I always wanted to experience this event. And this year I got to go; my first night of lights. I was very much enjoy over million of lights in my own vehicle. It was about a mile of magical interactive drive through a winter wonderland of lights, music, entertainers, and special effects. Passenger seats on the right side is way better; more lights to see. I got a silver ticket for 10pm and I do recommend that you go there an hour early. Good thing I started to go around 9pm, so by the time I got to the check-in it's on time. The time is basically for better organizing. I love how there were signs, clear instructions, directed to come to the right gate/entrance. I wish they fill more lights on both sides of the way because the driver side wasn't much to see. There was one tunnel lights were out. Anyways, it was a wonderful experience for me. And I noticed there are so many other night lights to go see also. I wish I can go see them all. This event would be nice to go with family and friends. Don't drive fast.....pace yourself to take photos and do what you like to do with all those lights as your background. read more

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I received an email for this event. Tickets were discounted and so I thought it would be fun to see some Christmas lights. Our appointment was for 5pm. We arrived at 4:41 because the instructions say to arrive 15 minutes prior to check in. Finding the gate was a bit of a challenge. It's really hard to see the signs, but we found it by luck. We didn't hit long lines coming in, but waited a bit to drive thru. Let me start with the music. There are two radio stations that you tune into. One in the beginning which was cool because it was a Christmas song. The second station was playing some good music, but it wasn't Christmas music. Christmas music would have been cool and would have added more to the experience. Especially, since this is more for kids. Our favorites were the beautiful, festive house full of lights. The decorations and actore are great. The model train is pretty cool to. The giant Christmas tree was another favorite with dancers waving at the vehicles. The tunnels were pretty cool. Very festive with some pretty lights. The areas that had Christmas trees and snowmen were festive and put a smile on your face. The fake snow was pretty cool. That was another fun one. It really looks like snow. There were other random decorations with lots of space around them. It sort of seemed to be unfinished. It would have been nice to see decorations such as giant Christmas gifts, more snowmen, candy canes (not being held by bugs), more decorations and lights overall. Santa was also missing. Didn't see him at all. You are able to use the restroom or purchase food while you are parked in line. That's a great idea. Overall it was good. The actors did a great job and we saw paw patrol. Would I recommend it? Probably not. read more

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Although there's a long wait (close to an hour and a half), this is a pretty fun drive though the fairgrounds. The lights are unique, and a few of the performers were really great. It was truly the performers that stole the show here. The first girl on stilts was fun and friendly. The snowman near the gazebo was really cute and even posed for pictures. The snow queen was great and made sure to wave to every car that drove by. The prices are a bit steep. General admission was $79.99 and the Silver Drive-Thru was $99.99. There's also a $20 fee added. I can't imagine spending over $100 and waiting about a couple of hours to get in. This was still a nice night out during this crazy pandemic. Make sure to bring masks and entertainment for the kids during the long wait to get in to make this an enjoyable "Night of Lights". read more

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It's seems like everyone on here had a completely different experience then I had !! I bought the tickets like 15mins before. Had no trouble getting in, no long lines or wait time ! The price I'm assuming is MUCH MUCH LOWER then what others paid for since Christmas is over now and the light show will close down in a few days! Paid around $47 , which to me was WELL WORTH IT !!! I paid $100 for a Halloween one in the LA ZOO and that was a completely rip of.....anyways !! The lights were amazing , all the staff was super friendly !!! The whole experience was absolutely wonderful !! They also took photos at the end and sent them through text right away !! The family and I loved it!! read more

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Tis the season to be safe and jolly...we all journeyed with my parents to see the Night of Lights OC at the Fairgrounds and it didn't disappoint. We drove through about a mile of lights and all of us really enjoyed the displays of lights and other Christmas scenes. We bought a ticket for the 5:00 PM time slot and got there about 40 minutes early. It was worth getting there early because we were one of the first ones let into the event. They charge per vehicle and prices go up when you have 6+ people in your car. Right before you enter, you can tune your radio to 93.7 to hear the Christmas music they're playing in the background in your car. Everyone we encountered who worked there were really nice and was wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. This is definitely worth checking out! read more

