The best Christmas events in Los Angeles

Discovery and wonder abound across the 10 illuminated installations in Descanso Gardens’ holiday tradition. The botanical garden’s nighttime experience masterfully mixes hands-on art installations with atmospheric, luminescent forests, all against a background of uplit trees and shimmery sound effects.

Feel as though you’ve escaped to a small-town fishing village during the Marina Del Rey Boat Parade. Bring a blanket and gather around Fisherman’s Village or Burton Chace Park to watch as 70 boats glide through the marina with holiday lights and decorations in competition. Categories include Best Theme, Best Animation, Best Band, Best Lights and more. The festivities begin at 5:55pm with fireworks, and the boat parade starts at 6pm, rain or shine.

L.A. doesn’t typically seem like much of a winter wonderland, until, that is, you create an ice skating rink right in the midst of Downtown skyscrapers and L.A. icons. Come glide and pretend there’s snow on the ground at Pershing Square’s outdoor holiday skating rink—swing by on Tuesdays for a soundtrack filled with selections from the Broadway edition of Frozen, which is in L.A. into the winter.

Go house-to-house at L.A.’s handsome Victorian museum and learn the true meaning of Christmas during the latest edition of this holiday tradition. The former occupants of Heritage Square’s homes will partake in this re-telling of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, in which participants will follow the characters from scene to scene and partake in the action by playing parlor games, singing Christmas carols and dancing at a Victorian Christmas party. Admission also includes a festive reception with libations and appetizers.

Even before the Halloween pumpkins disappear from Main Street, you’ll be able to spot signs of the holidays at Disneyland. The beloved theme park turns into the merriest place on earth for a full two months (Nov 8–Jan 6), with Christmas makeovers of popular rides and holiday-themed nighttime shows. As far as Christmas lights go, you’ll spot festive decor all over the parks, from the auto-themed Americana decorations in Cars Land to icicle lights draped atop Sleeping Beauty Castle. But the real standout is the joyous facade of “It’s a Small World.”

Muggles can look forward to a bit of sorcery and magic this holiday season. The Harry Potter-themed land at Universal Studios Hollywood has been decked out in holiday decor, including lights and wreaths along the snow-capped rooflines of Hogsmeade Village and, of course, plenty of wintry goodies in the gift shops. But by far the biggest addition to the land is “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts,” (Nov 28–Dec 29) an approximately seven-minute projection show that illuminates Hogwarts Castle with dancing lanterns, colorful banners and a Christmas tree, all set to a swelling score.

After going dark in 2009, holiday lights returned to Griffith Parkin 2014—this time at the L.A. Zoo. Whereas the old DWP Holiday Lights brought motorists careening through the park’s windy roads, the zoo’s fest finds visitors trekking through the front half of the festively illuminated grounds on foot. Though most of the animals will be asleep, you will be able to see wildlife-inspired light-up displays. Standout elements include elephant statues animated with projection mapping, a twinkly light tunnel and a disco-ball–filled forest.

Take the time to check out these twinkling neighborhoods. Just make sure to bring along an extra sweatshirt and some patience: Not even Christmas lights can escape L.A. traffic.