Griffith Park Christmas Fun!
Griffith Park gears up for Christmas 2009! Make plans to see the beautiful lights or ride the Santa Train! 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! On this page, you'll see pictures of the Griffith Park holiday lights, and get information about the "Train Ride to Santa" that the young children in your family will enjoy.
THERE ARE 2 HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES 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! The schedule of dates you can view the Griffith Park Christmas light display is complicated. There are bike-only, pedestrian-only, & pedestrian-and-shuttle-only nights before you can actually drive through the exhibit with your personal car. Please see the "schedule" section below to plan a night for your visit.
2.) Train Ride to Santa's House: Unless you have young children, you'll probably miss the second activity & 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, you'll discover details about 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 2009:
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 of Christmas activities.
What is the Griffith Park Christmas lights event all about? The Department of Water and Power hosts this annual attraction at the park. You'll view a series of colorful lighting displays...featuring 500,000+ bulbs! Some of the displays feature whimsical animation. Many lighting scenes are themed to famous Los Angeles landmarks (as you can tell from the picture of the Griffith Park Planetarium made of holiday lights just below.) Seasonal music fills the air as you drive slowly past the displays.
To enjoy the DWP Holiday Lights Festival, enter Griffith Park at the Crystal Springs Drive entrance, which is just off of the Interstate 5 freeway's Los Feliz exit. There are 2 lanes of traffic which drive past the lighting displays, but the left lane of traffic is the best one to use...because the displays are on the left-hand side of the street!
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: The Griffith Park lighting display's opening time is at 5 pm and its closing time is at 10 pm each evening. 2009 viewing dates are fewer in number than in past years. Traditionally, this fun Los Angeles Christmas attraction begins the last week of November---but not this year! To save money, this event won't begin until December (see specific dates below.) Also note that in 2008, cut-backs began to be made to the number of dates on which cars are allowed in. This year, once again, there are many dates set aside ONLY for strolling. In fact on HALF of the Griffith Park Light Display dates, no cars will be admitted!
1.) Kickoff--Bicycle Preview Night: Visitors on bikes get the very first peek at Griffith Park's lighting extravaganza. For one night only---Thursday, December 4, 2009---bicyclists may cruise past the Crystal Springs Drive displays without any competition from pedestrians, shuttle buses or cars. For 2009, bicycle preview night at the Griffith Park Holiday Lights starts at 5 pm and ends at 10 pm.
2.) Next 2 weeks--Pedestrian-only nights: The first two weeks of the festival are for you to enjoy only "on foot". You'll love it if you're eager to walk...and probably be annoyed if you're waiting to visit in your car. Pedestrian nights start on Friday, December 4, 2009 beginning at 5 pm and ending at 10 pm. Pedestrian-only viewing will continue nightly through Thursday, December 17th. This is a chilly time of year in Southern California; visitors should note that they'll need to dress warmly!
3.) Finally--Motorist nights! Opening date for cars to drive by the Griffith Park-DWP Christmas Lighting Display is Friday, December 18, 2009. The display runs every night through Tuesday, December 30, 2009. Don't wait until the last minute, because the Griffith Park Christmas Lights do NOT run on New Year's Eve! Note: shuttles will run nightly during this 2-week period, if you would prefer to use them. If you plan to use a shuttle, please park in the LA Zoo parking lot, where the pickup point will be located. Hours of operation are 5 pm to 10 pm.
If you'd like further information, you may use the following link to visit the
Griffith Park-DWP Holiday Lights Festival official website.
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 on one of the dates this activity will be operating. On Saturday, November 28, 2009, 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 29, December 4th, 5th, 6th, 11th, 12th, and 13th. Then, Just before Christmas, the Santa Train operates nightly. Between 12/16/09 and 12/23/09, you may head to Travel Town to ride this miniature train during its usual hours of operation. (To repeat, 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. Only the "Train Ride to Santa" operates at Travel Town.
What will you experience at the Train Ride to Santa event? This is an activity geared towards younger-aged kids. You'll enter a brightly lit-and-decorated Travel Town Museum grounds, 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 and take a ride past colorful displays of seasonal lighting which are set up alongside 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 theme park, 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! Can you see both the Griffith Park lighting display AND take the Train Ride to Santa in one evening? Yes, with some advance planning, it's possible 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. Do not arrive at the Griffith Park lights after 6 pm, then expect to have time at the Santa Train, however. Remember that the Santa Train closes early (the last train leaves at 8 pm.) However, the lighting display remains open late--until 10 pm. If you can't arrive at the DWP holiday lights when it first opens, it would be better to enjoy Santa's train ride first and THEN go see the DWP light display.
More "Train Ride to Santa's House" info: If you need further information about this cute attraction that your toddlers, preschoolers and kids up to about age 8-10 will enjoy, you should consult the Griffith Park Miniature Train's official website.
Griffith Park Christmas Fun: Maps, directions
Directions 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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