Holiday lights 2025: Stunning displays in the Bay Area

Amazing holiday lights displays abound in the Bay Area. In addition to home and neighborhood displays, this list features many beloved displays and walk- or drive-through experiences offered by local parks, businesses, civic and nonprofit organizations and even a favorite zoo. For the displays listed, expect the lights to be turned on nightly and the admission to be free, unless otherwise specified. A number also are featured on the California Christmas Lights website.

MARIN

Holiday Light Spectacular

Marin’s Holiday Light Spectacular features thousands of holiday lights, a vintage fire truck, seasonal treats, hot beverages and more from 4 to 9 p.m. daily through Jan. 4 at the Marin Center and its nearby fairgrounds in San Rafael. The Marin County Civic Center’s north, south and middle arches will also be illuminated.

Its holiday movie double features continue with “Paddington” and “Scrooged” on Friday, and “Happy Feet” and “March of the Penguins” on Sunday. All screenings are at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Marin Center’s Showcase Theater in San Rafael.

“As our first-ever holiday light festival, this event brings the community together in the spirit of joy and togetherness,” said Steve Dow, the county’s director of cultural services. “It’s a chance for families to gather, for neighbors to connect and for everyone to experience the beauty and creativity that makes the holidays so special here in Marin.”

Details: 4 to 9 p.m. daily through Jan. 4, Marin Center and nearby fairgrounds and Marin County Civic Center, San Rafael; marincounty.gov

Tam Valley Megatree

Welcome back, the Tam Valley Megatree. It’s hard to miss the nearly 30 feet tall pole-and-lights tree of more than 2,000 individually controlled LED lights that are computer programmed to perform dozens of different patterns and synchronized to holiday music on 96.1 FM. The show features dozens of different patterns and 10 different songs. And while you’re there, keep your eyes peeled for Santa Claus in an upstairs window.

“When it started, it was about 10 feet — a little baby tree by comparison,” said Jeff Brown, who puts up the tree in his front yard at 340 Jean St. in Tam Valley. “Now, it’s huge. It’s something that everyone enjoys. I like giving back and in the Tam Valley, there is that amazing sense of community.”

Details: 5 to 10 p.m. daily through Jan. 1, 340 Jean St., Tam Valley; facebook.com/tamvalleymegatree

Lights On Los Alondras

Walk in and take in this magical display full of Christmas trees made of lights, snowmen, nutcrackers, candy canes and lots of festive characters.

“We set up our display hoping to grow Christmas spirit and happiness! Our goal is for people to leave our house excited about Christmas. If people go home, want to put up a strand of lights and watch a Christmas movie it worked,” the creators write on California Christmas Lights.

Details: 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. daily through Dec. 28, 40 Los Alondras Court, Novato; californiachristmaslights.com

SOUTH BAY

 

Filoli’s Night Garden, Woodside

During the holidays, the formal gardens of this century-old estate transform into a “Night Garden,” a landscape of radiant color, shimmering reflections from garden pools and miles of twinkling lights, draped over trees or arranged into outdoor tunnels. After a stroll on a crisp winter night, visitors can warm up with hot cider, cocoa or other refreshments at Filoli’s Quail Cafe or outdoor cafes in the garden.

Details: 4 to 9 p.m. most nights through Jan. 11, 86 Cañada Road, Woodside. Filoli will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission is $39 to $49 and includes admission to the elaborate decorations inside the house. filoli.org

Christmas in the Park and Blinky’s Drive-Thru San Jose

Christmas in the Park, a beloved San Jose tradition going back to the 1950s, offers two ways to see lights. The popular walk-through takes place in the heart of downtown in Plaza de Cesar Chavez with a 50-foot Christmas tree amid an enchanted forest and 40 animated displays. For the separate “Blinky’s Drive-Thru,” at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, visitors can cruise through more than a mile of light tunnels, decorated buildings and giant candy canes.

Details: Christmas in the Park is open 6 to 11 p.m. nightly through Jan. 1 in Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose. The drive-through starting at 5 p.m. nightly runs through Dec. 31 at Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, San Jose. Tickets are $25 to $40 per car, and reservations are required; christmasinthepark.com

Mega-tree in Morgan Hill

For his Morgan Hill home show, well-known Bay Area holiday lights specialist J.R. Mattos is stringing more than 100,000 glowing bulbs and will project laser images onto his garage and shoot rays of light into the sky. At the center is a 42-foot-tall Christmas tree, and visitors can listen to accompanying music from their cars on 101.9 FM.

