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.  

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!

We'll go ahead and say it—we’re thankful. Our Thanksgiving weekend calendar is stuffed with activities reflecting the season's joy: Take part in a Turkey Trot, visit a flurry of holiday light displays, such as Tanaka Farm's Hikari and Holiday Road at King Gillette Ranch, or check out Grinchmas and Super Nintendo World during 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, and check out our Thanksgiving Activities Guide for Families for crafts, movies, and even Thanksgiving jokes. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Mommy Poppins! 

Merrily, there are loads of free holiday and Christmas events in Los Angeles for when you've blown your budget on rare Labubus 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. 

'Tis the season for Christmas events and holiday activities in Los Angeles! From the hundreds of Christmas events and holiday activities taking place this year, we've managed to trim our list to the top family favorites.

This year, Santa's bag is overflowing with festive fun for families in Los Angeles. This holiday season's stockings are full of theme parks dressed up in their holiday finest, traditional holiday parades, only-in-LA holiday shows, and other beloved holly jolly traditions. We can barely keep up with all the fun Christmas events and holiday activities in Los Angeles this year. 

 For more holiday activities, don't miss our Holiday Events and Christmas Activities Guide for Los Angeles, packed with every possible holiday and Christmas light show, Nutcracker shows, Polar Express holiday trains, outdoor ice skating rinks, and so much more.

'Tis the season for Polar Express train rides or Christmas trains! Los Angeles has plenty of holiday magic waiting on the rails, from a staple in Griffith Park to a movie-like adventure on the SoCal Polar Express. So, put on those matching family PJs and get ready to sing some carols, hear a story, and chow down on Christmas cookies, while embracing the holiday spirit. Kiddos may even get the chance to hand over those wish lists to Santa Claus in person. 

There are seats available (so far!) on the Christmas train rides below that take place from Thanksgiving weekend through Christmas. Reserve your spot ASAP because Polar Express trains are a hot ticket, and tend to book up fast.

Get in the holiday spirit with the best neighborhood holiday lights in Los Angeles, take your Christmas card to the next level with LA-only photo ops with Santa, and visit our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Events for Los Angeles Families for more holiday adventures. 

Seeing a Nutcracker Ballet is a Christmas tradition for so many families. In a city like Los Angeles, there are over twenty Nutcracker shows for your pick of performance from Hollywood to Long Beach and so many places in between. 

To answer two of the most common questions posed by parents in search of a Nutcracker ballet in Los Angeles: Yes, there is a condensed version specifically for kids offered by the Festival Ballet Theatre down in Costa Mesa. And yes, there are local performances with full orchestra—​the Long Beach Terrace Theater is one of the best. There's even a fantastic and very LA production by Bob Baker's Marionettes, which is light on the dancing and heavy on the post-show ice cream, for little kids looking for a fun introduction to the classic Nutcracker Ballet. 

When you've had your fill of the Mouse King, let us direct you to some nifty Polar Express and Christmas train rides, neighborhood Christmas lights displays, and more in our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Events for Los Angeles Families.