christmas Celebration!

SAN DIEGO: Jungle Bells at San Diego Zoo December 18, 2026-January 3, 2027 includes light shows, reindeer games, brass band music, jugglers & acrobats, and forest pathways through holiday, lighted trees to visit polar bears, arctic foxes and reindeer.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO: Capistrano Lights at Mission San Juan Capistrano December 18-30, 2026 at the only mission in Orange County has a new attraction in 2026 - The Story of the Mission in Sound and Light. See the awe-inspiring mission lit at night with holiday lights.

SAN LUIS OBISPO: Nature Nights November 25-December 27, 2026, 5-8 p.m. at San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden. Stunning lighting exhibitions and art throughout eight acres of gardens, live music each night, local culinary treats, plus regional wine and beer for sale.

SAN MATEO: IlluminOdyssey November 14, 2026-January 24, 2027 at CuriOdyssey's four-level Redwood Hall, transformed into a glowing forest of science. Curious visitors of all ages can light their way through a maze of luminous botanical geometry, play with rainbow refraction and swirling projections, paint with light on phosphorescent surfaces, and dance with their very own shadows as they explore the physical properties of light. IlluminOdyssey celebrates 10 years with beloved favorites alongside dazzling new additions.

SANTA BARBARA: Illumanature November 11, 2026–January 10, 2027 at Santa Barbara Zoo. See thousands of handcrafted silk-covered lanterns aglow with more than 50,000 LED bulbs, depicting wild places and animals from around the globe.

UNIVERSAL CITY: Universal Studios Hollywood Christmas November 21, 2026-January 3, 2027 showcasing the holiday makeover of three major attractions: Super Nintendo World, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Grinchmas with costumes, colors and decor.

VALENCIA: Six Flags Magic Mountain Holiday in the Park November 26 – January 3, 2027 rocks each night with 2 million lights in 7 themed areas featuring dance, music & light shows, cocktail bars, holiday sweets, s'more fire pits & Santa Claus.

WATSONVILLE: Santa Cruz Holiday Lights November 27-December 24, 2026 Cruise or Walk Through a mile of stunning light displays at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. Special, themed nights include the KRAMPUS walk and Heritage Holiday Market Fair.

WOODSIDE: Filoli Holiday Lights November 14, 2026-January 10, 2027, 4-9 p.m. Georgian revival-style mansion's 16 acres of exquisite English Renaissance gardens are transformed into a radiant wonderland of light and color at the historic 654-acre estate.