TIP: 2020 LA/OC HOLIDAY EVENTS
Average Socialite is working hard to maintain accurate & up-to-date information. During these unusual times, please confirm openings with each venue.
* Due to COVID-19, several events require masks, social distancing and some are drive-throughs. We will be updating and adding. Check back for more! *
Nov 12 - Jan 3: Elf on the Shelf’s Magical Holiday Journey
Nov 13- Jan 4: SeaWorld Christmas Celebration (San Diego)
Nov 14 - Jan 10: Reflections at Descanso
Nov 16 - Jan 3: Sparkle DTLA
Nov 20 - Jan 3: Holiday in the Park Drive Thru at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Nov 21 - Jan 10: South Coast Botanic Garden Presents GLOW
Nov 27 - Dec 24: Dodgers Drive-Thru Holiday Festival
Nov 27 - Jan 3: The Los Angeles Christmas Market
Nov 27- Jan 3: Santa Monica WinterLit
Nov 28 - Jan 10: Hikari ~ A Festival of Lights
Nov 29 - Dec 31: Holidays in Your Car Drive Through Light Show (San Diego/Ventura)
Nov 30 - Dec 30: WonderLAnd Drive Through
Dec 1-24: Santa- The Experience (Virtual)
Dec 1-31: Winter Wonderland Magical Forest
Dec 1 - Jan 10: Santa’s Speedway Christmas Lights Drive Thru
Dec 3- Jan 3: The Bite LA Winter Holiday & Sweets Drive Thru
Dec 3- Jan 3: Electric Noel Drive-Thru (Norco)
Dec 4- Jan 3: Christmas in Color Drive Thru
Dec 4 - Jan 3: Newport Beach Christmas Parade (OC)
Dec 4- Jan 4: Jungle Bells at San Diego Zoo (San Diego) CANCELLED
Dec 4 - Jan 10: Holiday Road Los Angeles
Dec 8-20: LIT Hannukah Drive-Through
Dec 10: iheartRadio Jingle Ball 2020 (Virtual)
Dec 10 - Jan 10: Night of Lights OC
Dec 13: 2020 Holiday Drive-In Charity Concert with The Beach Boys (OC)
Dec 18-31: Holiday Movie Nights LA
Dec 31: Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest (Virtual)
Dec 31: Bella’s NYE 2020 Event
Elf on the Shelf’s Magical Holiday Journey
Nov 12- Jan 3 | Fairplex, Los Angeles | Ticketed | @magicalelfjourney
Experience an elf-tacular adventure this season with The Elf on the Shelf’s Magical Holiday Journey, all from the safety of your own car! This year Christmas Spirit is running low, so during test flights Santa’s sleigh had to make an emergency landing at the Fairplex in Pomona. Now the Scout Elves have assembled there, and they need your help! Join them on a drive-thru quest to build more Christmas Spirit, as you and your elf-loving crew magically shrink down to elf-size and embark on a fun expedition to help repair Santa’s sleigh. Enjoy a dazzling light spectacle with toy repair workshops, gingerbread villages, and all the sights and sounds of the holidays, blended with a touch of high-spirited fun that only Santa’s favorite Scout Elves can deliver.
SeaWorld Christmas Celebration
Nov 13- Jan 4 | SeaWorld San Diego | Ticketed
There’s no hold on holiday cheer this year! SeaWorld San Diego’s Christmas Celebration brings families together with priceless traditions and fun-filled surprises, with enhanced safety measures in place – because Christmas is meant to be merry and bright. Sip delicious hot chocolate with candy toppings as you visit Sea Otters, Flamingos, Sea Lions, Turtles, and Bat Rays. Discover photo-perfect moments throughout over 100 acres of beautifully decorated areas of the park, including a towering sea-themed Christmas Tree and a holiday music-activated tunnel of lights. Meet furry and festive characters with physical-distancing, including Santa and enjoy fan-favorite Dolphin, Orca and Sea Lion presentations with a yuletide flair. Learn about other amazing animals in the all-new Santa Presents: Christmas Animals Around the World and say “Happy Holidays” to the Magellanic Penguins, Reef Sharks, Moray Eels, Seals, Turtles and more!
Reflections at Descanso
Nov 14- Jan 10 | 9AM-5PM | Ticketed | @DescansoGardens
After one of the toughest years we've ever experienced, this holiday season Descanso Gardens invites you to take a moment to reflect and enjoy the beauty that's all around us with Reflections at Descanso, a celebration of all that’s hopeful and peaceful in this world. Running from November 14th to January 10th, the daytime festivities will replace Enchanted Forest of Light (cancelled this year due to COVID) and will include art pieces, special plantings, self-guided activities and a beautiful Wishing Tree created by Artist Kaz Yokou Kitajima.
Sparkle DTLA
Nov 16- Jan 3 | 5PM-10PM | FREE | @theblocla
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 the one of LA’s largest multi-colored interactive holiday displays. Capture your perfect photo-op moments at this ultimate holiday experience.
