The City of Yorba Linda’s official annual decorating contest and Holiday Lights Map — in its fourth year — invites residents to enter their decorated homes, then publishes a public interactive map highlighting the season’s decorated entries citywide. Free, self-paced, walkable or drivable, and the city’s official kickoff to its residential holiday character.
The Yorba Linda Holiday Decorating Contest is the City of Yorba Linda’s official annual residential lights tradition — in its fourth annual year. Residents enter their decorated homes through the city’s contest portal each fall; volunteer judges visit; and the city publishes the annual Holiday Lights Map — an interactive, publicly accessible map highlighting the season’s decorated homes throughout the city.
The map goes live in early-to-mid December at `yorbalindaca.gov`. Families can drive or walk a curated route at their own pace any evening through the holiday season. Categories typically include classic, themed, and elaborate animated displays — the elaborate entries are full-yard productions across the East Lake Village blocks, the foothill ridges, and the equestrian-trail neighborhoods.
For families across Yorba Linda — the East Lake Village blocks, the trail-adjacent equestrian neighborhoods, the foothill ridges — and visitors from the surrounding north Orange County (Anaheim Hills, Brea, Placentia), this is the season’s longest-running self-paced residential holiday outing. The map covers neighborhoods most visitors otherwise never see, and the displays range from welcoming traditional homes to social-media-popular elaborate setups.
At yorbalindaca.gov — the city posts the annual Holiday Lights Map in early-to-mid December. The page links the interactive map and a list of decorated homes for the season.
Yes — the drive-around is completely free. Fuel and any optional snacks or hot drinks at stops along the way are at your own cost.
Most displays run nightly through the holiday season — typical hours are roughly 5:30 PM through 10:00 PM. The route is best driven after full dark for the synchronized and animated displays to shine.
At a relaxed pace, plan for 90 minutes to two hours to drive the map’s decorated homes across Yorba Linda — neighborhoods stretch from the foothill ridges through the East Lake Village blocks to the equestrian-trail areas. Some clusters of decorated homes are walkable block-to-block.
Different formats, all complementary. Holiday on Main Street is the 34-year evening community festival in Old Town. The Town Center Tree Lighting is the new annual ceremony at the Town Center fountain plaza on Yorba Linda Boulevard. The Holiday Lights Map and Decorating Contest is the citywide, self-paced, season-long residential tour — you drive at your own pace any evening through December.
Yorba Linda is a north Orange County city of about 70,000, set against the Chino Hills along Yorba Linda Boulevard. The city’s residential character spans intact mid-century neighborhoods, the master-planned East Lake Village, the equestrian-trail neighborhoods around Casino Ridge and the foothill ridges, and the Old Town blocks around Main Street. The Holiday Lights Map covers homes across these distinct neighborhoods, threading a self-paced route through corners of the city most casual visitors never see.
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.
