Boring and very disorganized. I seriously want my money back. Don't waste your time or your money. My family and I came to see the lights at the Regan Library and made a huge mistake. The ticket cost was $12 online for adults but we had a discount code and got our tickets for $9 each. It's $17 at the gate! It wasn't worth $9. I wouldn't even recommend coming even if it was free. This was absolutely the worst light show I've ever been to. I would have been better off just driving down my local "candy cane lane" it would have been more entertaining. First of all we were advised that we couldn't park at the library on the day we went but instead to park at the park down the hill to be shuttled about ten minutes away from the library. Not a big deal but there were no signs directing you were to go once we got to the park. We had to look for the shuttles. We found them and were able to park fairly quickly, but then we got to the library and found many cars in the parking lot and many open spots!!?? Could we have parked there?? We had prepaid for our tickets so getting our wristbands was very easy and quick but once we entered there were no signs and no one directing you where the tour started etc. so of course we walk in and go the wrong way. We weren't the only ones because as we were walking in there were people trying to walk out and they were being told they had to walk another way to exit. I asked an attendant who advised where the beginning of the tour was so now we were on our way. As we walked back to the entrance there were no visible signs. We eventually found the entrance to the tour and I have to say it was extremely disappointing. It took us about 25 minutes to walk through the tour, which was very boring and had barely any lights. The most interesting part was the Christmas present and the courtyard blowing fake snow. There were multiple stands where they were selling food, drinks, and other merchandise throughout the tour area. Seems like they focused on that more than the lights themselves because it was very much lacking. I compare the scope of what they had to a light show or decorations you would see at a mall which is free. To pay for something like this is a huge sham and sadly a lot of people got scammed on this one. Seriously, that was the best the Reagan Library could do? A few trees wrapped in lights, a light tunnel, and few figurines. Pretty low budget for the amount of money they'll make off of this. It gets better though. When we left we had to stand in a monster line waiting for a shuttle and it was cold. It took longer or just as long as it took for us to get through the tour to get through a massive line and on to the shuttle!! Unbelievable. Bottomline save yourself the trouble don't go to this event. Sorry for my lack of photos but it wasn't worth taking many. read more

What an amazing atmosphere, all you imagine and more. Was a time I will remember for years to come

This was torture. I was able to park in the top lot that was the one good thing. The line was unreal. Im 7 months pregnant and needed to use the restroom, I asked the guy if I could go through and come back to the line and he said no one could pass until they checked in. It had been over an hour!! I had to just walk past him and find it myself. As I walked by the booths i saw not every window was being used. People were not being directed properly making the wait extremely long. Once we got through it was confusing to figure out where to start the tour. And the lights were on trunks of trees. I seriously do a better job in my own front lawn with our christmas lights. The staff seemed out of sorts with the kids running around yet it seemed to be a family attraction but for a place that clearly wasnt used to having children around. The tour took 17 minutes. A dollar a minute for something extremely disappointing!! Again people do better jobs in their front lawns!!! You could not pay me to go back read more

What a mess. We had tickets for 6:30 pm on Saturday and were directed to overflow parking to take the shuttle bus. There was a TWO HOUR (you heard me correctly) wait for the shuttle. Not enough buses and too much traffic to the library which also had a private event going on. Waiting that long not an option with small kiddo so we left terribly disappointed! Unless you have a desire to wait in lo g lines I would suggest not going to this event. No light bulb is worth wasting this much stress and time. read more