Details: Starting at 4:30 p.m. nightly through Jan. 6, 17271 James Lex Lane, Morgan Hill

From Sarajevo to Siberia in San Jose

The magical holiday scene at the San Jose home of Mike and Lori Janz starts with a lighted arch spanning the entire street, followed by a yard filled with illuminated reindeer, snowpeople, hockey-playing penguins and a house topped with a sparkling star. At regular intervals, the lights flash to music, either “12 Days of Christmas” or “Christmas in Sarajevo” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Details: 6:30 to 9 p.m. nightly through Dec. 31, 1419 Lamore Drive, San Jose; lamorelights.com or californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/lamore-lights

Arlington Court Snowpeople, Sunnyvale

Take selfies in a Sunnyvale front yard filled with a collection of giant, illuminated blow-ups of snowpeople, elves and other figures. This home along a quiet cul-de-sac also features a nativity scene and a snow-making machine.

Details: Starting at 5:30 p.m. nightly through Jan. 3, 909 Arlington Court, Sunnyvale; californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/arlington-lights

EAST BAY

Alex Dourov’s extravaganza, Livermore

Visitors to Alex Dourov’s interactive display in Livermore are encouraged to get out of their cars and walk around, including onto the porch, where kids can make calls to Santa Claus. From up close, they can see all the old-school decorations that Dourov has accumulated over the past 30 years, mixed with his high-tech light and sound effects, with music played on 107.9 FM.

Details: Starting at 5 p.m. nightly through Dec. 27, 467 Knottingham Circle, Livermore; californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/dourov-livermore-christmas-light-display-and-snow-machine/

Deacon Dave’s world-famous display, Livermore

Like other Bay Area holiday lights enthusiasts, Dave Rezendes, a deacon at Livermore’s St. Michael Church, started modestly in the early 1980s, hanging only around 2,000 lights around his Livermore home, Casa del Pomba. For his 2024 display, more than 900,000 lights twinkled and glowed around his property, so expect many more this season.

Details: Starting at 6 p.m. nightly through Jan 1; 352 Hillcrest Ave., Livermore; casadelpomba.com

Oakland Zoo’s Glowfari

At one of the Bay Area’s most unusual holiday displays, visitors can stroll around the Oakland Zoo on a winter evening and encounter gorgeous, detailed, larger-than-life animal lanterns glowing around its 100 acres. This year’s display includes new themes, including swimming through a reef to see underwater creatures and visiting an African savanna to spot iconic animals.

Details: 4:30 to 9 p.m. daily through Jan. 25, 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland; ticket prices depend on how far in advance you purchase them; oaklandzoo.org

Garden of d’Lights, Walnut Creek

For this unique display at the Ruth Bancroft Garden and Nursery in Walnut Creek, the garden’s world-famous collection of cactuses, succulents and drought-tolerant plants are presented alongside thousands of lights and fantastical, specially programmed lasers.

Details: Starting at 5:30 p.m. selected evenings through Jan. 11, 1552 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek; tickets, $16 to $29, must be purchased ahead; ruthbancroftgarden.org/garden-of-dlights

Temple Hill, Oakland

The gardens of the Oakland Temple, visible from many parts of the Bay Area, make an ideal location to create a holiday display, with lights strung around the grounds and a palm-tree-lined pool leading to a glowing manger scene.

Details: Starting at dusk nightly through Dec. 31, 4770 Lincoln Ave., Oakland; templehill.org/christmas-lights-at-the-oakland-temple

Crippsmas Place, Fremont

For more than six decades, residents of the 80 homes in this north Fremont neighborhood have illuminated their front yards and raised larger-than-life plywood cutouts of favorite cartoon characters. They’ve also used their annual holiday event to raise money for worthy causes. This year, donations will support local nonprofits that help survivors of domestic violence and breast cancer, as well as wildlife and children and families in need.

Details: 6 to 10 p.m. nightly through Dec. 31, Cripps Place and surrounding streets in Fremont; crippsmasplace.org

Christmas Tree Lane, Alameda

Another neighborhood effort, put on by more than 50 illuminated households in Alameda, is in its 86th year. Local groups will perform, and kids can drop off letters to Santa in a specially designated mailbox that routes them to the North Pole. Santa also will stop by on certain nights to visit with kids.

Details: 5:30 to 10 p.m. nightly through Jan. 2, 3200 block of Thompson Avenue, Alameda; facebook.com/christmastreelane and californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/christmas-tree-lane-alameda-3200-block-of-thompson-ave/

Merry Merry-Go-Round, Berkeley

The famous Tilden Park carousel in Berkeley becomes an even more of a magical place during the holidays, as it is festooned with bright, colorful lights and graced by visits from Santa and his elves.

