25 Great Things To Do This Christmas Weekend In Los Angeles & Orange County
Queen Mary, Long Beach
www.queenmary.com
Experience plenty of holiday fun at CHILL at The Queen Mary! The 38,000-square foot ice park features ice skating, bumper boats, a zip line, shuffleboard, ice tubing, and much more. Open daily until January 7, 2018. On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, there are special hours.
Disneyland, Anaheim
holidayicerinkdowntownla.com
Glide across the ice at one of L.A.'s top outdoor ice skating rinks! Open until January 15, 2018, this rink is set in the middle of downtown LA and is surrounded by an impressive skyline.
Pershing Square
holidayicerinkdowntownla.com
Pershing Square's ice rink is a favorite for Southland skaters who like to show off their skills in front of moderate to large crowds enthusiastically taking in all of the sliding on this particular frozen ground. The temporary venue stays busy in downtown Los Angeles until January 15 2018, so get your blades ready (or rent them on the spot) for fast and furious one-hour sessions at this popular rink that doesn't disappoint even the most uncoordinated ice queen or ice king. Open till January 15, 2018.
Griffith Park, Los Angeles
www.lazoolights.org
Take a self-guided tour that lasts from 60-90 minutes where you'll see animal-themed light displays, including 3D projectors, lasers, and thousands of LED's, as well as a water show, live reindeer, music, and the all new "Wild Wonderland" finale. Open through January 7, 2018.
Descanso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge
www.descansogardens.org
This interactive nighttime experience offers a stunning display of holiday color as you walk through over a mile of some of the Gardens' most beloved areas. Tickets have a timed entry and must be purchased in advance. Open daily until January 7, 2018.
Altadena
www.christmastreelane.net
Christmas Tree Lane is one of Southern California's most celebrated areas during the holidays! The mile-long drive in Altadena features some of the best holiday lights anywhere.
Multiple Locations
It may not snow in Los Angeles, but there are plenty of holiday light shows for families to enjoy. One of the best types is Candy Cane Lane, which pops up in different cities around Los Angeles. Visit our Complete List Of Candy Cane Lanes In Los Angeles
1601 Main St.
Venice, CA 90291
The annual Venice Canals Holiday Lights Tour takes participants along the storied walkways that make up Abbot Kinney's grand vision from the turn of the century. The tour delves deeper than merely showing off the beautiful canals strung with seasonal lights. It's a charming place to experience Christmas lights that line the bridges.
1324 5th Street, Santa Monica
www.downtownsm.com/ice
Located on the corner of 5th and Arizona in Santa Monica, ICE offers 8,000-square-feet of skating pleasure at an outdoor rink strung with holiday lights. Open daily until January 15, 2018, however hours vary depending on date.
Corner N 3rd St. and E Orange Grove Ave, Burbank
www.dtnbur.com
The outdoor ice skating rink will feature not just skating, but fundraising events and special performances too. Transforming the corner of North 3rd Street and East Orange Grove Avenue into a winter wonderland, skaters of all ages are welcome and will get to take part and enjoy the $10 unlimited skating. Take part in curling, as well as skating lessons, too. Open daily until January 7, 2018.
Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park
www.knotts.com
Visitors to Knott's Berry Farm can witness "snow" falling during the holiday season. Called Knott's Merry Farm during this time, the theme park's decorations, entertainment and food are transformed for a festive feel. Hear some Christmas tunes by the Calico Carolers, a singing quartet dressed in Victorian-era clothing, and check out the Holiday Ice Show starring Snoopy and all of his friends plus a team of talented ice skaters. And, each night, Ghost Town is filled with gently falling snow and a display of moving lights orchestrated to holiday music. Park admission starts at $49 when purchased online for a specific day. Experience the holiday fun until January 7, 2018.
Retro Row / 4th Street, Long Beach
www.4thstreetlongbeach.com
Transforming shopping into more of a social sport, 4th Fridays on Fourth Street in Long Beach turns Retro Row into what feels like a block party. The event, which takes place on Friday, December 22, 2017, features live music, pop-up shops, food and drink specials as well as themed events.
Various Locations
There are several places to see incredible life-sized gingerbread houses around L.A.! The Beverly Wilshire features a 8x12 foot gingerbread house in the lobby made from wood but covered in gingerbread. To make that much gingerbread, executive pastry chef Chris Ford started baking in August! The JW Marriot L.A. Live also features a great gingerbread house to see. Step inside this life-sized one where they have a bar and cocktail tastings daily from 4 to 5pm. Anaheim's Great Wolf Lodge created a huge gingerbread house as well. Weighing in at over 600 pounds, it has 50 pounds of icing and 135 pounds of candy!