A MUST DO! 4 & 1/2 Stars. This is the first year of this event - Holiday Lights @ The Reagan Library. They did a Good Job for the first time out. We traveled up the winding road to the top of the big hill. We went during the week when it's less crowded & you can take your time looking at all the different light stations. This is A Fun Time for Both Kids & Adults. The 2 BEST ATTRACTIONS HERE are The REAL FULL SIZE JET ON A LIGHTED AIRFIELD THEY BROUGHT IN - THE NORAD SANTA TRACKER. This is (Not to be confused with the Nordic Track Treadmill) LOL! THE NORAD TRACKS SANTA's JOURNEY FROM THE NORTH POLE TO ALL THE STATES & COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD ALL IN 1 NIGHT! WOAH THAT BABY IS BEAUTIFUL! The 2nd Really Cool Thing is THE MULTI STORY HUMUNGOUS LIGHTED GIFT OF CHRISTMAS THAT CHANGES COLORS & PATTERNS - ITS AWESOME! Parking here is FREE! The cost is $17 for Adults, Youth 3-17 is $12, 2 & Under are Free & Members of the Reagan Library are $10. You start your journey on the exterior grounds of the Raegan Library. The Library itself closes @ 5 PM & then this outdoor exhibit opens up @ 6 PM. This is a self guided tour. They have signs posted along the way to guide you in the right direction. There are also staff @ each of the 9 stops so you can ask questions which is great idea. You'll walk past numerous trees & shrubs accompanied by Holiday Christmas Music Both Classic & Contemporary. You'll enter the Courtyard as Classic Christmas songs are being played over the speakers. We heard White Christmas by Bing Crosby, & Aretha Franklin along with many others. There are 4 Fake Snow Machines all together in the courtyard so it puts out quite a bit of fake snow. There are also giant snowflake lights projected on the ground. In the center of the Courtyard is the Snowflake Fountain. There are benches to sit, & Food & Merchandise Booths all along the walkway tour. They have a place set up in front of the Christmas Tree to take a professional picture with Santa. Then there are rows of Giant Lighted Candy Canes. Then it's off to the NORAD Santa Tracker. Other places light up their displays the Reagan Library brings in the Big Guns with a real Live Jet Navy fighter for this event. It is AWESOME! I guess the President still has a lot of Clout! LOL! The NORAD allows air space for Santa who is approaching Mach 1 on his Christmas Eve journey. Those Reindeer really can fly fast. The Tracker calls Santa - Big Red One. You'll hear all the Airspace Communication. Then you walk along to an area where there's more lighted Snowflake projections; this time on the wall. There are also different colored tree lights. Remember to look down upon the beautiful city lights below all along the pathway. It's really a beautiful site to see the city below all aglow with lights. Then it's through the Tunnel of Lights with more music synced to the flashing lights. Then it's off to the Gift of Christmas which is a Gargantuan Multi Story Christmas Package all lit up.The light patterns & music are constantly changing. We walked all around the exhibit & watched this one exhibit for 15-20 minutes. It was FANTASTIC! This exhibit is right next to the Inside Cafe that is open so you can get a bite to eat too. There are outside tables & chairs here so you can get a bite to eat or drink while watching the Giant Gift Changing it's colors. The Inside Gift Store is also open. There is also a piece of the Berlin Wall all lit up too. Remember to look down around the circular perimeter of the Giant Gift Box for more beautiful city views down below. When you exit the Gift of Christmas turn the corner, & circle back to see The Gold Star Families Memorial. You will also see Ronald & Nancy's burial site & still another different view of the city below. Ronald & Nancy loved Christmas so they must be watching with Delight, to see the whole place lit up. This is really a Celebration of their life & Christmas time. They did have someone at the end asking people what they thought & how they could improve this exhibit for next year. This is always a good sign that they want Feedback. Hopefully next year they keep what they have, make it bigger, & have more HUGE over the top things to see like the NORAD Tracker & The Giant Gift. It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really Rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget. read more

Don't bother! Extremely unorganized. We had a 6:30 reservation but had a 2 hour wait. We were directed to the overflow shuttle parking lot, which they gave you a map to. We ended up leaving and going to Candy Cane Lane in Oxnard. No crowds, beautiful homes decorated with enthusiasm. After reading some previous Yelp reviews I couldn't concur more. Sad to waste money on something that looked promising. Get organized Reagan Library. Sell a limited amount of tickets, expand the hours, have better shuttle service. read more

