The Best Holiday Lights in Los Angeles

During the holidays, dazzling light displays throughout Los Angeles bring the city to vibrant life at night. From traditional lighting ceremonies to festive decorations at popular attractions and local neighborhoods throughout the city, here are the best holiday light displays in LA.

L.A. Zoo Lights: Animals Aglow features an immersive landscape filled with dazzling new lantern sculptures of animals among blooming flowers, towering trees, glowing rivers and more for a nature-focused holiday celebration that’s as inspiring as it is breathtaking.

This year’s experience features all-new wonders, including a magical Holiday Forest with majestic pine trees and snow-loving animals; spectacular holiday photo ops, and the return of Santa himself!

L.A. Zoo Lights runs from 6pm to 10pm on select nights. Closed most Mondays and Tuesdays, plus Thanksgiving Day (November 28), Christmas Eve (December 24) and Christmas Day (December 25). VIP experiences, a sensory-inclusive evening, an all-ages Pride Night, and a just-for-fun Holiday Pajama Weekend are available. Santa photos will be available for an additional fee. Cost varies by package.

Experience a magical holiday show as 18 million hues of lights illuminate the night and synchronize to festive tunes. SPARKLE DTLA at The Bloc will take you through an unforgettable nighttime journey that includes one of LA’s largest multi-colored interactive holiday displays. Capture your perfect photo-op moments at this ultimate holiday experience.

SPARKLE Grand Debut (November 16)
The SPARKLE festivities kick off with the Grand Debut, taking place on the Plaza Level from 5pm to 7pm on Saturday, November 16. Along with live performances, retailer activations include hot cocoa & coffee, face painting and glitter tattoos, stilt walkers, a festive photo booth with keepsake photo and more. RSVP at Eventbrite.

Enchanted Forest of Light is an interactive nighttime experience that features a one-mile walk through stunning lighting displays in some of the most beloved areas of Descanso Gardens. Expect to see popular returning installations, including an entire town of magical “stained glass” houses by contemporary sculptor Tom Fruin; sparkling geometric installations from HYBYCOZO; Flower Power on the Promenade; and exquisite lighting effects in the Ancient Forest.

Enchanted Forest of Light runs daily from 5:30-10pm. Enchanted is closed on Thanksgiving Day (November 28), Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Timed tickets are on sale at the Descanso Gardens website and must be purchased in advance.

Now in its 23rd year, the annual Tree Lighting Celebration will officially kick off the holiday season at The Grove! The magical evening will be hosted by Lance Bass and feature legendary music director Rickey Minor, as well as a night filled with special performances. Delight in the lighting of the Christmas Tree, the season’s first snowfall, an exciting drone show, a fireworks spectacular, the arrival of Santa Claus and more.

The landmark Union Station in Downtown LA is hosting the 9th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Monday, November 25. Gather with special guests from the North Pole for the lighting of the signature 30-foot tree in the historic Ticket Concourse – the first time this section of the station will be open to the public throughout the holiday season!

Taking place in the Ticket Concourse from 6pm to 9pm, the festivities include:

• Live performances by Kingston Ska Orchestra and Los Rebeldes Romanticos
• Photos with Santa in the Waiting Room
• The North Patio will be transformed into the North Pole for families to enjoy arts & crafts, milk and cookies, holiday characters and more

Beginning the day after Thanksgiving, the Griffith Park & Southern Railroad welcomes the whole family for an evening train ride around a festively decorated one-mile track. The Holiday Light Festival features magical scenes and thousands of lights that will help set the mood for a wonderful holiday season. Weather permitting, the train will run nightly (Monday-Thursday, 5-8pm; Friday-Sunday, 5-9pm) except Christmas Eve, Christmas Night and New Year's Eve.

Bring your friends and the whole family to the annual L.A. County Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, taking place from 5pm to 7pm at Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center. Help deck the halls and gather around the magnificent Christmas tree dressed in its holiday finest!

Taking place at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas, Holiday Road is a family-friendly walking experience that features larger-than-life holiday displays, thousands of Christmas lights, Santa & Mrs. Claus, elves, and countless candy canes. Stop by the Holiday Bar for an adult beverage to sip along the trail, nosh on food truck bites, and shop for keepsakes in the souvenir store. Tickets are on sale at the Holiday Road website.

Spanning Windward Avenue at Pacific, the Venice Sign is a modern-day replica of the original that was installed in 1905 by Abbot Kinney, the legendary founder of the "Venice of America."

Now in its 13th year, the Venice Sign Holiday Lighting has become a beloved tradition, when the Venice Sign's lights change from white to red and green for the holidays. Windward Avenue east of Pacific Avenue will be closed for the free, family-friendly event, which will take place from 6pm to 9pm on Saturday, December 7. The festivities start at 6:15pm on Windward and the holiday lighting is scheduled for 8pm.

Marina Lights will cast a festive glow on Burton Chace Park nightly in December. Make it a fun family outing with dinner at one of the Marina’s waterfront restaurants, then a walk around the park and enjoy the light displays. For more seasonal events, check out the Visit Marina del Rey website.

We’ve always been told to reach for the stars, but what if the stars came to us? Created by Moment Factory in partnership with Fever, Astra Lumina transforms the South Coast Botanic Garden into an immersive multimedia world that awakens the imagination.

Inside the hour-long outdoor experience, guests will be guided on an illuminated nature pathway that leads to eight different celestial viewing zones, along with a photo booth, gift shop, and food and beverage available for purchase at the end.

All ages are welcome. For more info and tickets, visit the Astra Lumina website.

Located just north of Pasadena on Santa Rosa Avenue in Altadena, Christmas Tree Lane is the oldest large-scale Christmas lighting spectacle in the United States. Since 1920, the majestic deodars on the "Mile of Christmas Trees" have been strung with 10,000 lights during the holiday season. Christmas Tree Lane was added to the National Register of Historic Places in September 1990 and is designated a California Historical Landmark.

The annual Christmas Tree Lane Lighting Ceremony & Winter Festival is taking place at the Altadena Library on Saturday, December 7 from 3pm to 9pm. The lighting ceremony begins at 6pm. Shop arts & crafts, enjoy food from local vendors, and stroll beneath the world-famous lights at this family-friendly SoCal holiday tradition.

Candy Cane Lane (December 2024)
Every year, an eight square-block area of the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Woodland Hills is transformed into Candy Cane Lane, a dazzling celebration of lights, figures and artificial snow. A holiday tradition for decades, Candy Cane Lane is an informal group of Woodland Hills homeowners who collectively put on an amazing holiday display of lights and decorations. Santa is often seen posing for photos with children and Santa's elves have been glimpsed roaming the neighborhood. The annual event begins on the second Saturday of December and lasts through the end of the year.

Candy Cane Lane is located at the intersection of Lubao and Oxnard Streets in Woodland Hills. Visitors drive slowly down the street with their headlights dimmed so that everyone can enjoy the lights. The closest exit is Winnetka, off the 101 freeway. Residents ask that visitors drive by no later than 10pm on weeknights and 11pm on weekends.

Sleepy Hollow Christmas Lights (December 2024 - January 2025)
Its name sounds more like a place you’d visit on Halloween, but the Torrance neighborhood of Sleepy Hollow (aka Seaside Ranchos) has been embracing the Christmas spirit for decades with spectacular holiday light displays. Begin your visit to the Sleepy Hollow Christmas Lights from Pacific Coast Highway in Torrance, then slowly drive or stroll along Robert Road, where every house is decorated and the tree-lined street is glittering with lights. The Sleepy Hollow Christmas lights start brightening the holidays the first full weekend of December and last until the first week of January.