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45 Free Holiday and Christmas Events in Los Angeles for Kids
Submitted by Kylie Williams on
Merrily, there are loads of free holiday and Christmas events in Los Angeles for when you've blown your budget on Barbie's Little Dream House and a home Skee-Ball game but still need fun, festive things to do with the family.
Christmas in Los Angeles is dazzling, magical, and frankly a little overwhelming. There are more light displays, Christmas parades, tree lightings, immersive experiences, holiday walk-throughs, and Santas to visit than any reasonable family can handle. Don't get your tinsel in a tangle, though. Before you tap your Apple Pay for every Christmas experience in the county, check out our list of totally free holiday and Christmas events. You'll be shouting "joy to the world" for these free parades on land and water, tree lightings, Santa Claus visits, and that's before we even start with the menorahs and gelt drops for Hanukkah celebrations.
Save your cash for the stocking stuffers for kids by filling your festive days and evenings with these fun, free holiday and Christmas events, and visit these free neighborhood light displays in LA. If you need even more ideas for holiday events, check out our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Activities for Los Angeles Families.
19 Best Things to Do in Los Angeles December 2024 with Kids
Submitted by Toby B on
December brings plenty of things to do in Los Angeles with Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Eve. Don’t miss our favorite kid-friendly events and activities in Los Angeles this month.
Top things to do in Los Angeles and unwrap this December include Wicked at the Pantages, Manhattan Beach Annual Holiday Fireworks Festival (snow and fireworks!), an entire fleet of boat parades, including Dana Point's Boat Parade of Lights, and LA County's Annual Holiday Celebration. Mirabel, Tiana, and Moana skate into the Southland with a new Disney on Ice show that finds the Magic in the Stars. 2024 brings us a true Chrismukkah miracle as the first night of Hanukkah coincides with Christmas Day. However, some local celebrations occur earlier, such as the Skirball's annual Hanukkah Festival.
To end the month in style, ring in the New Year at Gloria Molina Grand Park—or Noon Year at the Southern California Children's Museum—depending on your bedtime, as we look forward to all the fun we'll have in 2025. Keep reading to discover the best things to do in Los Angeles this December.
For even more fun things to do in LA this season, check out our Holiday and Christmas Activities Guide for LA Families—which includes a roundup of the Best Holiday Lights Drive-Thrus, Walk-Thrus, and Christmas Light Shows in Los Angeles, where to see The Nutcracker and other holiday shows in LA, and more.
Thanksgiving Day Weekend 2024 in Los Angeles: Parades, Turkey Trots, and More Things To Do
Submitted by Toby B on
Looking for the best things to do in Los Angeles on Thanksgiving Day and all Thanksgiving Day weekend? Here are some events and activities to add to your list for this long holiday weekend!
Can we say it? We’re thankful. Our Thanksgiving Day Weekend calendar is stuffed with activities that reflect the season's joy. Take part in a Turkey Trot and visit a flurry of holiday light displays such as Tanaka Farm's Hikari and Holiday Road at King Gillette Ranch. Don't be a Grinch this holiday — check out festive happenings of Grinchmas and Super Nintendo World with the Holidays at Universal Studios Hollywood. To top it off, on Sunday, claim a spot on Hollywood Boulevard to watch the Hollywood Christmas Parade.
Plus, discover all the activities and events open on Thanksgiving Day, find out which restaurants are open on Thanksgiving, and check out our Thanksgiving Activities Guide for Families for Thanksgiving crafts,Thanksgiving movies, and even Thanksgiving jokes. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Mommy Poppins!
Best Holiday Lights Drive-Thrus and Christmas Light Shows in Los Angeles
Submitted by Toby B on
Holiday lights twinkle extra brightly in a city known for Hollywood, glitz, and glamour. Holiday light shows and Christmas light displays are all over Los Angeles. These festive light shows dazzle and get you in the holiday spirit. Stroll through immersive light displays, wander through Christmas lights in gardens, zoos, and farms, climb aboard a holiday lights train, or enjoy a Christmas light show by the water.
