Fantasy of Lights Goes On Foot This Year, and the Hard Part Now Happens in November
November 5, 2026
November 5, 2026
"We did not make this decision lightly," Santa Clara County spokesperson Audrey Ann Díaz told NBC Bay Area last month, after the County confirmed that Fantasy of Lights at Vasona Lake County Park will be walk-through only in 2026. The reason she gave was cost: "Like many beloved community traditions, Fantasy of Lights has faced rising operational costs over the years."
The display hasn't moved, and neither has the 1.5-mile route. What has changed is that the only way in is now the version that already sold out every year, and it runs on four nights. In past years, missing the walk-through still left the drive-through. This year, the deciding dates are in November.
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-through nights | Dec 6 and 7 | Dec 5, 6, 12 and 13 |
| Drive-through nights | Dec 9 to Dec 30, closed Dec 25 | None |
| Hours | Drive-through 6 to 10 p.m. | Walk-through 4 to 9 p.m. |
| Walk-through price, 13 and up | $17 | $25 |
| Walk-through price, ages 4 to 12 | $8 | $10 |
| Drive-through price, regular vehicle up to 12 people | $30 | Not offered |
Counted by date, the 2025 season had 21 drive-through nights on top of its two walk-through nights. That's 23 nights in all, compared with four this year. NBC Bay Area called the new schedule "substantially shorter." The 2026 nights are all Saturdays and Sundays, and they finish before the Billy Jones holiday trains start running.
The walk-through began as a one-night add-on in 2013, for the event's 15th edition. According to a December 2025 column in the Mercury News, it was so popular that it grew to two nights and was selling 19,000 tickets every year. The County's 2025 walk-through page still shows a single label: "SOLD OUT."
In past years, a family that missed the walk-through could still book a car slot on a Tuesday night later in the month. That's how the Mercury News columnist's family went for years, aiming for a Tuesday or Wednesday around 7 p.m. This year there's nothing to fall back on. The County doubled the walk-through nights and removed every other way to see the lights. Ms. Díaz described past walk-through nights as "wildly successful," with drone shows, live entertainment and more food choices, and those features are now the whole event.
Because there is no car option, admission is now charged per person. That changes the math more than the new prices do. Here is what one household of two adults and two children aged 4 to 12 would pay:
Bigger groups feel it more. Under the old pricing, grandparents visiting for the holidays could ride along in the minivan for no extra cost. This year each of them needs a $25 ticket. Children 3 and under get in free, but the County says every person still needs a ticket, toddlers included, and only pre-paid tickets guarantee entry. If your group includes a stroller, the toddler still needs a ticket.
The County is selling tickets in three phases through parkhere.org, and the event runs rain or shine. On publish day, the first phase has already passed and the other two are still coming:
Purchases go through the County's 2026 walk-through ticket page. Phase 3 opens at noon on a Monday, during the workday. Phase 2 opens at 6 on a Friday evening, when many people are commuting home or sitting down to dinner. If you plan to go, it helps to know ahead of time which nights your group can do and how many tickets you need, so checkout doesn't wait on a group text.
Guests who need an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act can email the department at [email protected]. The County asks for at least 48 hours' notice before the event and recommends writing as early as possible.
The drive-through ran from 6 to 10 p.m. The walk-through runs from 4 to 9 p.m., so the event now starts two hours earlier. On a December weekend, that means a family with young children could finish the route before a normal bedtime.
You get to the park differently too. The event address is still Vasona Lake County Park, 333 Blossom Hill Road, but the County's free parking and shuttles are at Netflix, 121 Albright Way. Under the drive-through, cars waited on the roads around the park. The Mercury News column described backups on Blossom Hill Road, Lark Avenue and University Avenue, with waits of an hour or more before timed reservations began in 2016. It said reservations made the lines "more manageable" but did not end them. Last year's drive-through ticket page asked drivers to arrive within their ticket window to help manage traffic flow in Los Gatos. This year, attendance is concentrated on four weekend nights, and visitors are sent to a parking lot on Albright Way.
Some family habits grew up around the drive-through. The same Mercury News column describes turning the music down and rolling the windows down in the "Dinosaur Den" to hear the jungle sounds. The columnist's family also picked up dinner from Happy Hound on Los Gatos Boulevard to eat in the car on the way through. On foot, the County says the park will offer more food choices, along with family engagement zones, photo spots and live entertainment. Drone light shows are planned for all four nights, weather permitting.
The displays themselves have changed over the years. According to the Mercury News, the display count grew from fewer than 30 to more than 50, and nearly all are now lit with LEDs. In 2024, the County rearranged the layout in a major way for the first time, moving the dinosaurs from their usual spot.
A sellout still leaves two ways to be part of it.
The first is to volunteer. The County says hundreds of volunteers are needed each year for the walk-through nights, and signups are open through its Fantasy of Lights volunteer listing.
The second is to come back the next night. The Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad Holiday Night Train and Carousel starts running the day after the last walk-through night. The railroad lists hours of 6 to 9 p.m. from Monday, December 14 through December 23, then again December 26 and 27. The County's event page has the run going through December 28, so check the railroad's page before you plan around the final weekend. A train ticket is $10, the carousel is $6 and a combo is $15. Tickets are sold at the railroad's ticket booth, and you don't need a reservation. The holiday train is the only after-dark December outing at the park that you don't have to book in November.
If you plan to walk the park in the daytime this month, check the County's closures and alerts page first. In its October 28 update, a section of the Los Gatos Creek Trail inside Vasona was closed because of a failed culvert. The closed stretch runs from the fishing-dock area to the intersection nearest the Circle Group Area, and detour signs are posted.
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