Details: The merry-go-round is open on weekends, select weekdays and select hours in the afternoon and evening through Jan. 4. It is closed on Dec. 24 and 25. Lake Anza Road and Central Park Drive, Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley; tildenmerrygoround.org

Candy Cane Forest, Oakland

More than 250 illuminated animal figures — hippos, otters, lions, giraffes and even sea horses — crowd into the front yard of this Oakland home while lighted candy canes and ornaments float above.

Details: Starting at 3:30 p.m. nightly through Jan. 6, 4480 Clarewood Drive, Oakland; californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/oaklands-candy-cane-forest/

Bethlehem on the hill, El Cerrito

Residents of this hillside neighborhood in El Cerrito will welcome the public to one of the more unusual and expansive displays of holiday spirit in the Bay Area. Keeping alive a 76-year-old tradition, which was started by their late neighbor Sundar Shadi, residents will erect an illuminated, life-sized scene of the town of Bethlehem, featuring Shadi’s collection of handcrafted figures of animals and people, including flocks of sheep grazing on the hill and the Three Wise Men, astride camels and bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to baby Jesus.

Details: Starting at 5 p.m. nightly through Dec. 26, 7501 Moeser Lane, El Cerrito; https://shadiholidaydisplay.com

Wrights’ Magical Light Extravaganza, Oakley

For this display, a 2024 winner for ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight,” Mike and Rhonda Wright deck their Oakley yard with thousands of lights and produce a computer-synchronized musical light show with ice-rink scenes and falling snow. For the Wrights, who have been married more for more than 50 years, creating this display each year is a labor of love.

Details: Starting at 5:30 p.m. nightly through Dec. 31; 733 Solitude Drive, Oakley; californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/wrights-magical-light-extravaganza/

Fairbanks Family Christmas Display, San Ramon

At the Fairbanks family home in San Ramon, Rudolph and his red nose lead Santa’s team of reindeer up into the night sky, as lights flash and blink below, synchronized to a selection of Christmas songs. Over the 39 years that the Fairbanks family has mounted this display, it has become ever more elaborate and expanded to their next-door neighbor’s home. Visitors listen to the music from their car at 100.9 FM.

Details: 5:30 to 10 p.m. nightly through Dec. 31, 15 Molina Court, San Ramon;  californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/fairbanks-family-christmas-display/

Navarro Christmas House, Martinez

Enjoy a classic display presented by the Navarro Family, with thousands of lights twinkling around their Martinez yard like a flurry of multicolored snowflakes. Bring along nonperishable food and canned goods to donate to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.

Details: 5:30 to 10 p.m. nightly through Jan. 4, 190 Escondido Drive, Martinez; californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/navarro-christmas-house-of-martinez/

The Becker Family Light show, Concord

This year, the Becker family in Concord introduces a new 20-foot lighted Christmas tree and light-and-music show featuring such fun, diverse selections as “Frosty the Snowman” to “Uptown Funk.” The Beckers also are bringing out a new gingerbread house, inflatable animals and a virtual Santa Claus.

Details: 6 to 10 p.m. nightly through Jan. 1, 5390 Aspenwood Court, Concord; californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/the-becker-family-light-show/

Lights on Tunbridge, Danville

This inventive Christmas light show in Danville features more than 35,000 computerized lights that flash different colors and patterns in coordination with music broadcast on 95.5 FM. The twirling lights on several star-topped Christmas trees also add to the fun.

Details: Starting at 6 p.m. nightly through Jan. 1, 753 Tunbridge Road, Danville; lightsontunbridge.com and californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/lights-on-tunbridge.

The Emmanuels Christmas Village, Fremont

There are more than lights at this unique home display in Fremont. Visitors can also walk through “a village” to view a collection of international nativity scenes, Disney character displays and a busy Santa’s workshop.

Details: Starting at 5 p.m. nightly through Dec. 28, 43344 Arkwood St., Fremont; californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/the-emmanuels-christmas-village/

PENINSULA

Foster Family Holidays on Topaz, Redwood City

Steven Foster continues his tradition of putting on a light-and-music show at his childhood home in Redwood City, featuring more than 40,000 synchronized LED lights, multiple Christmas trees and a dazzling patio light show.

Details: 5 to 10 p.m. nightly through Jan. 2, 411 Topaz St., Redwood City; californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/411-topaz-st/

Candy Cane Lane, Redwood City

Since the 1960s, residents on this short Redwood City residential street have created a Candy Cane Lane by lighting up their yards, putting up different wooden cutout figures and placing homemade stovepipe candy canes along the way.

Details: 6 to 10 p.m. nightly through Dec. 30, 1200 block of Dewey Street, Redwood City; californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/candy-cane-lane/

— Lifestyles Editor Colleen Bidwill and Calendar Editor Daniel Bromfield contributed to this report.