Bringing Safe Holiday Joy to the OC!
Winter Fest OC’s "Night of Lights," an enchanting winter wonderland drive-thru experience, is at the Orange County Fairgrounds, and running from Dec. 10 - Jan. 10, with sessions ending at 9:30pm nightly. The Holiday Light Spectacular is the socially-distant answer for Holiday fun! Wind your way through the spectacularly lit fairgrounds, enjoy multi-media shows in the covered arena and order delicious treats from vendors all from the comfort of your own car.
From the creators of the city’s popular Winter Fest OC, guests can put on their 3-D glasses and enjoy this captivating, immersive experience featuring more than 1,000,000 lights from the safety of their own vehicles. The guided experience through a mile-long route features themed holiday scenery, a 50-foot Christmas tree, the world’s largest ornaments, special effects and animated light shows and tunnels synchronized to music through a car radio or smartphone.
Holiday favorite treats are available before entering the “Night of Lights OC” experience through pre-order when purchasing tickets. Seasonal favorites include hot cocoa, cinnamon sugar donuts, as well as Mom’s Bake Shoppe cookie buckets and brownies, tamales, holiday ‘Family 4 Pack’ meals, and more. Food is available to order online by 10am on the date of admission and will be available to pick-up prior to entering the drive-thru experience. Reminders along the route dot the landscape admonishing visitors to observe social distancing and the use of masks. A cast of characters along the route also wear facial coverings, even Santa, who is waiting at the end of the course.
Also at the end of the route, staff members wait with cameras to take custom-made portraits of vehicles and their passengers as a keepsake of what is sure to be an unforgettable holiday season.
This brightest display in Orange County will be open to visitors through Jan. 10. Tickets are currently available and prices vary as to dates selected. Entrance begins at 5 p.m. with limited reservations available per session and guests are encouraged to buy in advance to reserve their date and session before they sell out. To avoid the lines, we recommend arriving after 8pm or attending on a Thursday or Sunday evening.
Early bird general admission starts at $39.99 per vehicle (up to five people) on select nights. Monday through Wednesday, prices per vehicle begin at $49.99 “for selected time slots.” Thursday viewings start at $59.99 and Friday through Sunday start at $69.99. Vehicle height is limited to eight feet or less, due to the light tunnels. Pricing will increase after early bird tickets are sold out. Open daily, 5pm-10pm.
Every Monday, “Night of Lights OC” will honor local community heroes with a special $5 off coupon for teachers, military personnel, law enforcement, medical workers and firefighters. Important Notice: This production includes strobe lighting effects, fog, haze and snow flurries and bubbles that will fall on your vehicle. NO BUSES, RVs, LIMOS, RAISED VEHICLES & SPRINTER VANS ALLOWED. For more information and online tickets, visit nightoflightsoc.com
Chris Daniels
Arts & Entertainment Reviewer
The Show Report
Night of Lights OC cost $41 and up per car. I went last night and it definitely not worth the money. It lasted 15 minutes and driving real slow.