Arcadia Tree Lighting
Arcadia, CA
Arcadia’s official civic tree lighting at the Arcadia Transit Plaza — photos with Santa, crafts, carolers, and the city’s mayor lighting the tree.
Arcadia’s official civic tree lighting at the Arcadia Transit Plaza — photos with Santa, crafts, carolers, and the city’s mayor lighting the tree.
Each early December, the City of Arcadia runs its Annual Tree Lighting Celebration at the Arcadia Transit Plaza, next to the Gold Line station in the heart of downtown. The first-Thursday-of-December ceremony is the city’s official civic kickoff and is deliberately small-scale — the mayor flips the switch, families gather, and the season formally begins.
The program runs the early-evening hour around the lighting itself, with photos with Santa, crafts, carolers, and the official lighting by Arcadia’s Mayor as the anchor. The Transit Plaza setting and the Gold Line access make the event uniquely transit-friendly for the San Gabriel Valley — families from across the valley can ride in rather than fight for parking.
For families across Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Pasadena’s east end, and the broader San Gabriel Valley, this is the season’s official community moment — separate and distinct from the larger ticketed Enchant Christmas event at Santa Anita Park.
At the Arcadia Transit Plaza next to the Arcadia Gold Line station, 201 N Santa Anita Ave, in downtown Arcadia.
The Annual Tree Lighting Celebration is held on the first Thursday of December in the evening, with the mayor lighting the tree.
Yes — entirely different. The Tree Lighting Celebration is the small-scale civic ceremony at the Transit Plaza. Enchant Christmas at Santa Anita Park is a separate ticketed walk-through light maze that runs for weeks. Both are in Arcadia and many families do both.
Yes — Santa Claus makes a special visit. Photos with Santa are part of the program.
Take the LA Metro A Line (formerly the Gold Line) to the Arcadia Station — the Transit Plaza is at the station itself. This is one of the most transit-accessible holiday events in the San Gabriel Valley.
The Arcadia Transit Plaza stands next to the Arcadia Metro A Line station (formerly the Gold Line), in the heart of downtown Arcadia. The Plaza was built when the line extended through Arcadia in 2016 and serves as both the city’s main transit hub and a civic plaza for outdoor events. Downtown Arcadia surrounds it — Huntington Drive and its commercial corridor a few blocks south, the Westfield Santa Anita mall a short ride east, and the Santa Anita Park grounds a few minutes east beyond that.
A world-class holiday lights walk-through at Santa Anita Park’s historic racing grounds, anchored by a giant light maze, a real-ice skating trail, and a full Christmas village.
Santa Anita Park’s December light experience has been presented in recent years as “Enchant Christmas.”
Brian J. Cook
Santa rides a Sierra Madre Fire Department engine down Sierra Madre Boulevard — Sierra Vista Park to the Fire Department — for a free community meet-and-greet with photos and treats.
Brian J. Cook
Real snow, a sledding hill in Memorial Park, an all-day downtown winter village with shopping and music, and the city’s official tree lighting in the evening — Sierra Madre’s full small-town holiday season packed into a single Saturday.
Brian J. Cook
More than 100,000 channels of RGB pixels light up to Christmas music in a synchronized show — Pasadena’s premier home light spectacle, winner of ABC’s Great Christmas Light Fight in 2022, free for families nightly through Christmas. Confirm this season’s schedule at harbecklights.com.
Brian J. Cook
Southern California’s holiday lights and festive outings are pure magic — but nothing compares to Santa Claus himself stepping through your own front door. House of Kringle brings a real-bearded, professionally trained Santa to homes and gatherings across SoCal for an intimate live visit your family will treasure for years.
Check Availability
Have a date in mind? Tell us when and where, and we’ll let you know whether Santa is open. House of Kringle brings a real-bearded Santa Claus to Live Visits and Group Experiences across Southern California, and December fills quickly, so the sooner you check, the better your odds of locking in your first choice.
This is a quick availability check, not a booking. Nothing is reserved and nothing is owed until we’ve confirmed your date and you’ve placed your retainer.