If that's not enough holiday lights in Los Angeles for you, festive SoCal neighborhoods go all out with their annual decorating traditions to treat Angelenos to some incredible neighborhood holiday light displays. For even more holiday fun, check out our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Events in Los Angeles.
Best Outdoor Ice Skating Rinks in Los Angeles for Kids and Families
Submitted by Roberta B on
Outdoor ice skating rinks in sunny Los Angeles? Oh, I happen to know about a few! One thing Angelenos love doing during the winter months is pretending that it’s winter, and the most fun way to do it is by turning parking lots and other open spaces into outdoor ice skating rinks for the holidays.
Whether your family is trying ice skating for the first time or you've got budding figure skaters and hockey players looking for a change of scenery, nothing says Southern California quite like the sight of kids and families in tank tops and mittens figure skating in the sunshine. From Downtown Los Angeles to the beaches of Santa Monica, keep reading below for where to find the best cool-yet-sunny ice skating rinks in Los Angeles and Orange County.
For more holiday fun, from Polar Express train rides to nutcracker performances in LA, check out our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Events for Los Angeles Families.
LA Auto Show, Winter Fest OC, and More Top Things To Do in Los Angeles This Weekend
Submitted by Toby B on
Looking for the best things to do in Los Angeles this weekend? Here are some of our favorite events and activities to add to your list this weekend
Gentlemoms, start your engines! The LA Auto Show roars into the LA Convention Center, showing off the latest automotive advances. Families can test out new rides on a variety of tracks; those too young for a license can find plenty of activities to keep them amused, including video games and VR experiences.
If you're looking for a chilling good time, Winter Fest OC returns to the OC Fair with ice skating, ice tube rides, snow play, and more. New this year: a dazzling holiday light show.
The Glendale Library debuts its new Youth Spaces with a Grand Opening celebration. Teens and younger kids each get their own dedicated areas, where they can play Dungeons and Dragons, learn to record a podcast or sit down for a librarian-led storytime. But you don't have to take our word for—it you can read about it in an (age-appropriate) book!
Best Neighborhood Christmas Light Displays and Holiday Lights in Los Angeles
Submitted by Roberta B on
When the Christmas lights start going up around Los Angeles, you know the festive holiday season has arrived! Whether you're celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, or Kwanzaa, there is a timeless joy in taking a spin around the neighborhood to look at the local holiday light displays.
Every year, my family makes multiple trips to all the best Christmas lights across Los Angeles. Our kids put on their Christmas jammies, our to-go cups get filled with hot cocoa (or take a quick detour through to Starbucks), and bring along candy canes or Christmas cookies. Pop on a Christmas classics playlist, and you're ready for an evening immersed in (free) holiday lights magic. Including the famous Christmas lights displays like Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena and Candy Cane Lane in El Segundo (we like our Lanes in Los Angeles!), we've rounded up the best holiday lights on houses across the City of Angels that dazzle.
Can't get enough Christmas lights? Check out our picks for LA's best holiday light shows and drive-through Christmas lights events, which you'll find in our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Activities for Los Angeles Families.
What's Open on Thanksgiving in Los Angeles? Places Open for Family Fun
Submitted by Kylie Williams on
Thanksgiving might be known as the holiday where you eat food and watch football all day, but there's much more to do on this holiday in Los Angeles than you might think. Sometimes, you need a change of scenery or a break from the relatives, so knowing what's open on Thanksgiving in LA for family fun is invaluable—for clearing the house to prepare the meal and for walking it off afterward.
Stuff your Thanksgiving with much more than just food. You could spend the whole holiday out and about in Los Angeles by going to one of the places below that you may not have realized welcome visitors, and by eating at one of the many restaurants in LA open on Thanksgiving.
Gobble up more holiday goodness with Thanksgiving crafts, games, and activities for kids, and see where to kick off the Christmas festivities with the best neighborhood holiday lights in Los Angeles. For more holiday happenings, check out our Events Calendar and peruse our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Events for Los Angeles Families.