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Kids wanted to look at the lights and came across a deal on a site for a discounted price. Lines - To get in with our scheduled time took a while as the entry was disorganized. Audio - The station they had you tune to was the worst as all it played was a movie and wasn't synced to the lights. It was so bad I had to tune to 103.5 for better music for the kids. Show - The show itself was pretty cool with the people interaction but it was too short and that really killed it. Prices - For the regular rates listed on site it is definitely not worth it. Pictures - The pictures at the end got sent to our phone pretty quick but came out bad :(. Overall would not go back and check out others in the future. read more

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Dude, just going to go right off the bat and say that there's some major price gouging shenanigans here. My fam and I got tickets super early and were fortunately able to get tickets for about $50 per car for the silver tier (has express lane admittance). DO NOT SPEND MORE THAN $65 FOR THIS!! I'm currently viewing the calendar on the site and ticket prices at certain time slots for the weekend are over $100!!! Okay here's the breakdown on what happened to us at the time that we went at 5 pm (opening time) w/ silver tier: waited 45 min just to enter the fairground (all cars even those with express lane passes), then broke away into the actual express lane, drove slowly, bumper-to-bumper, through lights/several sections with a couple of costumed actors for 30 min, and then waited 10 min to get photos taken in the car. Sooooo if you do basic math the time to enter the fairground took more time than the actual ticketed experience (if you pay for a basic ticket you'll most likely be waiting for well over an hour.....great way to waste gas that's super precious these days). Regarding the lights, I felt that there should've been more; there were a couple of pretty tunnel light sections throughout the route but there was also a large area that was a bit barren. The highlight of the event were the actors; they were boisterous and giving their all (think Disneyland level) as they tried to interact with each car (extra time given when there were kids/babies in the car) at a distance. Was considering on bumping up the rating to 2 stars for the actors but I just can't agree in the slightest with the pricing business model. For about $50, I'd say that overall it's an alright experience (there are currently still time slots available during the weekday that have a similar price point), but having to say that this experience could be worth over $100!?!? Hell to the no. read more

Yes. There is a wait. Typical with these types of shows. But you are in the comfort of your own car! We did the silver experience and for the 3D glasses and my kids loved seeing all the hidden shapes. Presents. Reindeers. Santa. The thing that stood out most was the interaction with the characters. They were so cheerful and just added more magic to the experience. Highly recommend. read more

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TLDR: It's not awful, but definitely not worth the $100 I paid for our family of 6. We won't be back. It's just okay...We went to Electric Mile last year & expected something on par with that, just Christmas themed. This is cute, but nothing impressive at all. There wasn't a single moment that felt really impressive...it was just kind of "meh." There's one part where "snow" falls on your car that was kinda cute (but be forwarded, you'll have to wash your car after). Most of the rest of it is sitting in bumper to bumper traffic watching weird light displays of bugs and other random, unrelated (to Christmas) things. Even the tunnels of lights you drive through are sparse with lights that don't move or anything. I'd say the experience would have been worth it for maybe $50. read more

Night of Lights OC - Miniature twin with an electric train - Performing Arts Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Such a pretty light display but expect a very long wait: like a prep your kids beforehand very long wait!! Luckily we had books and stuff to entertain them in the car since the wait was super long - like knock a star or two off my review long!!! The tickets say to arrive 15min early - we arrived 5min early then waited 15 minutes for someone to scan our ticket (masks required) then another 55 minutes in line for a total of 1 hour & 10 minutes to get into the lights then the time we were in the show was 50 minutes to drive the entirety of the show. So it was a total of 2 hours showing up to leaving. Phew that was double the time I expected! Dont bother to show up if you haven't already bought your ticket online ahead of time! Also if you enter the fairgrounds from the 55fwy south you get a preview of the light show on the right hand side then continue on to Gate 3 which is off Fairview Road. When you enter gate 3 the line splits off to the right for direct access and to the left for picking up the food you can preorder. Make sure to turn off your lights when you drive thru and they have signs telling you Christmas music stations. They had some gorgeous displays (like the trees, wall of lights and the 12 days of Christmas snow gloves were my favorites) but a lot of the displays were just strange (like the eerie frozen people, weird snowmen and odd sea people - I prefer traditional Christmas displays). Overall I think I'd save $49 and just drive thru neighborhoods but they tried hard and all the employees were really friendly. I would give this 3 stars but in the spirit of the holidays and Covid I'll be generous and give it 4 stars. Actually back to 3 stars because we had to hose our car down when we got home because it got soapy bubbles all over it from one of the displays dirtying my formerly clean car making it look like a spotted leopard... read more

