FRIDAY
6
NOVEMBER
Christmas in the Park, San Jose: The Complete Family Guide
Two acres of downtown San Jose under a forest of community-decorated trees, free every day from November 27 to January 1. Santa visits are free too — bring your own camera. The ticketed drive-thru, Blinky's, is a separate event with no 2026 dates posted yet.
Season: Day after Thanksgiving–Jan 1 · Updated October 21, 2026 · refreshed weekly
- Official site: christmasinthepark.com
- Where: Plaza de Cesar Chavez, Market St between San Fernando and San Carlos, downtown San Jose
- When: Daily, November 27, 2026 – January 1, 2027, noon–10pm
- Cost: Free, donations encouraged; Santa visits free, bring your own camera
- Drive-thru: Blinky's — no 2026 dates or location posted yet
What is in the plaza
Enter from Market Street into a grid of lit trees, each decorated by a different family, school or community group. Decades-old animated displays anchor the corners, and the giant central tree is the meeting point.
The tree grid
Trees adopted by families, schools, nonprofits and businesses, which is why the ornaments range from glitter macaroni to genuinely impressive.
Who it's for
Every age — a two-year-old and a visiting grandparent get the same night out
The animated exhibits
Over 40 musical, animated displays, some of the originals housed in the Lima Train.
Who it's for
Kids who stop for moving parts, and adults who remember these from childhood
The Santa House
Free Santa visits with no photo package attached.
Dates
- Nightly, November 28 – December 24, 2026
Tickets
Free — bring your own camera or phone
Who it's for
Kids still in the Santa years
Skip if
You want a studio portrait — nobody here is shooting one
Food vendors
Hot chocolate and treats around the edges of the plaza.
Tickets
Pay as you go — the walk itself is free, so this is the only real cost
Who it's for
Anyone stretching the visit past an hour
Blinky's Drive Thru: the ticketed sibling
The drive-thru began as the 2020 pivot at History Park and moved to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in 2025. Its proceeds help fund the free downtown event.
Blinky's Drive Thru — San Jose
Over a mile of light tunnels and displays synced to music, seen from your own car.
Dates
- No 2026 dates or location posted yet
Know before you go
- Pajamas, a cocoa thermos and your own playlist — the lowest-effort lights night in the South Bay
Who it's for
Babies, bedtime-sensitive toddlers, and anyone done with downtown parking
Skip if
You want to see the trees up close — that is the plaza, not this
Parking, transit and timing
Do not circle downtown. VTA's Green and Blue light-rail lines stop at San Antonio Station, a two-minute walk from the plaza.
- ParkSJ city garages give the first 90 minutes free except during special events; Second & San Carlos is the closest with the deal
- Ninety minutes covers a solid visit with little kids
- Weeknights before mid-December are the calm window
- Weekends after the middle of the month are shoulder-to-shoulder by 6pm
- Arriving right after the noon opening trades some twinkle for near-zero crowds
Christmas in the Park dates in our catalog
The next 9 of 14 upcoming holiday lights events across the Bay Area, refreshed daily.
ZooLights (San Francisco Zoo & Gardens) — All‑new winter holiday lighting display illuminates the zoo.
Glowfari at Oakland Zoo displays hundreds of animal lanterns themed around California forests, San Francisco Bay, Montana, Florida Everglades, and Hawaii, for all ages.
WEDNESDAY
11
NOVEMBER
THURSDAY
12
NOVEMBER
FRIDAY
13
NOVEMBER
Holiday lights display transforms Downtown San Jose into six themed zones—Golden Christmas, Enchanted Jungle, California Garden, Mermaid Current, Cactus Mirage, White Christmas Wonderland—with food and treats.
SATURDAY
14
NOVEMBER
Holiday Lights transforms Filoli’s gardens into a glowing wonderland of lights and fireside treats.
WEDNESDAY
18
NOVEMBER
Forty‑year building lighting ceremony and holiday market at Three Embarcadero Center’s street level feature festive activities and seasonal shopping.
Annual tree lighting ceremony at Richmond Memorial Auditorium and Convention Center.
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FAQ
Is Christmas in the Park free?
Yes, including the Santa visits — bring your own camera. Donations are encouraged, and the food and souvenir vendors are extra. Only Blinky's Drive Thru, the separate fairgrounds event, needs a ticket.
How old is Christmas in the Park?
It grew out of Don Lima's Nativity displays in 1950s Willow Glen and moved to Plaza de Cesar Chavez in the early 1980s. It has run more than forty-five years and draws more than a million visitors a season.
Is the drive-thru still at History Park?
No. Its last year there was 2024; in 2025 it moved to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. No 2026 dates or location posted yet.