A free month-long holiday light display in the Palm Court at Orange County Great Park, with the Illuminate Irvine kickoff evening (tree lighting, performances, market) and a Hangar 244 Holiday Market across the season.
Holidayz at the Park is Orange County Great Park‘s month-long December celebration — a free open-air outdoor light display in the Palm Court Arts Complex running early December through early January each year, daily from dusk into the evening. The Palm Court fills with festive light installations, a family photo opportunity in Santa’s sleigh, and seasonal programming through the season.
The display kicks off with Illuminate Irvine — the City of Irvine’s official anchor evening, typically the first Saturday in December. Illuminate Irvine brings winter-inspired activities, holiday shopping, live performances of seasonal classics, and the lighting of the Holiday Tree at the Palm Court Arts Complex. The kickoff is a single evening; the resulting lit display stays in place across the month.
Across the season, the park hosts a Holiday Market at Hangar 244 — the festive artisan-focused shopping experience in one of the former El Toro hangars — plus drop-in evenings like Pajama Movie Night screening family films. The full footprint sits on the central Irvine side of the 5 freeway, easy to reach from anywhere in Irvine or southern OC.
The Palm Court Arts Complex at Orange County Great Park — the plaza-and-pavilion arts campus near the iconic Great Park orange balloon. The park’s main address is 8000 Great Park Boulevard, Irvine. From the 5 freeway, exit Sand Canyon Avenue; the park entrance is on Sand Canyon. From the 405, exit Jeffrey Road south.
Early December through early January each year. The Palm Court light display is visible daily from dusk into the evening through the month. Illuminate Irvine kicks off on the first Saturday in December – check the official page for this year’s hours.
Yes — admission to Holidayz at the Park, the Palm Court light display, parking, and Illuminate Irvine are all free. Some special programming on select evenings may be ticketed; confirm at the park site. Hangar 244 Holiday Market vendor purchases are paid separately.
Skate with Santa at Irvine Spectrum Center is the city’s ticketed outdoor ice-rink anchor on the south Irvine retail side of the 405. Holidayz at the Park at OC Great Park is the free open-air light display and city-civic anchor on the central Irvine side of the 5. They’re different venues, different sides of the city, different formats — many Irvine families catch both across the season.
Illuminate Irvine on the first Saturday in December brings winter-inspired activities, holiday shopping with vendor booths, live performances of seasonal classics, and the official tree lighting at the Palm Court Arts Complex. It’s the evening that turns on the month-long Palm Court light display — the lit installation stays through January.
Orange County Great Park is the master-planned 1,300-acre civic park built on the former MCAS El Toro Marine air station in central Irvine — a regional-scale park stewarded by the City of Irvine, with the Palm Court Arts Complex, sports fields, an agricultural research zone, a Wild Rivers water park, and the former El Toro hangars all on the site. The Palm Court is the park’s plaza-and-pavilion arts campus, anchored by the iconic Great Park orange balloon visible from the 5 freeway.
Open-air ice skating under the Giant Wheel, a 75-foot tree with a choreographed light show every 30 minutes, and a special Skate with Santa session each December at the Irvine Spectrum Center. Walking the Spectrum to see the lights and tree show is free; skating sessions are ticketed.
Brian J. Cook
Lake Forest’s beloved community holiday tradition — now in its fourth-plus decade, with an afternoon-and-evening of kids’ activities, food, carolers, dancers, Santa, and the city’s official tree lighting.
Brian J. Cook
The City of Lake Forest’s annual residential holiday lights competition with a public tour map — a free drive-around the city’s neighborhoods each December, with addresses and a suggested order.
Brian J. Cook
OC Parks’s 39-year tradition at Heritage Hill Historical Park — luminaria-lit pathways, carolers, brass musicians, puppet shows, Santa, and a Holiday Lights weekend through the historic adobes and Victorian buildings of Lake Forest.
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.
