Christmas ferris wheel in Los Angeles

Christmas in Los Angeles - lights and sights

By Karleen Stevens

It might not fit the stereotype for a White Christmas, but if you’re heading west in December you'll find plenty of holiday spirit in Los Angeles. You’ll find festivals, parades, ice rinks and theme parks going all out on Christmas rides and costumes. Hotel lobbies get decked out in festive decorations, making them worth a trip on their own, and when the sun sets at around 5pm the city comes to light, with shows and displays twinkling from house to harbor. And if you’re the kind of person who likes to keep your fingers and toes warm, then an LA Christmas could be the perfect escape for you, with the mercury in December rarely dipping below 60 degrees. Most of the festivities are hard to miss, but to truly make the most of your time, here are our top tips for the best lights and sights to experience at Christmas in Los Angeles:

  • Knott’s Berry Farm
  • Six Flags Magic Mountain
  • Universal Studios
  • Disneyland
  • Snow hunting
  • Self-drive lights tour
  • Solvang

Knott’s Berry Farm

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For nine months of the year Knott’s Berry Farm is an exciting, bustling theme park filled with thrill rides, roller coasters, water rides and visitors tucking into home made preserves and boysenberry pie – but from November through January it transforms into Knott’s ‘Merry’ Farm winter wonderland of holiday sights, sounds and scents. There are holiday ice shows with world-class figure skaters, carolers singing songs old and new and a Christmas craft village. Children will love looking for Santa’s Christmas Cabin, and the whole family can watch the spectacle of the nightly Snow and Glow Show and tree lighting ceremony.

Six Flags Magic Mountain

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Thrill seekers flock to Six Flags Magic Mountain at any time of year, as this theme park is where they'll find the world’s tallest looping roller coaster, the fastest and longest flying coaster and the only 5th-dimensional coaster. But it’s even better during the holidays when millions of twinkling lights add even more dazzle to this dare-devil’s wonderland. Of course, there’s plenty for the less-adventurous too, with the nightly tree-lighting ceremony and choreographed sound and light show. Romantics will love the Victorian Christmas Village, where young and old alike will be transported to the time of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol with themed costumes, handcrafts and décor.

Universal Studios

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A must-see for movie-lovers any time of year, Universal Studios in LA really turns it on in the holiday season – especially if you’re a Harry Potter fan. Immerse yourself in the magical Wizarding World with the Harry Potter Studio Tour, then stroll through HogsmeadeTM – transformed for the season with lights, garlands and wreaths – and watch the dazzling music and light show featuring the Hogwarts Frog Choir and the majestic HogwartsTM Castle as its background. Elsewhere around the park you’ll find festive food and plenty of holiday gift shopping ideas – but watch out for the Grinch! If you’re there for New Year’s, hang around at a themed party for the midnight fireworks display.

Disneyland Los Angeles

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There’s just something about the fairy-tale charm of Disney that makes everything here seem more magical at Christmas. Is it the twinkling luminescence of Cinderella’s Castle? The twice-daily Christmas parade bringing back memories of childhood Christmases and favorite gifts? Or perhaps it only happens when the sun goes down and streets and rides light up like the set of our favorite holiday movie. Whatever it is, a visit to Disneyland at Christmas will have your inner child bursting with happiness. Be sure to see the massive Christmas tree all lit up, catch the Small World light display and if you’re a fan of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas then don’t miss the haunted mansion, where you may just bump into your favorite characters from Halloween Town.

Snow hunting

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Ok, so you won’t be able to recreate your favorite holiday rom-com scene in this city (you know, the one where boy and girl go ice-skating and it just happens to start snowing), but because LA is surrounded by mountains you can still escape to cooler climes where you can get your annual snow angel making fix. A couple hours inland, in the San Bernardino Mountains, is Lake Arrowhead, known as ‘The Alps of Southern California’, where visitors can go ice skating at Santa’s Village and drop off a letter at Santa’s Workshop Museum. Or at Big Bear Lake ski enthusiasts will find 400 acres of slopes to explore and night time glow tubing on the weekends.

