Old Town Tustin’s annual community holiday evening — a Snow Village, stage performances, photos with Santa, kids’ activities, food trucks, and the city tree lighting along the historic El Camino Real commercial corridor.
Each early December, Old Town Tustin closes El Camino Real at 3rd Street for the Christmas Tree Lighting & Holiday Stroll — the community’s defining holiday evening, organized by the City of Tustin and held in the heart of Orange County’s most intact Victorian-era commercial street.
The event runs through the evening with a Snow Village (a feature of this evening, not a separate event), stage performances, photos with Santa, face painting, kids’ activities, vendor shopping at the Dreamers Market (which opens earlier in the evening), and food trucks throughout. The official tree lighting caps the program, lighting the corridor for the rest of the season. The city’s toy drive accepts new, unwrapped toys and new youth pajamas at the Information Booth.
For families across Tustin, North Tustin, and the broader central OC area, this is the community holiday kickoff. It’s one of the more authentically rooted small-city traditions in central OC — the kind of evening where the original storefronts on the original main street still anchor the December calendar.
Old Town Tustin, at the intersection of El Camino Real and 3rd Street. The historic commercial corridor closes to cars for the event.
The Dreamers Market opens in the early evening. The main event with stage performances, Santa, the Snow Village, and the tree lighting runs through the evening.
Yes — the Snow Village is a feature of the Holiday Stroll itself, with snow play for kids in Old Town. It’s part of this event, not a separate destination.
Free street parking is available in all permitted areas surrounding the event. Additional parking is at the Tustin Area Senior Center (200 S C Street) and the Tustin Civic Center (300 Centennial Way).
Yes — Santa is on hand for photos throughout the event. Plan for a short wait around the tree lighting and a shorter one earlier in the window.
Old Town Tustin runs along El Camino Real — one of Orange County’s most intact Victorian-era commercial corridors. The historic blocks between Main Street and 3rd Street include the 19th-century Knights of Pythias Hall, the Stevens House, and the city’s original commercial frontage. The neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places and remains the civic and pedestrian heart of Tustin, with Old Town Plaza, the Stevens Square arcade, and a thriving small-restaurant scene.
The District at Tustin Legacy’s annual Wonderfest light show — 250,000 colorful lights dancing to holiday music nightly through December at the open-air center on the former MCAS Tustin grounds.
Brian J. Cook
Each holiday season, the City of Santa Ana lights a Christmas tree in the heart of its downtown at Plaza Navideña — a free, family-friendly celebration in the historic Calle Cuatro district of Santa Ana, the Orange County seat. It’s the kind of warm, walkable evening that opens the season for the whole city: lights, music, and a visit from Santa, right in the middle of downtown.
Brian J. Cook
Each winter, Discovery Cube Orange County — the landmark science museum housed in the giant tilted cube beside Interstate 5 in Santa Ana — transforms into an indoor holiday gingerbread experience for families. Known in recent years as Gingerbread Wonderland, it folds the museum’s hands-on, kid-focused style into a season of sweet-themed fun: a holiday sing-along, a sleigh ride, an indoor slide, candy-flavored science, and visits with Santa. Because it’s all indoors, it’s a dependable Orange County holiday outing whatever the weather.
Brian J. Cook
Floral Park is one of Santa Ana’s most beloved historic neighborhoods — a National Historic District of vintage 1920s-through-1950s homes on wide, tree-shaded streets in Orange County. Each December, the all-volunteer neighborhood association presents a holiday Walk of Lights, when homes dress up for the season and families come to enjoy the decorations on foot or by car. It’s a free, low-key way to soak up holiday atmosphere in a genuinely historic Santa Ana setting.
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.
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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.