Long Beach Ballet, Long Beach
www.longbeachnutcracker.com
Experience this Christmas classic in Long Beach from December 22, 2017 - December 24, 2017. It's fun for the entire family. Tickets can be found here.
Belmont Shore, Long Beach
www.facebook.com
Nixing the stress of the holidays, the folks behind the Santa Crawl have combined dressing like jolly old St. Nick with the fun of a traditional pub-crawl on Saturday, December 23, 2017. Bouncing from restaurants and watering holes along the 2nd St. drag, participants will be dawning boots, red velvet, and big white beards as they enjoy themed drink specials and plenty of holiday treats. Save your dough for the bar, this is a free event.
3901 Longview Valley Rd
Sherman Oaks, CA
www.lightsondisplay.com
Running until January 1, 2018, Lights of Display features elaborate Christmas themed animatronic characters, as well as a thrilling light show with holiday music. The show, which has been put on for years, is put on by Sherman Oaks resident Mike Ziemkowski. The display runs continuously from 6pm to 10pm Monday-Friday and 5pm to 10pm on weekends.
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles
www.lacountyarts.org
Marking it's 58th year, the holiday gathering at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion hosts an afternoon of performances on December 24, 2017 that range from traditional choirs, to Dixieland blues ensembles. Over the course of the free, open to the public afternoon, the Korean, Chinese, Mexican, Filipino, and Cuban communities of Los Angeles will all be represented with highlighted performances, showcasing their own cultural celebration of the holiday season.
Multiple Locations
From Beverly Hills, The Grove in West Hollywood and Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena, there are plenty of places to see Christmas lights! Take a trip in the car with friends or your family and experience the magic this Christmas weekend! Los Angeles has several cities with special holiday lights, or head to areas in our Orange County like the South Coast Plaza, and the Irvine Spectrum Center!
Griffith Park, Los Angeles
www.griffithparktrainrides.com
The festive one mile train ride through Griffith Park is just $4 per person and riders will experience tens of thousands of lights to get you in the holiday spirit. The train ride can be experienced now through December 23, 2017 and from December 26 - December 28, 2017.
The Mission Inn, Riverside
www.missioninn.com
See over 400 animated figures and more than 4.5 million lights stretched across the display. More than bright and bold, the tasteful work of art is enough to shake the scrooge out everyone. It might be a drive for those out of L.A., but the sight is well worth it. Nightly until January 6, 2018.
The Spare Room, Hollywood
www.matzoball.org
Not into the Christmas thing? No problem! Head to Hollywood's Spare Room on Christmas Eve (December 24, 2017) for one of the nation's biggest Jewish singles events!
OC Fair & Events Center, Costa Mesa
www.winterfestoc.com
Ride down Snowflake Summit, an eight-lane, 150-foot-long ice tubing hill, glide around Southern California's largest outdoor ice skating rink or play in snow that's made fresh daily at Winter Fest OC. The festival also boasts a carnival, visits by Santa and his reindeer, tree lighting festivities, fireworks and falling snow, plus a new light maze and live entertainment. For little ones, there are bounce houses and a petting zoo, while teens will no doubt flock to take a selfie in "the world's largest ornament." Indulge in seasonal goodies like hot cocoa, craft beer, holiday-inspired cocktails, grilled foods and sweet treats. Groups may rent private cabanas, or stroll the grounds to be captivated by the holiday spirit. Admission starts at $10, with additional fees for ice skating, food, carnival games and rides. Open through the holidays and until January 7, 2018.
Discovery Cube, Santa Ana
www.discoverycube.org
Hop on an inflatable inner tube to discover whether you slide faster at the beginning or end of the snowy, 75-foot ramp as mass, speed and friction converge as factors. Then, tap into your imagination to construct a snowman, snow castle or just explore the properties of this frosty fluff in the play area. There are plenty of fun events for kids to enjoy!
Multiple Locations
With all those fun Christmas activities, you'll likely have quite the appetite! If you're looking to celebrate Christmas Eve dinner outside the house, you're in luck! There are several incredible restaurants offering special menus.
Multiple Locations
Restaurants around Orange County are helping residents and visitors rejoice in the holidays by offering special menus on Christmas Eve! Visit our list of the Best Restaurants Offering Christmas Eve Dinner in Orange County for ideas!