A self-drive lights tour

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As well as in theme parks and in shopping centers, plenty of the LA locals get into the festive spirit, decorating their homes and gardens for the season. Dana Point Harbor lights up with illuminated palm-trees, light sculptures and its famous ‘Merry Kiss Me’ arch, and it’s worth the drive to Palm Springs for some of the magnificently astonishing displays on offer there. But for local, personality-filled displays closer to home try Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena, the eight square-block area of Candy Cane Lane in Woodland Hills – where residents regularly try to out-do each other with ever-increasingly extravagant displays – or Harbeck Lights in Pasadena, where light-show themes in recent years have included Space Invaders, Hello Kitty and Star Wars.

Solvang Danish village

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There’s no denying that Europeans know how to do Christmas, and it doesn’t get more fairy-tale-like than the Danish village of Solvang. Scandinavian architecture and wooden windmills are the backdrop for the annual holiday of Julefest, decorated for the season with lights and Christmas trees. Warm up with local wines and Danish pastries and, depending on when you’re there, you can witness the tree-lighting ceremony, watch a parade or live nativity, join a candlelight tour, visit Santa’s Grotto or go on a gnome hunt. And if you’re still around in January, you can attend the annual tree-burning festival which officially closes the holiday season.

Experience the joy of the season with Go City

With a Go City Explorer or All-Inclusive Pass you’ll save money on attractions all around Los Angeles – leaving you with more to spend on Christmas treats!

Karleen Stevens
Go City Travel Expert

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Aerial view of the Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in California.
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Knott's Berry Farm Vs Six Flags Magic Mountain LA

