Tanaka Farms’s evening farm-to-festival of millions of holiday lights — a Light Path Tractor Ride, walking paths, a Barnyard Exhibit, live weekend music, and seasonal treats under the night sky in Irvine.
Hikari: A Festival of Lights is Tanaka Farms‘ annual holiday transformation — the working family farm in Irvine turned into a glowing winter wonderland filled with millions of twinkling lights strung across walking paths, the barnyard, the pollinator garden, and the corn maze. Hikari is the Japanese word for shine, and the festival’s name reflects the Tanaka family’s four-generation Japanese-American farming roots in Orange County.
The evening footprint runs late November through late December each year, on Wednesdays through Sundays roughly 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM (closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and closed December 24 and 25). The signature draw is the Light Path Tractor Ride — a slow farm wagon pulled through the lit walking paths under the canopy — alongside dazzling walking paths, the Barnyard Educational Exhibit, strolls through the Pollinator Garden and Corn Maze, live music on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, and holiday treats at concession stations.
Tanaka Farms sits a short drive from the University of California, Irvine campus and the Quail Hill / University Park neighborhoods, with the 405 freeway and the Irvine Spectrum Center to the south. For Irvine families, it pairs naturally with the free Holidayz at the Park light display at OC Great Park’s Palm Court — different venue, different format, both on the central Irvine side of town.
5380 3/4 University Drive in Irvine — on a hillside in the Quail Hill / University Park area between the 405 and the University of California, Irvine campus. From the 405, exit University Drive north; the farm entrance is on the south side. From UCI, head south on University Drive.
Late November through late December each year. Open Wednesdays through Sundays roughly 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM; closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and closed December 24 and 25. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights add live music.
No — Hikari is ticketed and admission is required. Tickets are pre-purchased online and capacity-limited on weekend evenings. The Light Path Tractor Ride is bundled with standard admission on most nights. Concessions and special-evening upgrades are priced separately.
Hikari is a working family farm-as-festival — the lights are strung across the actual barnyard, the actual pollinator garden, the actual corn maze. The Tanaka family has farmed in Orange County across four generations, and the festival’s Japanese name reflects that heritage. It’s a different feel than a shopping-center light show or a fairgrounds production — quieter, more agricultural, and intentionally rooted in the family’s farming identity. The Light Path Tractor Ride is the signature experience that captures that distinction.
Partially. The main walking paths through the Hikari installation are wide and stroller-able, but they’re farm dirt and gravel — softer than pavement, harder than carpet. Standard strollers manage; jogger or off-road strollers move easier. The Light Path Tractor Ride is set up as a seated farm wagon. Confirm specific accessibility needs at the farm site before arrival.
Tanaka Farms is the working family farm at 5380 3/4 University Drive in Irvine — set on a hillside in the Quail Hill / University Park area between the 405 and the University of California, Irvine campus. The Tanaka family has farmed in Orange County for four generations, and the farm operates year-round agritourism programming alongside its working agriculture. The site is anchored by a large open field, the Barnyard Educational Exhibit, a corn maze, and a Pollinator Garden — December turns the whole farm into the Hikari light installation.
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.