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My friends and I decided to go last night and were able to score a small discount because it was a law enforcement appreciation night (one friend is a police officer). There are other nights dedicated to other professions with discounts coming up that I would recommend if you're a nurse, teacher, etc because it makes the cost per person less in your car. Overall it was a fun time but it took over an hour to get inside. There were multiple lines waiting for their turn so even though the tickets say to come 15min early, I would even suggest coming earlier than that. Our tickets were for 8pm and we left around 1030pm. The lights were cute but it wasn't worth the long wait to get inside. read more

Night of Lights OC - Performing Arts Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

If you haven't gone yet and have some spare change I would definitely go. We really enjoyed ourselves. We went on NYE and paid extra to do the silver pass. It's pricey but we were pleasantly surprised at how long the drive actually was. The characters made sure to wave to our little guy and it was just a nice way to spend an evening. The silver package also includes a photo so it's a nice souvenir to leave with. There's only a few days left so if you're interested book now! Can't wait to see what they do next season! read more

Night of Lights OC - Performing Arts Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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I will give 0 star of i could. WE WAITED FOR 40 MINS!!!! I dont know how they organized this but at least 40 cars here have been waited for 30min+ and we still have not moved! This is ridiculous! DO NOT GO! There is another one in thousand oak that is way better read more

Night of Lights OC - Performing Arts Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

This was my third time doing a drive thru Christmas lights experience. This was the best of the three by far. The pros: very long with a lot of different lands to drive through, actual dancers on stilts, tunnels of lights! The con: a pretty long wait in a sea of cars of at least 30 minutes just to enter. It was safe Christmas fun! We really enjoyed the kids in the other cars sitting in their sunroof having a really good time. read more

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Worth the money? Absolutely not. They didnt even have sign or display at Gate 3. We had to drive around in circle looking for it. Then there is a long line to get in. We waited almost an hour in line. The whole tour was about 30 minutes. After an hour waiting in line... i wasnt in the mood to look at the lights anymore. The most annoying thing was the guy on screen/radio telling people to honk. It was extremely annoying and loud. Who idea was this? Absolutely not worth the $60 ticket. My first and last time. read more

We absolutely LOVED Night of Lights last year, but it felt like organizers this year either intentionally understaffed or flat out couldn't hire enough workers. It also felt like there were far less lights this year. Overall we were disappointed, and honestly embarrassed to have recommended this to friends. Last year, we purchased the "silver ticket" to skip the line and it was a HUGE help. This year they don't have enough workers to manage the lines, so it took us over 40 min to get our tickets scanned at all. Then the only difference between the regular and premium lines was that almost no one was in the regular line at all!- I have a feeling that they didn't manage inventory properly and sold almost all "premium" tickets. Overall, it took us 2 hrs, several sections of lights were already out (on the second night!!), it felt like it had far less than last year, and they were significantly understaffed. If they can get the quality back to what it was last year, we will be back, otherwise, this may be our last year visiting. read more

This was my first year visiting the Night of Lights and will be the LAST!!! I paid $50 because I went on Thanksgiving weekend so they had 50% off, and I still feel that it was too expensive for what it was. The whole experience takes about 30 minutes driving bumper to bumper. There are some cute areas with characters dancing but majority of the drive is just little lights. Think of it like a Christmas tree with only a third (maybe less) of the lights it should have! Too many empty spaces and weak decorations. If you're debating if this is worth it, I would say only if you have little ones, and definitely not more than $50; if it's all adults, please find something else to do. My boyfriend has a convertible and even experiencing it with the top down it's not something I would do again. Hope this review helps to make up your mind! Merry Christmas!!! read more

