LA Holiday Lights 2026: NightTales, Zoo Lights & Opening Dates

2026-11-01 · The Hanaduul team

Los Angeles holiday light season has a brand-new name on the calendar: NightTales, an after-dark experience at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park, opens Nov. 12, 2026. L.A. Zoo Lights and Enchant Los Angeles at Santa Anita Park follow on Nov. 20, and Enchanted Forest of Light at Descanso Gardens celebrates 10 years starting Nov. 22. Here are the dates, details and one photo tip for each.

At a Glance

Four light experiences open around Los Angeles between Nov. 12 and Nov. 22, and each one is an easy pick for a date night or an evening with friends. Here is the short version before the details.

• NightTales: Natural History Museum in Exposition Park, select nights from Nov. 12, 2026, to Jan. 10, 2027, with timed entries between 6 and 9 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for children and $20 for members.
• L.A. Zoo Lights: Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, 5333 Zoo Drive, select evenings from Nov. 20 through Jan. 10. Tickets start at $19, and parking is free.
• Enchant Los Angeles: Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Nov. 20 through Dec. 27, 2026, with an all-new light maze called Starlight Flight.
• Enchanted Forest of Light: Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge, Nov. 22, 2026, to Jan. 9, 2027, from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Non-member adult tickets are $29 to $52.
• Thanksgiving, Nov. 26: L.A. Zoo Lights and Enchanted Forest of Light are closed, and it isn't one of NightTales' dates.
• Booking: Descanso Gardens says popular nights will sell out, so buy ahead.

NightTales at the Natural History Museum: New This Year

NightTales is in its inaugural season, and the museum calls it a premium indoor-outdoor after-dark experience. The route takes you from the famous Dueling Dinos to the historic Rotunda in the museum's 1913 building and through the sprawling Nature Gardens, with glowing installations and cinematic projections along the way. Real specimens, from insects and mammals to minerals and flowers, show up as oversized, glowing versions of themselves.

Entry is timed between 6 and 9 p.m., and tickets cost $30 for adults, $25 for children and $20 for members. Only select museum and garden spaces are part of the event, and other areas are closed. Limited prepaid parking in the NHM Car Park can be added during online checkout, and general parking at Exposition Park is sold that evening, cashless only.

Photo tip: the installations are your light source, so face the glow instead of standing with it behind you, which turns faces into silhouettes. Part of the route runs through the outdoor gardens, so wear a jacket you're happy to keep on in photos.

• November nights: 12-15, 20, 22-25 and 27-29
• December nights: 4-6, 11-13, 18-23 and 26-31
• January nights: 2-10

L.A. Zoo Lights: All-New Displays Starting Nov. 20

L.A. Zoo Lights returns on select evenings from Nov. 20 through Jan. 10, and the zoo bills this year's light displays as all new. The theme is nature past and present, with plants and pollinators plus larger-than-life birds, butterflies, insects, flowers, marine creatures and Ice Age giants lit with sculptural lights.

For photos, look for the festive backdrops and a giant snow globe, then ride the carousel or grab snacks like churros, s'mores and hot cocoa. An artificial ice-skating rink is ticketed separately. Tickets start at $19, parking is free, and most guests spend 60 to 90 minutes; in November, the event is closed on Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving Day) and Nov. 30.

Photo tip: with 60 to 90 minutes on the path, pick your must-shoot stops before you go, like the giant snow globe, so you aren't rushing them on the way out. Stand close to a bright display so it lights your face, not just the background.

Enchant Los Angeles: A New Light Maze at Santa Anita Park

Enchant Los Angeles is returning to Santa Anita Park in Arcadia for a second holiday season, running from Nov. 20 through Dec. 27, 2026. This year's experience features an all-new light maze adventure called Starlight Flight, along with 80,000 square feet of illuminated displays and larger-than-life sculptures and scenes inspired by an original holiday story.

Ice skating is part of the lineup, too.

Photo tip: mazes split groups up fast, so agree on a meeting spot before you walk in. Save your group shot for one of the larger-than-life sculptures, which gives the photo an easy landmark.

Enchanted Forest of Light at Descanso Gardens Turns 10

Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge is celebrating 10 years of Enchanted Forest of Light, which runs from 5:30 to 10 p.m. from Nov. 22, 2026, to Jan. 9, 2027. It's closed on Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving) and Dec. 25 (Christmas Day). Favorites like Flower Power and the Ancient Forest are back, joined by an all-new laser light show with a magical "snowfall" finale. In honor of the Japanese Garden's 60th anniversary, Giant Koi will also make a special appearance.

The route is about a mile long and accessible for strollers and wheelchairs. Non-member tickets are $29 to $52 for adults and $19 to $37 for children, while members pay $22 to $45 and $12 to $30. The garden says popular nights will sell out, so buy in advance. Parking is free on a first-come, first-served basis, and pets aren't allowed (only ADA-designated service animals).

Photo tip: you can take pictures, and monopods or selfie sticks are fine if you use them with care, but tripods and drones are prohibited. The garden warns that it gets chilly at night and recommends a coat, even a scarf, hat and gloves, so plan layers that look good on camera.

Turn Your Light Show Night Into a 4-Cut Photo Strip

Light shows make gorgeous backdrops, but they're dark, and dim light is tough on faces. To remember the night with a 4-cut photo strip, take it afterward somewhere bright, like a cafe or your living room, with Hanaduul, our free iPhone app (some features use in-app treats, and there's no Android version yet). Tap [Shoot solo], pick a background from [Basic] or [My BGs], set the timer and prop your phone up so your hands are free for four poses.

To match the night, use [Make your own background]: tap [My BGs] on the shooting setup screen, or the + in the [Backgrounds] tab of your Album, then describe the place, the time or weather, and the mood and colors. Try something like "garden path lined with glowing lanterns, clear winter night, cozy, warm gold and soft blue tones." It appears in about 15 to 30 seconds and uses treats; people and faces aren't drawn, and only a set number can be made each day, first come, first served.

Friend couldn't make it to LA? Tap [Shoot together] on the Home screen to get a 6-digit room code, and your friend enters it on their own iPhone with [Join with room code]. If you follow each other or have shot together before, [Invite a friend] calls them in directly and they just tap [Join]. You talk by voice to line up poses, you both appear side by side on the same background, and the finished strip shows up in the [Together] tab of both of your Albums.

• Pick a [Layout]: a neat 2×2 grid or a scattered, polaroid-style look
• Add a [Frame] around your photos and choose a [Border] color and shape
• Fine-tune each shot with [Filter] and [Beauty], or [Details] for finer control
• Use [Pen] to handwrite the date and the name of the light show