’Tis the season to sparkle and shine, and no one does razzle-dazzle quite like LA. To kick off the season, Union Station in DTLA has illuminated a towering 30-foot tree with thousands of glistening lights, not too far from Circa. Many of SoCal’s botanic gardens are resuming their holiday light shows, with brilliant installations at Descanso Gardens, LA Arboretum and South Coast Botanic Garden. Ice skating enthusiasts can show off their glides and spins at LA Kings Holiday Ice and Dodger Stadium outdoor rinks. And if you prefer to do some shopping while soaking up the holiday vibe, Sparkle DTLA at The Bloc is presenting one of LA’s largest multi-colored interactive experiences. Check websites for health & safety protocols.
Sparkle DTLA The Bloc 700 W 7th St. Los Angeles, CA 90017
Experience the season of joy with a magical holiday light 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. Safely capture your perfect photo-op moments at this ultimate holiday experience. Sparkle DTLA is free to attend and is open to all ages. Furry friends are also welcome!
Dodgers Holiday Festival 1000 Vin Scully Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90012
The Los Angeles Dodgers are hosting a Holiday Festival in the beautiful, newly-renovated Centerfield Plaza, the warning track, and both bullpens. Enjoy nightly entertainment, scenic and light displays, holiday-themed food and beverages, and an opportunity to take photos with Santa. For the first time ever, Dodger Stadium offers an illuminated, open-air ice skating experience constructed across the outfield.
LA Kings Holiday Ice L.A. LIVE 800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Skate Like A King! The annual LA Kings Holiday Ice brings outdoor ice skating to L.A. LIVE on Xbox Plaza right out front of Staples Center (to be renamed Crypto.com Arena on December 25). Skate your way into the holiday season and enjoy the rink through January 7, 2022. Bring your friends, family, date or enjoy the ice before and after a sports game or concert.
Enchanted Forest of Light Descanso Gardens 1418 Descanso Dr. La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011
Enchanted Forest of Light is an interactive, nighttime experience unlike anything else in Los Angeles, featuring a one-mile walk through unique lighting experiences in some of the most beloved areas of Descanso Gardens. New this year will be an entire town of magical stained glass creations built in the Rose Garden by contemporary sculptor Tom Fruin. Popular returning favorites returning include sparkling, swirling installations from HYBYCOZO on the Main Lawn, Flower Power on the Promenade, and exquisite lighting effects in the Ancient Forest.
Lightscape LA Aboretum 301 North Baldwin Ave. Arcadia, CA 91007
Direct from a sold-out run in London, Lightscape makes its West Coast debut at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden. The internationally acclaimed Lightscape is the must-see holiday event for 2021. Wander through the magnificent Winter Cathedral and experience the breathtaking Fire Garden and more. Lightscape transforms the Arboretum into a night of wonder and light for an unforgettable holiday event for family and friends.
L.A Zoo Lights 5333 Zoo Drive Los Angeles, CA 90027
L.A. Zoo Lights returns for the 2021-22 season with more glowing animals and an unforgettable nighttime journey that includes the world’s largest illuminated pop-up storybook, a magical disco ball forest, giant glittering snowflakes, and a twinkling tunnel filled with dynamic swirls of color. L.A. Zoo Lights is a not-to-be-missed holiday light experience and has glowed brighter each year since its debut in 2014. This year’s event features more light animals than ever before, spectacular new additions – both hand-crafted and high-tech – and returning favorites.
GLOW South Coast Botanic Garden 26300 Crenshaw Blvd. Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA 90274
South Coast Botanic Garden is proud to present GLOW, a visually stunning art installation that transforms the lush botanic oasis into an oceanic experience for their Garden Lights & Ocean Waters theme, using thousands of outdoor lights. Food, drinks, and music will have you hanging on the beach, drinking cocktails on the bayou and chasing waterfalls. And a stunning kelp forest will take your breath away and spark your interest in the beauty of the sea. This year’s exhibit also includes interactive experiences and themed nights.
Holiday Light Festival 2021 Griffith Park 4400 Crystal Springs Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90027
Griffith Park & Southern Railroad welcomes visitors for an evening train ride around a festively decorated one-mile track. The Holiday Light Festival features magical scenes and tens of thousands of lights that will help set the mood for a wonderful holiday season. Weather permitting, the train will run nightly except Christmas Eve, Christmas Night, and New Year’s Eve. Tickets are available for purchase at the ticket booth – no online or phone sales.
Christmas Tree Lane Santa Rosa Ave. Altadena, CA 91001
Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena is the oldest large-scale Christmas lighting spectacle in the United States. In 1885, real estate magnate John P. Woodbury of the Woodbury Family, the founders of Altadena, planted 134 deodar trees (broad conical cedars) as a grand mile-long driveway entrance to the mansion he would build. Woodbury’s mansion was never built, but the trees thrived and the “driveway” became Santa Rosa Avenue. Every Christmas season for more than 80 years, the majestic deodars on the “Mile of Christmas Trees” are strung with 10,000 lights for you to drive through and enjoy.
Photo Credits:
Photo #1: Descanso Gardens
Photo #2: The Bloc
Photo #3: Los Angeles Dodgers
Photo #4: LA Kings
Photo #5: Descanso Gardens
Photo #6: LA Arboretum
Photo #7: L.A. Zoo
Photo #8: South Coast Botanic Garden
Photo #9: Griffith Park & Southern Railroad
Photo #10: Christmas Tree Lane/JerryShots