For many years, Tony Tran’s daughters begged him to hang Christmas lights outside their San Jose home. He kept saying, “Next year.”
Tran finally relented in 2018 and strung a few light strings. But his decorative ambitions really shot up to a whole new level when he, his wife and his then-teenaged daughters needed a family project during the COVID-19 lockdown. “My daughters said, ‘We can’t go out of the house, and we could put on a really nice display for the neighborhood,’” Tran said.
Since then, Tran and his family have joined the ranks of elite Bay Area holiday lights enthusiasts — individual homeowners or groups of neighbors who really get into the holiday spirit, a number of whom are spotlighted here in our annual list of the Bay Area’s best holiday lights displays. The Tran family’s home decorations, notable for a glowing archway leading to a life-size figure of Santa, made them a 2023 finalist for ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight.”
Amazing holiday lights displays abound in the Bay Area, all the result of people like Tran. They love putting in all the time and creativity into hanging lights, building elaborate decorations and even producing high-tech sound and light shows — all to transform their yards or neighborhoods into holiday spectacles for anyone to enjoy.
Many of these lights displays begin showing this week. 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.
SOUTH BAY
Tran Family’s Silicon Valley Winter Wonderland
Twelve brightly lit Christmas trees, Santa’s sled and floating angels flank the glowing archway that leads visitors into the Tran Family display.
Details: Starting at 6 p.m. Dec. 6-Dec. 24, 578 Flagler St., San Jose; californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/silicone-valley-winter-wonderland/
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: 4-9 p.m. Nov. 22-Jan. 11, 86 Cañada Road, Woodside. Filoli will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission is $39-$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 6-11 p.m. Nov. 28-Jan. 1 in Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose. The drive-through starting at 5 p.m. runs Nov. 28-Dec. 31 at Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, San Jose. Tickets are $25-$40 per car, and reservations are required; christmasinthepark.com
Los Gatos’ Fantasy of Lights
The annual Fantasy of Lights show at Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos offers one of the Bay Area’s most popular drive-through displays, with a 1.5-mile route taking families through a wonderland of lights, including an erupting volcano, Santa Claus shooting hoops and a 90-foot twinkling tree, courtesy of the Santa Clara County Parks Department.
Details: People can walk the route 4-9 p.m. Dec. 6 and 7, $8-$17 per person. The drive-through runs 6-10 p.m. Dec. 9-Dec. 30, starting at $30 per vehicle, Vasona Lake County Park, 333 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos; parks.santaclaracounty.gov/FantasyofLights
Willow Glen neighborhood display, San Jose
Year after year, residents in a five-block area of this central San Jose neighborhood decorate their homes in their own unique ways, but visitors can expect to find plenty of brightly lit archways, light poles, candy canes, giant snowpeople and Santa and his reindeer. You can go on your own, but both the Willow Glen Business Association and San Jose Brew Bike take groups on neighborhood tours via trolleys or 15-passenger “bicycles.”
Details: Most homes in San Jose’s Willow Glen get their decorations up by the first weekend of December. Streets to visit include Glen Echo, Glen Eyrie, Glen Brook and Cherry avenues, as well as Camino Ramon, Camino Pablo and Camino Ricardo. The Willow Glen Business Association’s 30-minute trolley rides run 5:15-9 p.m. Dec. 7-18, $20-$40, willowglen.org/trolley-rides. San Jose Brew Bike tours take place 5:15-8:15 p.m. Dec. 3-Dec. 23 and Dec. 27-Dec. 29. Group tickets are $495 per 15-person group; sanjosebrewbike.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. Thanksgiving-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: 6:30-9 p.m. Nov. 30-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. Nov. 29-Jan. 3, 909 Arlington Court, Sunnyvale; californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/arlington-lights
Christmas on a Hill, Morgan Hill
On six nights in December, visitors can take in the views of Santa Clara Valley, while strolling through an outdoor holiday lights experience at West Hills Community Church in Morgan Hill. This family-friendly local tradition also features hand-painted life-size decorations and synchronized music.
Details: 5:30-8 p.m. Dec. 7, 13, 14, 20, 21 and 24, West Hills Community Church, 16695 DeWitt Ave., Morgan Hill; westhills.org
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. Nov. 28-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. Nov. 29-Jan 1; an opening night procession takes place at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at 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 525 acres. There’s a tropical rain forest, elephants and giraffes in Africa, North American mountain lions, wolves and polar bears and an opportunity to travel back to the age of the dinosaurs.
Details: 4:30-9 p.m. daily through Jan. 25, 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland; ticket prices depend on how far in advance you purchase them; www.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 Nov. 21-Jan. 11,1552 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek; tickets, $16-$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 Nov. 28-Dec. 31, 4770 Lincoln Ave., Oakland; https://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: 6-10 p.m. Dec. 6-31, Cripps Place and surrounding streets in Fremont; www.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: 5:30-10 p.m. Dec. 2-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 Dec. 4-Jan. 4. It is closed on Dec. 24 and 25. Lake Anza Road and Central Park Drive, Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley; tildenmerrygoround.org
Lights of Livermore
Enjoy a one-hour trolley ride around Livermore to see the town’s biggest and brightest home holiday displays. The trolleys start at historic Concannon Vineyard, where you can taste a flight of wines before boarding the trolley. There also are nightly trolley rides for families, where no alcohol is served.
Details: Starting at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 5-Dec. 23; family trolley rides are $35 per person, wine trolley rides are $72.99 per person; 4590 Tesla Road, Livermore; livermorewinetrolley.com
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. Nov. 29-Jan. 6, 4480 Clarewood Drive, Oakland; californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/oaklands-candy-cane-forest/
Wrights’ Magical Light Extravaganza, Oakley
For this display, a 2024 contender 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. Nov. 28-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: 5:30-10 p.m. Nov. 26-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: 5:30-10 p.m. Nov. 27-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: 6-10 p.m. Nov. 28-Jan. 1, 5390 Aspenwood Court, Concord; https://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. Nov. 27-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: 5-10 p.m. Nov. 27-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: 6-10 p.m. Nov. 30-Dec. 30, 1200 block of Dewey Street, Redwood City; californiachristmaslights.com/directory-listing/candy-cane-lane/