Light Festivals in the Bay Area
Almost as soon as the Halloween decorations come down, I get excited to see the lights displays for the winter holidays. In the Bay Area, individuals and neighborhoods build beautiful displays and driving around Thanksgiving weekend is a big tradition in our house. Here are some suggestions for not-to-be-missed light shows:
On the Peninsula, The Festival of Lights Parade in Los Altos starts off the holiday season, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. In Palo Alto, residents like to drive down Christmas Tree Lane, on Fulton Avenue off of Embarcadero. Redwood City boasts a great neighborhood display on Dewey Street, better known as Candy Cane Lane, while San Carlos welcomes visitors to Eucalyptus Street, off of Brittan, for a great display of holiday glitter.
In the East Bay, don’t miss Thompson Ave between High street and Fernside in Alameda. This community oriented street is decorated to the hilt, and you can even bring your letter to Santa to drop in the mailbox. I have heard that he might even respond! The Oakland Yacht Club will host the 31st annual Lighted Yacht Parade on December 1, with viewing locations at Wind River Park in Alameda and Jack London Square in Oakland.
In San Francisco, Union Square gets all dolled up for the holidays with a huge tree in the center. And the shops around the square decorate for the season and are worth a look. Embarcadero Center also puts on a fabulous light display, using approximately 17,000 lights!
In the South Bay, Vasona Park Fantasy of Lights in Los Gatos, part of the Santa Clara County Park system, transforms into a winter wonderland, complete with twinkling lights and animated displays. Christmas in the Park, an annual celebration in Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown San Jose, showcases trees decorated by non-profits in San Jose.
Don’t see something that is close to you? Check out Lights of the Valley, which lists homes in the Bay Area with light displays. Started by a mom in Livermore in 1999, the site takes nominations from members of the community and includes pictures.What is your favorite place to see lights? What is the tradition in your neighborhood? We love to hear your travel adventures!
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7 Responses
My favorite home to visit for the holidays is in Marin County. This lovely family spends months creating a Christmas extravaganza in their cozy home and then invite the world into visit. It is at 34 Devonshire in Novato. It is an extraordinary experience and worth a drive.
[...] Gudrun’s post about seeing the lights in the Bay Area, I thought I would share my family’s favorites just [...]
[...] Christmas is rearing its ugly head soon, you might want to swing by Thomson Avenue in Alameda for the lights and decoration. It’d be great if you have kids or if you’re looking for [...]
You’re post reminded me that I’ve kept a constantly growing list of the best houses to visit in Marin County. It’s too long to write up here, but I’ve posted it at my blog, here.
And yes, I know that “your” is spelled “your,” not “you’re.” Sometimes I’m just an apostrophe catastrophe, throwing them in completely at random. I’d hate to see the inside of my brain when I’m doing stuff like that.
[...] posts: Light Festivals in the Bay Area Holiday Light Shows in Marin and Napa Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking [...]
We make at least two trips a year to San Francisco and have relatives that live in San Mateo, but we’ve never been to the festival of lights. How is this possible?
Next trip I’ll have to make sure we pull ourselves away from shopping in Union Square and electronic overload at Metreon and take time to see the lights…