Holiday in the Park Drive-Thru at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Nov 20 - Jan 3 | Six Flags | Reservations
For the first time ever at Six Flags Magic Mountain, experience millions of lights, festive holiday theming, and seasonal music favorites in a drive-thru nighttime spectacular, Holiday in the Park Drive-thru Experience.
South Coast Botanic Garden Presents GLOW
Nov 21 - Jan 10 | South Coast Botanic Garden | Ticketed
South Coast Botanic Garden is proud to present GLOW, a visually stunning art installation that will transform our lush botanic oasis into an oceanic experience for our Garden Lights & Ocean Waters theme using thousands of lights designed by California Outdoor Lighting.
Dodgers Drive-Thru Holiday Festival
Nov 27- Dec 24 | Dodgers Stadium | Ticketed
The 2020 World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers are hosting a drive-thru Holiday Festival, complete with a light show, LED video displays, fake snow and interactive displays honoring the Dodgers World Championship and celebrating the holidays!
The Los Angeles Christmas Market
Nov 27 - Jan 3 | 6310 West 3rd Street, LA | FREE & Option to buy photos with Santa
The Los Angeles Christmas Market, a free-to-enter, COVID-friendly pop-up experience featuring immersive winter wonderland decor, a photo op with Santa Claus and a themed holiday market, will open to the public on November 27, 2020 (Black Friday). Celebrate the spirit of the season at this one-of-a-kind space, which will give Angelenos and tourists alike a much-needed opportunity to bask in the joys of the holidays in an environment that is both festive and safe.
Downtown Santa Monica WinterLit
Nov 27- Jan 3 | Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica | FREE
Third Street Promenade will glow all season long under tens of thousands of lights illuminating art installations, the official City of Santa Monica holiday tree, and a festive augmented reality experience beginning Friday, November 27.
Hikari - A Festival of Lights
Nov 28 - Jan 10 | Tanaka Farms | Ticketed
Join us for a celebration filled with joy and light! Loosely translated, Hikari means shine in Japanese, and this holiday season we have really made Tanaka Farms shine with over a mile of twinkling lights!
Holidays in your Car Drive Through Light Show
Nov 29- Dec 31 | San Diego // Del Mar; Ventura // Fairgrounds | Ticketed
Drive through 1 Million animated lights to keep your holiday spirit bright!
WonderLAnd
Nov 30- Dec 23, 26, 30 | 5-11PM | 6100 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Woodland Hills | Ticketed
As snow settles over the candy-filled streets of Haunt’O Ween LA, a frosted, family-friendly adventure emerges in Woodland Hills! Celebrate the holiday season with millions of lights and themed decor during a festive WonderLAnd drive-thru show. Experience the magic of our inclusive showcase of the most WONDERFUL time of the year from the safety & comfort of your car.
Santa- The Experience
Dec 1-24 | Virtual | Ticketed
‘Tis the season! As Santa and his elves prepare for the holidays, families & children across the world – for the first time ever – can now visit Santa from the comfort of their own homes by traveling to The North Pole with SANTA – THE EXPERIENCE! Each virtual experience will take place via Zoom and can be shared with other family members, allowing for grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and more to safely join in on the treasured memory of visiting Santa.
Winter Wonderland Magical Forest
Dec 1-31 | The Beverly Center | FREE
Wander through Beverly Center’s outdoor magical forest of over one hundred live Christmas Trees where holiday tradition comes to life! Enjoy socially distanced photo moments on Santa’s sleigh, with Frosty and more! Every Saturday in December, watch Frosty come to life with our Snowman Show, made out of real snow! Pose with contactless photos at our Beverly Center snowman. Plus, Santa will pop into Wonderland to say hello on Saturday December 12 and 19. Santa has a variety of festive masks and he is very good at practicing physical distancing; after all, he wants us all to stay healthy for the big night.
Santa’s Speedway Christmas Lights Drive-Thru
Dec 1 - Jan 10 | 5-11PM | Ticketed | @SantasSpeedway
This 30-45 minute safe yet, riveting experience is designed to transport families of all ages into the magical world of Christmas as they witness first-hand a series of jaw dropping Christmas scenes and holiday themed vignettes from Mobile Illuminations (the company responsible for The Grove, Universal Studios and Warner Brothers’ Christmas Extravaganzas). As families enter Santa’s Speedway between a pathway of California’s largest color changing display of palm trees, they will experience the exhilaration of driving on an actual NASCAR racetrack as they come across Santa’s Village with at elves hard at work, a land filled with Christmas sweets including 20ft tall illuminated lollipops, Rudolph’s Enchanted garage filled with Racecar Reindeers, a 100 ft long lit Christmas bow and light display, plus a scene worthy of grabbing Santa’s attention - the world’s largest free standing light tree, measuring 110ft and made up of over 100,000 LED lights.