Thinking of visiting an LA theme park but just can’t decide which to choose? Fair enough: the City of Angels has more fab amusement parks than even the most dedicated thrill seeker could hope to experience in a single visit. There’s Universal Studios Hollywood for starters. Also Disneyland and its sibling, the Disney California Adventure Park so, y’know, we’re talking some pretty big beasts of the amusement park scene here. Holding their own among these titans are Knott’s Berry Farm (aka America’s first theme park) and Six Flags Magic Mountain (current holder of the record for most rollercoasters in an amusement park). Read on to discover the relative merits of these two fine LA parks... Knott's Berry Farm Vs Six Flags Magic Mountain: A Short History Opened in 1971, Six Flags Magic Mountain is a mere baby to Knott’s Berry Farm’s century-old theme park. But blimey, it’s one heck of a great big bouncing baby, weighing in at 209 acres and 35 rides, of which a record-smashing 20 (yes, twenty) are rollercoasters. Located in Valencia, 35 miles north of downtown LA, this is a park that has always pushed the boundaries in terms of number of loops, heights and angles of drops and, well, just sheer terror levels as your (thankfully strapped in) body hurtles towards terra firma at frankly unnatural speeds. In other words, Six Flags Magic Mountain will appeal primarily to adrenalin junkies, as well as fans of the DC universe: the park has rides themed around Superman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor and the Justice League. Quirky fact: Michael Jackson visited the park in 1985, riding attractions including Colossus (now the New Colossus) and the Roaring Rapids. Whether Bubbles accompanied him on the rides or not is, we're sorry to say, lost to history. Sure, at a relatively diminutive 57 acres, Knott’s Berry Farm isn’t on quite the same scale as Magic Mountain. But what this Buena Park stalwart does have is great boysenberry pie, pedigree in spades and a smart use of space that equates to nearly 50 rides across its five zones. It’s no slouch when it comes to thrill rides either. From humble beginnings as a berry farm and roadside stand a century ago, Knott’s has been through many iterations, launching a ghost town in the 1940s and adding a log ride in the 70s. But it was the sale of the park to Cedar Fair in the 1990s that really upped the thrill factor with the addition of several high-octane rides. However, at the Knott’s family’s wishes, the park has retained much of the personality of its founders Walter and Cordelia Knott, meaning that, among other things, the (huge) fried chicken dinners and sweet berry pies that many consider synonymous with the park can still be sampled in its cafes and restaurants. Quirky fact: all boysenberries today are genetically traceable to Knott’s Berry Farm, where Walter first cultivated the raspberry-blackberry-loganberry-dewberry hybrid in the 1920s. Knott's Berry Farm Vs Six Flags Magic Mountain: Thrill Rides Thrill rides is really where both of these parks excel, and hopeless adrenalin fiends should definitely make a beeline for both when spending time in LA. But, by sheer dint of numbers, Magic Mountain has the edge here. And, with a world-beating 20 rollercoasters, how could it not? Start queuing early for Superman: Escape from Krypton, one of the park’s most popular rides. Once the tallest coaster in the world, this thrill-a-second adventure reaches 100mph in just seven seconds before flipping its victims riders through backward and forward-facing drops at lightning speeds. DC fans will also thrill to the 4D effects and immersive battle scenes on the Justice League; Battle for Metropolis ride. Full Throttle does exactly what it says on the tin, rattling around the tallest vertical loop in North America at terrifying speeds, while Goliath and Scream’s names are also helpfully descriptive in terms of what to expect. In short, if it’s thrills, spills and squeals you’re after, Six Flags Magic Mountain is the LA theme park for you. This is an impossible category for any theme park to win when pitted against Magic Mountain, but Knott’s Berry Farm holds its own admirably, with a fine selection of rip-roaring hair-raisers. Rides like the Xcelerator, which catapults passengers sky high, reaching 82mph in a (literally) breathtaking 2.3 seconds. HangTime is definitely one to try before you’ve eaten lunch, given that its hook is the stomach-dropping sensation that you’re floating (hence the name) as you take the utterly terrifying 96-degree drop. Ghost Rider is the longest, tallest and fastest wooden rollercoaster in the West, ideal if you like your thrill rides to create the illusion of being rickety and unsafe (which it isn’t, of course), while Silver Bullet is a foot-dangling inverted coaster with a whopping six loops. Knott's Berry Farm Vs Six Flags Magic Mountain: Family Rides There’s no denying that there are better theme park options for kids around LA – *cough* Disneyland *cough* – but Knott’s and Magic Mountain do also offer a few gentler rides for the kiddiwinks to enjoy. Each puts their own spin (geddit?) on the traditional teacup ride, with a Mad Hatter theme at Knott’s and cute Pepe Le Pew cups at Magic Mountain. Meanwhile, Magic Mountain’s Bugs Bunny World – chock full of Looney Tunes themed rides – is the answer to Knott’s Berry Farm’s Camp Snoopy, where you’ll find the Peanuts gang in residence. Expect carousels, bumper cars, miniature trains and character meet and greets at both locations, as well as a strong selection of rides for the whole family to enjoy together, from log flumes to swinging pirate ships and mine rides. Knott's Berry Farm Vs Six Flags Magic Mountain: Water Rides Getting a drenching is an essential ingredient of any successful amusement park excursion so you'll be delighted to hear that both parks really deliver on this front. The Calico River Rapids in Knott’s Ghost Town zone takes riders splashing and spinning downriver in big round family-friendly dinghies. But if you really want to guarantee that soaking, hit up the Timber Mountain Log Ride (pictured) for an early bath at the end of its 42-foot free fall finale. Over at Magic Mountain, the Jet Stream log flume is a family favorite that has the drop’n’drench maneuver down to a fine art. The 11-seater Roaring Rapids ride is a little more lively than its Knott’s rival, tossing hapless riders through unpredictable currents, white water waves and treacherous whirlpools, meaning that coveted drenching is all but guaranteed. NB: Both Knott’s and Magic Mountain also have separately ticketed water parks that are open from May to September. Fast facts: Knott’s Berry Farm Tickets Go City’s All-Inclusive attraction pass includes general admission and saves you money when visiting multiple attractions in LA. Buy a 1, 2, 3 or 5-day pass to access as many attractions as you like in that time period, including Universal Studios and Six Flags Magic Mountain. You can also book tickets direct via the Knott’s Berry Farm website. Opening Hours The park generally opens daily at 10AM. Closing times vary by season. Check the calendar on the Knott’s Berry Farm website for the most up-to-date information. Getting There Knott’s Berry Farm is at 8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 9062. There’s paid parking on site, or you can take a train to nearby Buena Park Metrolink station. More info on transport options here. Fast facts: Six Flags Magic Mountain Tickets An All-Inclusive attraction pass from Go City includes general admission and saves you money when visiting multiple attractions in LA. Buy a 1, 2, 3 or 5-day pass to access as many attractions as you like in that time period, including La Brea Tar Pits and Knott’s Berry Farm. You can also book tickets direct via the Six Flags Magic Mountain website. Opening Hours Hours vary throughout the year but Magic Mountain usually opens between at 10:30AM and stays open until anywhere between 6PM and 10PM depending on the season. View the calendar here. Getting There Six Flags Magic Mountain is at 26101 Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355, just north of Los Angeles, at the Magic Mountain Parkway exit off Interstate 5. Some public transport is seasonal and you’ll find the best and most up-to-date options here. Save on attractions in Los Angeles Save on admission to Los Angeles attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Interior view of SoFi Stadium's LED canopy.
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Guide to SoFi Stadium