Night of Lights OC - Performing Arts Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

This was such a let down. I had seen advertisement about this for a few years. (We are new to the area) and have wanted to go. So my niece is old enough now and k bought tickets this year. Wow was this a let down. Most of it was just parking lot you saw in between a few lights. The lights that were there were nothing special. It was a ton of money for nothing!!!! Please I beg you not to waste you money on this!! Go see the neighborhoods with lights...those a a million times better!!!! read more

I wanted to do something with my family to celebrate my birthday, so I got 2 car loads and headed to Night of Lights OC. We also took my 20 month old Granddaughter who looked mesmerized by the beautiful lights. We were so excited rolling under and through the light displays and greeted by characters at every stop. My family is already talking about going again next year!! Thanks NOLOC for an awesome experience!! read more

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We surprised my parents with this event, and it was even better than we expected. I was cracking up because someone replied to the ad on Facebook saying they had gone and there "weren't enough lights," but it was BURSTING with lights These folx couldn't have packed in more if they tried, and the entertainment was STELLAR!! Great job. A fabulous, festive experience Highly recommend!! read more

Night of Lights OC - Performing Arts Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

One of the best if not the best holiday drive thru in Southern California! I have been to Hikari at Tanaka Farms and Irwindale Speedway, but this Nights of Lights at the OC Fairgrounds is by far the most entertaining and worth every moment & cent! Once you enter the tunnel of lights, one of many tunnels that is, you encounter different themed sections with live actors/dancers moving around to the music provided by the specific radio station that you tune to in your car. There was even a special treat bag at the end for each individual in your vehicle. Hopefully they bring this experience back again, it was so much fun to drive in your own car and enjoy without bumping into someone or feeling too crowded. It felt safe, fun, and brought the Christmas spirit to each and every passenger. Thanks to the Night of Lights OC for making this night a memorable one! Bravo and kudos to everyone involved in this event, well done! read more

Basically sat in 1.5 hr of traffic for lights that weren't that impressive.. the whole course is 1 hour but it took forever to get in and it was back to back traffic until the end. read more

Night of Lights OC - Entrance - Performing Arts Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

My husband & I went earlier this evening and had an absolutely wonderful time from start to finish. This event was very well orchestrated and beautifully decorated with festive lights/decor everywhere you looked. We loved the SNOW + interactions with all the staff in costume as well- everyone was super warm & friendly! The 3D glasses included in the silver package were also really awesome! Even the moon was surrounded by the candy canes that the 3D effect created. If you're looking for a fun, festive, & cozy holiday event...look no further! :} We would definitely come back in years to come. Thank you, Night of Lights, for making our Christmas season that much brighter with this event. read more

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So glad I got the 5pm, as this was the first slot.... we got there 15 mins early and was let in at 5:08. The whole sha -bang lasted exactly 35 mins for us. I had two 10 year olds and one 6 year old with me and they had a great time. I, in other hand thought it was lame and not worth the money. I even heard they jacked up the price after a certain date. Come on..... The kids loved the fact that they could stand out of the moonroof and view the lights. In their innocent eyes, the one mile run felt never ending and was fascinated by the million lights. In the grown up eyes, the one mile run felt cheesy and childish. There was nothing fancy or amazing about the event. I think I even let out a yawn at one point out of boredom. Bottom line, if you have kids, go for the kids. If you plan on taking your date, spend your money else where. read more

AMAZING!!! No place like it in OC!!! No need to drive all over trying to find a random house or 2 with lights up! It's an interactive and fun place to enjoy the lights with the entire family!!! They had ice princesses, paw patrol and a DJ! Music played through your radio added extra magic! We loved it!!! A must see during Christmas!!! read more