The Bite LA Winter Holiday & Sweets Drive Thru
Dec 3- Jan 3 | Legg Lake, South El Monte | Ticketed | @TheBiteLA
A unique and immersive drive-thru experience that not only offers dazzling lights, but has a large focus on play and interactivity. Grab a bag of "sno-balls" and get in the action in a snowman "sno-ball" fight, Try to spot the Winkle in a dizzying holiday gnome village, Stuff your stocking in a character themed Sweets Crawl, and finally park at the Yule Log Stage for stories and songs with the Big Red Man Himself, Santa!
Electric Noel Drive-Thru
Dec 3- Jan 3 | SilverLakes Park, Norco | Ticketed
Ho ho ho! Discover the neon glow this holiday season with Electric Noel, a high-tech Christmas drive-thru experience! Journey from Santa’s command center and the elf village, to Main Street and Mistletoe Lane - amongst many other magical, high-tech spectacles. Our highly mechanized technology is truly a sight to behold, culminating with an automated surprise you won’t want to miss.
Christmas in Color Drive Thru
Dec 4- Jan 3 | Raging Waters Los Angeles | Ticketed
Drive through millions of lights perfectly synchronized to holiday music you’ll hear right through your radio. Drive by giant candy canes, snowmen, arched pathways and more. Take your time enjoying this lighting extravaganza - we won’t judge you if you join the kids with your face pressed against the window!
111th Newport Beach Christmas Parade
Dec 4- Jan 3 | Newport Beach | Ticketed
Holiday lights cruises take place throughout the month of December with three cruises nightly. Departure times vary between 4:30pm - 9pm. Due to Covid-19 they will be spacing many of our cruise times apart to assist in social distancing. Each holiday cruise is roughly 75 minutes in length. Newport Harbor in full holiday décor is not to disappoint. Holiday cruises offer 85% of what the parade offers without the huge numbers of people and parking challenges. I can’t think of a more relaxing evening than under the stars cruising Newport Bay with all of the holiday décor. Weekends are more popular for holiday cruise times and reservations are mandatory.
Jungle Bells at San Diego Zoo (CANCELLED)
Dec. 4–6, Dec. 11–23, Dec. 25–31, 2020 and Jan. 1–3, 2021 | San Diego Zoo | Ticketed
Ring in the holiday season with the Zoo's annual celebration, Jungle Bells proudly supported by California Coast Credit Union. The jubilant festivities will treat guests to views of some of their favorite animals, seasonal decorations, lighted displays, music and joyful roaming entertainers.
Holiday Road Los Angeles
Dec 4- Jan 10 | 5-10PM | King Gillette Ranch, Calabasas | Ticketed
Holiday Road Los Angeles is a family-friendly DRIVE-THRU Holiday experience. Expect to see some larger than life holiday displays, millions of Christmas lights, Santa and Mrs. Claus & the Elves, countless candy canes and all of your favorite holiday cheer!
LIT Hannukah Drive-Through
Dec 8-20 | 6-9:20PM| Stephen Wise Temple | Ticketed
LIT is a blend of synchronized lighting displays and projection installations set to a curated soundtrack! It is Los Angeles' first ever premium Hanukkah drive-thru event that you and your family will be raving about until next year!
iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2020
Dec 10 | 9PM EST | Virtual
The pandemic version of the Jingle Ball concerts will be a one-night-only affair broadcast across radio stations on Dec. 10 at 9PM EST and then shown as a TV special Dec. 14 on the CW Network.
Night of Lights OC
Dec 10 - Jan 10 | 88 Fair Dr, Costa Mesa | Ticketed
A magical and immersive holiday lights and winter wonderland drive-thru experience.
2020 Holiday Drive-In Charity Concert with The Beach Boys
Dec 13 | City National Grove of Anaheim | Ticketed
Join us as we safely gather at The Grove in Anaheim on December 13, 2020 for SITE SoCal's Holiday Charity Drive-In Concert- Featuring THE BEACH BOYS! Imagine this, you and your pod will arrive in your vehicle of choice and a drive in step and repeat will await you as you show off your Car Decorating Contest entry. Once parked, settle in for a special SITE SoCal program featuring this year's selected Charity, Above and Beyond Foundation! Then, lets continue the Good Vibrations with the iconic Beach Boys!
Holiday Movie Nights LA
Dec 18-31 | Soledad Shopping Center, Canyon Country | Ticketed
Holiday Movie Nights is a pop-up drive-in event brought to you by The Lumen Alliance, a new group of folks dedicated to creating fun wherever we go!
Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest (Virtual)
Dec 31 | 8PM EST | Virtual
A much cherished annual tradition since 1972, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest®” is the most popular way for viewers to ring in the New Year, both in the US and worldwide. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the show is a New Year’s staple with live performances in New York along with the iconic Times Square ball drop.
Bella’s NYE 2020 Event
Dec 31 | 11AM-late | Virtual
Asia Innovations Group Limited (AIG), a leading global operator of mobile social platforms and services, today announced its leading independent video social app, Uplive, in partnership with event organizer Wexican, is pleased to announce that it will be the exclusive live streaming social app to globally stream “Bella’s NYE 2020 Event,” a unique New Year’s celebration. Guests will include Bella Thorne, Diplo, Waka Flocka Flame, and more!