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Griffith Park Christmas Fun!
Griffith Park Christmas activities are over for 2007! Make plans for Christmas 2008! Do you adore colorful holiday Christmas lights? If you do, then visiting Griffith Park is one place you WILL want to put on your "must do" list during the holiday season of 2008! On this page, you'll see pictures of the Griffith Park holiday lights, and information about the "Train Ride to Santa" that the young children in your family will enjoy.
2 HOLIDAY LIGHT SPECTACULARS AT GRIFFITH PARK--- 1.) Griffith Park-DWP Holiday Lights Festival: Every evening after dark, Crystal Springs Drive comes alive with lighted seasonal displays featuring tens of thousands of colorful bulbs. Sounds of music fill the air---and crowds come in droves! In typical LA style, you don't even have to leave your car (on most nights) to enjoy them! This "eye candy" festival is something everyone of all ages in your family may enjoy. Plus, admission is FREE! 2.) Train Ride to Santa's House: On the other hand, unless you have young children, you'll probably miss the second light display happening at Griffith Park---the adorable "Train Ride to Santa," which takes place at Travel Town. Kids enjoy Santa, Mrs. Claus and the Elves here; but adults will enjoy seeing yet a different display of seasonal lighting at this event. On this page, we'll talk about details of both festivities. You can also see photos, plus find links to the official websites of these activities, in case you need further information.
Griffith Park Christmas Fun 2007:Griffith Park-DWP Holiday Lights Festival
Attending the Griffith Park DWP Holiday Lights Festival is a fun and FREE way to add some holiday excitement to your calendar.
What is this event all about? The Department of Water and Power hosts this annual event, which is a series of colorful lighting displays...featuring 500,000+ bulbs! Some of the displays feature animation, and many are themed to famous Los Angeles landmarks. Seasonal music fills the air as you drive slowly past the displays.
The pictures in this section were all taken at the Griffith Park's DWP Holiday Lights Festival. At the very top of the page, you can see a festive snowman adorned with colorful lights. Below that, you see playful elves getting Christmas presents prepared for Santa's big delivery day; and to your right, you see the Christmas-light version of the Griffith Park Observatory!
GRIFFITH PARK LIGHT DISPLAY DATES AND HOURS-- Hours for the Festival of Lights: With the exception of "bicycle preview night," the Griffith Park lighting display's opening time is at 5 pm and its closing time is at 10 pm each evning. 1.) First--Bicycle Preview Night: Visitors on bikes get the very first peek at Griffith Park's lighting extravaganza! For one night only---Monday, November 19, 2007---bicyclists may cruise past the Crystal Springs Drive displays. Hours for this event begin at 6 pm and end at 8 pm...the only evening that the displays don't open at the usual time of 5 pm and close at the usual time of 10 pm. 2.) Second--Pedestrian preview nights: The first several nights of the festival are for you to enjoy "on foot" only. Wednesday, November 21, 2007 is the first "Pedestrian Night," followed by Thursday, November 22nd (Thanksgiving Day); then Friday, Nov 23rd; Saturday, Nov 24th; and Sunday, November 25th. 3.) Finally--Motorist nights! Opening date for cars to drive by the Griffith Park-DWP Christmas Lighting Display is November 26, 2007. The display runs every night through December 30th. This is a chilly time of year in Southern California; be sure to bring along a jacket, despite having a heater in your car. The lighting displays seem more "personal" when you view them with the windows down! AND, you can hear the seasonal music better that way, too! If you'd like further information, you may use the following link to visit the
Griffith Park-DWP Holiday Lights Festival official web page.
Griffith Park Family Holiday Fun---Train Ride to Santa's House!
For families with young children, another fun Griffith Park Christmas activity is the "Train Ride to Visit Santa" at the Travel Town museum of transportation.