Night of Lights OC - Performing Arts Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Due to Covid, we didn't take the kids (7 and 9) on vacation during their winter break like past years. We decided to buy tickets for this event since we will be in the safety of our cars. Before we bought the tickets, I thought the prices were a bit on the high side (even without the processing fees). However, based on the reviews and pictures that some people posted, we decided to give it a try. We arrived 15 minutes earlier than our time slot and were surprised that there was a long line to get in. The wait was around 20-25 minutes but when you have two little kids in the car with you asking when we will get in, it seemed a lot longer. We got the silver package, which includes an in-vehicle digital picture and 3D holiday glasses. Unfortunately, the 3D glasses gave my older kid and me a headache. The younger one just didn't like them. We went through the whole drive and never was offered to take any digital picture. The lights at the event was nothing to really write home about. I think some neighborhoods probably offer the same, if not better, lighting. The people performing were far and few. Some weren't really performing. Just standing there and waving. The Christmas tree was nice with the light changing, but again, for the price of the tickets, you would think the event should be a lot better. My kids both thought the event was boring. We even heard another little girl yell, "You woke me up for nothing," when someone in her car told her to look at one of the lights. Overall, the whole family was not impressed. read more

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The best, I had such an awesome experience. This is the place to go and it's safe. I think everyone should experience this read more

It was a great show and the performers were wonderful and friendly. My family and I kept warm inside the car and never felt in a rush. It was a lengthy experience. A great holiday show. read more

Night of Lights OC - Santa and his elves waving - Performing Arts Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Great event. Had a great time. Beautiful variety of lights. Wonderful interactive live characters. read more

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We had an amazing time. Adults and kids really enjoyed driving around the thousands of lights. I highly recommend this place read more

Night of Lights OC - Performing Arts Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Adrian U's review is spot on. I understand they are trying to do what they can with covid restrictions, and what the city had to go through to get this event back up and running after being canceled. I went into this knowing that it was just going to be some lights up for fun, but the wait which I'll cover really ruined the experience. The lines on lines on lines to get in were atrocious. The lack of anyone around made it really difficult to understand what was happening or ask questions like where the nearest restroom was located. The longer we waited the more people started getting out of their cars to begin their search for the coveted restrooms. It took about 30 minutes just to get to the gate where they checked our ticket, then another 45 just sitting in a sea of cars. The first person we saw while waiting in the sea of cars working was someone selling popcorn. Smh. When we finally got up to the entrance there was a place to pull off and park to use the restroom...except only if you were in the right lane. The left lane had no ability to turn. (I was in the left lane) There were two lanes going the same direction, however they didn't follow identical paths. There's a slight asymmetry. The show was mediocre at best. Objectively, the atrocious wait has skewed my view as this would have been much more favorable without the ridiculous lines. Once you get in, there are a few concentrated setups that are really nice, but then it's kind of sparse around that. Lastly, the lane I ended up in was just passing out Ls all night. There was supposed to be a picture at the end, but this lane routed out to the exit bypassing the photo, so another L for the night. read more

The silver package was great! We had an issue and Maria was totally amazing in helping us. She went out of her way to help us see Chase as both times we've come we got Sky! Thank you Maria...you went out of your way for us and you demonstrated true customer service!!! Thank you!!! read more

Bought the expensive tickets because my family wanted to go. It rained that day but the website said the event would go on during rain so we drive an hour and half to go there only to be turned away because they were closed. I sent an email telling them I want a refund and that an email at 6:59 for a ticket that's at 7 doesn't help. They basically just said too bad and give the tickets away. They claim they sent an earlier email at 5 something. You stupid bitch! I would still be driving in my car so that would not really help would it! You didn't know to cancel since the morning? Would never go again! Waste of money and time read more