This time of year is my favorite! The season, the decoration the lights, the hot toddies! It's all fabulous. So when we saw the Reagan library was doing a holiday event for a super reasonable price we had to check it out! We had hoped to go Saturday but when I looked online for tickets they were sold out so we settled on a later time on Sunday. The site warns that parking was first come first serve and would provide shuttle service so we prepared for the worst when it came to parking. When we got there people were parked the entire way down the driveway (which is about .60 of a mile). We decided to brave it and drive up as far as we could and got lucky with a spot before the gates. Quick walk. Although you purchase time slots to get in the people working the booths didn't seem to mind (or check) the time slots. Upon walking in we walked into the courtyard and there was snow and drinks with music and lights. A lot of fun for our toddler but not the actual beginning of the "walk". We finally asked someone where to start and they pointed us in the direction of the start. As we started we saw a courtyard with very few people and a tree. We asked the person what it was and they said "just a tree". So we were like oh, ok, let's move to the walk. The overall walk was ok, it had about 5 major lit areas and holiday decorations between each area. The entire walk took about 30 minutes (the advertise 60-90. No way!). The coolest things had nothing to do with the holiday light display. The piece of Berlin Wall and the Reagans resting place along with other presidential memorable items. The holiday lights display really was slightly underwhelming. Oh, turns out the area we were told was "just a tree" was actually Santa! By the time we were given that piece of correct info the line was long. We were disappointed by the lack of accurate info given by some of employees. It kinda added to the underlying disappointment. I know it's the first year so hopefully they will work out the kinks for next year and add a lot more lights! Our 2.5 yr old had a ton of fun running around though so that helped my review slightly. We will probably check it out again next year in hopes of improvement, but if you can't make it this year, don't stress, you aren't really missing too much!. Note: The actual library and Air Force One display are not open during the Holiday lights display. read more

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We are never disappointed with a visit to this wonderful place and tonight was no different. Since they do hold many events here you must check first before planning a visit or parking can be affected. We made sure there weren't any events so chose tonight to go and purchased tickets in advance. Parking was a breeze and the cheerful staff was amazing and helpful as always. There was even snow in the entrance to the Library! How enchanting. The kids were loving it. They also had a bar for adults with Holiday drinks. If you know the grounds you can easily find your way around. If not, there are plenty of helpful staff to guide you. They even offer to take family photos. We hope they do this again. read more

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All i can say is President Regan would be very disappointed. Although i know this is the first year, it was sadly disappointing. The library itself has always, and will always be, an amazing place, independent of one's political beliefs. But oh no. After driving up the hill, they told us we have to turn around and park on the hill and wait for a shuttle, the only shuttle. That shuttle driver was very nice, and very apologetic. The lights were "nice," but not impressive at all. Certainly not Presidential. Next time i pass on the lights and just visit the library during the day, now that is impressive. I hope they improve over the years, but 2018 is not the year. read more

Went tonight and it was a bit misty and very uncrowded but the lights were beautiful - the Norad santa tracker jet and gift of Christmas were my favorite displays- i will admit the Santa pics were pricy so we passed on those but the homemade snow and music were beautiful! read more

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I have to assume that the lone 5 star review was paid for, as my experience lines up with the other 1 star reviews. You can literally see the entire light show in the 100+ pictures that reviewer posted (also note that nearly half of them are of merchandise stands- which is accurate). While I was waiting in the hour long return/leaving line with my 4 year and 2 year old, I wondered how on earth a Presidential Library could have gotten things so wrong. We'd waited 2 hours for the shuttle that brought us up to the library, had toured the courtyard, which aside from the foam "snow" was essentially just a place to spend more money on hot chocolate and trinkets. No one gave guidance on where the holiday lights actually were so we went into the actual library lobby and the guy sitting at the desk told us where to go. The light tour took 30 minutes, and remember, I had a 4 year old and a 2 year old with me. It was INCREDIBLY disorganized, and it pains me to think that someone employed by the library seemed to think the level of planning, logistics and coordination were "good enough." I sincerely hope that person checks these reviews and comments, and understands how poor of a job they've done. My family paid money to stand in 3 hours of lines for a 30 minute Christmas light tour. On top of that, the focus seemed to be on getting more money out of you, as opposed to making the light tour special. A total sham, and disgraceful showing on behalf of an otherwise professional institution. read more

Bought tickets online for 6:30 pm. on 12/8. We had to park at Madera park and take the shuttle. Got to the park at 6. Thinking it woukd be enough time. Wrong... Waited 2 hrs and finally got to enter at 8pm. There was a private party there. Not enough shuttles and the time on your pre paid entrance ticket means nothing. The animated light display and music was average. read more

Worst event I've ever attended. They made everybody Park offsite we waited for 2 1/2 hours for shuttle to take us to the Reagan Library. Once they're the light decorations were minimal and not very impressive. It was another hour wait in line to get back to the car. Overall worst event, of any kind, I have ever attended. read more