The SoFi Stadium is something else. This megalithic shrine to football draws around 70,000 fans to its seats every week. On this brilliant 60-minute tour of the SoFi Stadium, you'll get an exclusive look behind the scenes of two of the NFL's biggest teams; the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers. See the locker rooms, where driven coaches give inspiring team talks. Travel through the player tunnel and get a glimpse of life as a sporting giant. Then, run onto the field and try your hand at scoring a field goal. All of that beneath the stadium's incredible LED canopy. Image courtesy of Elliott Cowand Jr/Shutterstock How to get SoFi Stadium tour tickets? We've got you covered – SoFi Stadium tour tickets are available with the below money-saving options, so you can choose the attraction pass that's right for you: 1. All-Inclusive Pass – All you can do. Includes admission to over 40 attractions. 2. Explorer Pass – Choose as you go. Includes admission of up to 7 attractions. Tips for visiting SoFi Stadium While walk-ins are possible, SoFi Stadium is a highly-visited attraction. Therefore, we recommend booking ahead to avoid disappointment on the day. SoFi Stadium is big. Real big. So definitely slip into some comfortable footwear before you visit, and be prepared to get some steps in. There will be plenty of opportunities to take photos and videos of your time in the stadium, so make sure your phone's got plenty of space on it, or bring a camera with a fresh roll/memory card. Image courtesy of Elliott Cowand Jr/Shutterstock When is the best time to take a tour of SoFi Stadium? Given the enclosed nature of the stadium, thanks to its canopy, and the fact that winters in LA tend to land on the milder side, you can visit SoFi Stadium any time of year! What is there to see and do on the SoFi Stadium Tour? Follow in the steps of fans, commentators, and players alike as you explore this awe-inspiring stadium. Go behind the scenes and see where the players prepare for battle, the commentators sit to narrate the game, and where the fans praise their almighty teams. You'll even step foot on the field - any football fan's dream! SoFi Stadium tour highlights Feel the adrenalin rush as you pass through the players' tunnel and onto the field. Run the '40', throw balls at targets and kick a field goal on the turf. See the locker rooms and explore the commentary box Explore the Kinsey African American Art & History Collection exhibit, which explores the lives and accomplishments of 16th-century African Americans. Image courtesy of Elliott Cowand Jr/Shutterstock What attractions are near SoFi Stadium? Given the nature of huge stadiums, they're often rather isolated from other things to do. The same can be said for SoFi Stadium. Found between Inglewood and Lennox, and just beneath Morningside Park, it's mainly surrounded by residential streets, shops, bars, and hotels. However, if you like playing the odds, you'll find Hollywood park Casino just a short walk from the stadium. Where is there to eat nearby? Burger fans visiting Los Angeles ought to try In-N-Out Burger, arguably one of the best fast food restaurants on the planet. If you're looking for more of a sit-down American dining experience, check out Century Bar and Grill, which also has an array of craft beers and cocktails on offer. In the market for something a bit spicier? Casa Ruis Restaurante has you covered. Serving delicious Mexican dishes from 9AM, you're bound to find something tasty there. Need to massage that sweet tooth? Try Crumbl Cookies, which offers a myriad of sweet treats all throughout the day. Need to know For opening time and to find your slot, visit their website here. When arriving at the stadium for your tour, please use the entrance at the intersections of Prairie Avenue & Arbor Vitae. Directions and Address SoFi Stadium 1001 Stadium Dr Inglewood CA 90301 Closest Subway Stops C Line - Hawthorne/Lennox Save on Tickets with Go City Remember, Go City is the best choice for maximum savings and flexibility, which can include SoFi Stadium tour tickets, plus admission to your choice of other top attractions. You'll make great savings on entry to top museums, tours, and activities vs. paying at the gate. Visit multiple attractions for one low price.
Dom Bewley
Universal LA
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Universal Studios Hollywood guide - Discount admission, tips & more

It's a can’t-miss attraction for L.A. and Southern California visitors and a favorite of movie buffs and pop culture fans around the world.
Katie Sagal

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