To get in on the fun, head to Travel Town between 5 and 8 pm. Beginning Saturday, November 24, 2007, the Train Ride to Santa will have its grand opening for this year's Christmas season. At first, the Train to Santa at Travel Town will not run daily. Other dates will be: November 25, November 30, December 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th, and 9th. Then, on December 16, 2007, the Santa Train DOES operate nightly. Between 12/16 and 12/23, you may head to Travel Town to ride this miniature train between its usual hours of operation. (Once again, opening time is 5 pm and closing time is 8 pm.) Ticket prices for the Train Ride to Santa are $7/each; ages 18 months and younger ride free. NOTE: during the daytime, the "regular" Griffith Park miniature train rides WILL CONTINUE to operate on Crystal Springs Drive.
What will you experience at the Train Ride to Santa activity? This is an activity geared towards the younger set. You'll enter a lit-and-decorated Travel Town Museum, and head to the miniature train depot there. You'll board a miniature train, which will take you to a decorated area where Mrs. Claus and other costumed characters will greet you as you get off of the train. You'll admire the seasonal decorations, hear seasonal music and meet the costumed characters. Plus, you'll get in line for the kids to meet 'n greet Santa Claus at his decorated photo set. (Digital photos with Santa are available for an extra fee.) Meeting Santa Claus is the highlight of the evening, so if your kids are no longer Santa-believers, this attraction won't hold too much interest for them.
After leaving the cute Santa Claus area, you'll re-board the train to take a ride past the displays of seasonal lighting which are set up around the Travel Town miniature train track. You'll be back at the Depot once again, where you'll disembark. The last activity for the evening is a visit to the Travel Town gift shop, (optional) where kids and parents both can browse through the assortment of train-related books, toys, videos and other gift items. (Naturally, the Thomas train engine character is featured among the children's toys.) Train lovers should note that the normal train exhibits are NOT open for view during the Train Ride to Santa hours. Naturally, it's hard to hide something as large as a train...so, yes, you can SEE the trains at Travel Town. You're just not allowed to get up close or to board them. One other note: DRESS WARMLY! Wear a winter coat...and bring a hat & mittens! The Travel Town Museum at night must surely be one of the COLDEST spots in Los Angeles! Unlike an outdoor mall or Disneyland, there's no pavement to radiate heat, nor any nearby buildings spewing warmth into the night air. Dealing with the cold is probably one of the biggest guest complaints, so prepare in advance! 
The Travel Town museum is located at 5200 Zoo Drive. This is located north of the Los Angeles Zoo, between the Riverside Drive entrance to Griffith Park, and the Forest Lawn entrance (off of the CA 134 Freeway.)
If you enter Griffith Park via Zoo Drive, simply take the internal park roadway heading north from the LA Zoo, and you'll reach Travel Town easily. Do NOT enter Griffith Park via Crystal Springs Drive! The DWP Holiday Lights Festival traffic has the roadway completely jammed! (On the other hand, it's easy to enjoy BOTH activities in one evening. If you get to the Christmas lights display at its 5 pm opening time, you'll be able to enjoy the DWP holiday lights, then head over to Travel Town to catch the Train Ride to Santa in plenty of time before it closes.) Conversely, you can enjoy the train ride and THEN go see the DWP light display, since the lights remain on until 10 pm...well after closing time for the Santa train at Travel Town.
Griffith Park Christmas Fun: Maps, directionsDirections to Griffith Park-DWP Christmas Lights: From I-5, take the Los Feliz Blvd exit and head west 1/2 block. Head NORTH on Crystal Springs Drive. (If you head SOUTH, the name of the street becomes Riverside Dr. But, if you're going to the Griffith Park festival of lights, you shouldn't have any trouble finding the entry point---there WILL be a crowd! You may use the following link to view a Google map to Griffith Park's Crystal Springs Drive entrance. Directions to Travel Town/Santa Claus train: You should use the northern entrance of Griffith Park to reach this attraction most easily. From the 134 Freeway, take the Forest Lawn exit and head south into the park. You may use the following Google map to Travel Town in Griffith Park. That address, once again, is 5200 Zoo Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90027.
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