Celebrate the holiday season in Los Angeles. The city offers a wide range of festive activities and events that continue into the new year.
© Courtesy of Six Flags
Holiday Lights
Los Angeles lights up for the season with immersive light shows and family-friendly displays. The Arboretum presents a large-scale light, art and music installation that runs through Jan. 8, offering a scenic, walkable experience. The Los Angeles Zoo stages Animals Aglow, featuring illuminated lantern sculptures of animals set among glowing gardens and pathways; this experience is available through Jan. 22. Descanso Gardens invites visitors to wander the Enchanted Forest of Light, a one-mile evening walk through creative light installations running through Jan. 8.
Holiday Traditions
Experience longstanding holiday customs and seasonal storytelling around the city. Olvera Street presents Las Posadas, a nine-night reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, featuring traditional music, costume and community participation from Dec. 16–24. Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood offers a special Holidays Made Here guided tour that shares behind-the-scenes stories from classic holiday films such as Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
© Courtesy of Downtown Los Angeles
Family Activities
Families will find plenty of seasonal entertainment across the city. Universal Studios Hollywood hosts holiday-themed attractions, including Christmas celebrations in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the Whoville-inspired Grinchmas events, plus large-scale decorations such as a 40-foot tree during the holiday period. Downtown’s Pershing Square transforms into an outdoor ice rink from late November through early January, offering skating in a festive urban setting. Throughout December, The Music Center presents a lineup of holiday concerts and performances across its venues, including the Ahmanson Theatre, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum and Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Whether you prefer luminous outdoor displays, cultural traditions, studio tours or live holiday performances, Los Angeles delivers a broad selection of seasonal experiences for visitors and residents alike.