Wanted to give an update. The library reached out to me and gave a full refund for the chaos that ensued Saturday night. I appreciate their swift response and caring customer service. I still wouldn't recommend this festivity but upping a few stars for their fairness. read more

Light show was sparse and extremely disappointing. The library should have encouraged people to view the lights at no charge. This would've been a great way to promote the museum to the public and especially to those who have never visited. The parking shuttle service was equally disappointing as we had to walk up the steep hill after waiting 20 minutes for a no-show shuttle. read more

So disorganized! Not enough shuttles to cover the amount of tickets sold. They should not sell tickets if they don't have the space for guests. Waited a total of 3 hours in shuttles lines. Staff was friendly and lights were pretty but the lack of preparation for the number of guests was appalling read more

Very disappointing - had to wait in line for prepaid tickets and the light displays around my neighborhood are much better. Not worth the time or money. read more

Don't waste your time and money!!!! I love the library and the special exhibits are always great, but they really dropped the ball with the holiday lights. We went last Saturday. We were directed to park several miles away at a park. By 6 pm the lots at the park were full and we were very lucky to find a spot on a side street. We stood in line for a shuttle for 1 hour and 35 minutes. When we finally got to the library, there was no entertainment, the lights are few and very unimpressive and they charge $3.50 for a small cup of very sugary hot cocoa. We had to wait another half hour to get shuttled back to our cars. The organizers need to talk to the LA Zoo about how to put on a light show and to the Hollywood Bowl about how to handle parking and shuttles. I'm giving it one star because zero is not an available option. read more

Terrible! I concur with the others on the disorganization and waste of money. The lights and Christmas displays were subpar. Don't bother!

I wouldn't know about the actual event because I never made it up the hill. I made my 3 little ones sit still at in a park in the dark for 2 hours and then drove home. Shuttle service was a complete joke. When I called to get my money back, the lady on the phone wasn't surprised that I was calling for a refund and in fact, my refund had already been processed prior to my calling. What a complete mess. read more

A huge waste of time and money. Like most of the other reviewers (I'm not sure what's going on with the few 5-stars, but they're misleading, at best), we experienced the hours-long wait for a shuttle, the tourist trap prices, and the underwhelming lights display. I've visited the Library many times and highly recommend it, but this was unprofessional and disappointing. read more

Don't waste your time. You would be better off seeing the popular neighborhood house decorated for Christmas. If you are unfortunate enough to have to park in the overflow lot you will have to wait a long time for the shuttle to and from the Library. You will probably spend more time in the transportation line than going through the property. The snow is cute, though. read more

We went this evening and enjoyed it! Parking was by-far the worst part. We actually didn't even know there was parking off-site... I guess I didn't do my research. We got halfway up the hill and people were parking along the hill. We stopped to park and my husband asked the guy directing traffic nearby if we should park there. He said yes. We parked and got three kids 4 and under out of the car and into a stroller and asked him how long the walk was. He said two miles! And then changed it to between 1-2 miles. Then he told a car passing by that there were 7 spots left in the lot! There was no way we could get the kids back in their car seats and up to the lot in time so we waited at a shuttle stop nearby. All the shuttles were passing to go down to the parking at the nearby park that I didn't know about and it took us a while to get a shuttle. A nice lady stopped specifically for us. She was super apologetic and we got up the hill. It didn't seem like two miles though. We prepaid for tickets so entry was simple. Actually the whole place didn't seem that busy for how crazy getting to the top was. My kids enjoyed the fake snow area and they had some yummy hot chocolate and desserts! We thought the directions were pretty clear and workers were asking us if we knew where to go. I didn't realize if you passed Santa you wouldn't loop back to him, so we took the path of lights and missed that part, but they let us reenter at the end. Were the lights super dazzling and amazing? No, but they were pretty and it was a nice walk. My 4 and 3 year olds really liked it! When we were done the shuttle lines were insane, so we risked walking back to our car. It took us 9 minutes to walk... so there's no way it was 2 miles! The traffic guy was not very knowledgeable on that. We would go back in future years but only if parking was clearer. And we would feel comfortable parking on the hill and walking up now that we know how long it was. I thought it was a good deal with the discount code and purchasing online. read more