Do not waste your time on this! Be ready to waste 2.5 hours sitting in your car to look at mediocre lights. We paid for the Silver admission ticket which supposedly included "express entry" lane" and a photo. Scheduled at the 5-5:30p time slot; got there at 5:05p.Inched our way through the line until 5:45p or so when we saw cars whizzing by us in new lanes they must have created after we arrived instead of letting people in the front go ahead. There were no signs differentiating "express entry" vs regular. After we showed our tickets, they handed papers to the kids which we discovered at home were maps. Ummm... my 2 year old doesn't read? and we could have used that in the front seat to bust out of the photo line early to exit. So after showing tickets, we were directed into another line that didn't move. When we asked why the other 3 lanes were whizzing by and ours wasn't moving, the lady told us our lane was waiting for glasses. They handed us paper glasses that make all lights appear to be Christmas trees. Maybe they could have handed these out when they checked the tickets? She said they had to give them out to those who got there first but we were sitting there for 15 minutes already and those cara were coming from behind us. The actual display was decent but there definitely could have been more lights. The radio station for music was 90.9 but after entering, they said it was 93.3 for the first tunnel and later, it was 90.9 again. There was another holdup for taking in-car photos - they have 2 photo backdrops for thousands of cars. We got out of the there around 7:10p but we asked to skip the photobooth so they let us drive around. My kids were almost crazy at that point and they were the whole reason we came. Definitely liked Tanaka Farms Hikari better - they didn't waste our time with a bunch of nothing last year. read more

I got an advert in my Inbox, as I must have attended something else in OC where they sold my name and email address. Thinking it would be a fun family activity, I immediately signed up, paying full price. No more than 3 days later, they sent a follow-up email advertising half-off. So I paid full price when someone else who waited a few days paid half for the exact same experience, date, time, etc. They tell you to arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled start time (you have to reserve in advance), but I believe most people were there at least a half-hour in advance because the line was at least two city blocks long when we arrived at 5:15 p.m. Admissions and line management are completely disorganized. When we arrived, there were two lines open, and we were directed to the right. At some point, they opened up a lane to my immediate right, and ushered the car behind me and about 8 cars behind it into lane no. 3. That's it. No one else. There was no explanation given as to why, especially since all of those cars were in the exact same line as the rest of us, so it is a complete mystery as to why they got priority, especially since there is no "priority ticket" for sale on the site. So, they basically got to cut in line in front of all of us who followed directions, and waited patiently for our turn. Once you get in, the lights display is good. Not marvelous, but not amateurish, either. There are different themes - Toyland, Winder Wonderland, you get the (snow) drift. The dancers and performers are super-friendly, and wave and mouth "Merry Christmas" as you drive by with the exception of the Snow Queen, who ignored us as we drove past. Maybe she's getting into character, and takes the theme of "Ice Queen" very seriously. In sum, would I do it again? Probably not. The event itself just wasn't worth dealing with the headaches, unfair billing practices, and disorganization. read more

Very disappointed with Night of Lights OC. We got the VIP tickets and bypassed the original line to get in. After we started we were in a line the entire time. Imagine LA traffic not moving at all. It took up 1.5 hours to finish and the worst part is we just wanted to leave but VIP gets a picture and that's another long line to wait in. I would recommend saving your money and driving through a neighborhood. I gave them 2 stars for trying but it's not great. read more

what a big waste of time. We came way early, wait for time to enter, and lined up for another hour for staff to direct our vehicle to another line...and more waiting! Ticket isn't cheap. What a F****ng scam! Compare to other drive through in Pomona, Fontana speedway, this event is poorly organized and literally run by idiots who try to sell light sticks to your kids while they wait. As for the lights, seriously NOT worth the wait. The speedway we went to last year was much, much better; more organized, less wait time, more lights. OC night of light is truely for idiots like myself who thought OC may offer something better. Boy was I wrong! Lesson learned. Fool me once, never again. Zero star if i may. read more

Night of Lights OC - Performing Arts Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Guys-- ignore the opening night reviews. Kinks got worked out. We arrived at 5:10, out by 5:50-- our 2 year old absolutely loved it, very enthusiastic staff and well done lights and villages! Highly recommend!! read more

This is a late review but I'm coming to post because my kids asked if we can return this year! I told them we wouldn't be around and that they probably wouldn't be having it but the fact that they asked about it 8 months later is a testament to how much they enjoyed it! And they're not that little! They liked the music and dancing, and the treats. From waiting in the cue to go in (which was fun and my kids liked the jokes and being able to honk the horn) to grabbing the snacks to enjoying the tunes, it was a fun, silly time. read more

I really want money back. It was only 15 mins drive through and just few thems. And they report me for copyright infringement to upload at YouTube. Then why don't you put some sign to not uploaded . They charge me for almost 80 dollars and I even can't keep my memory! F* read more