ALONG COMES MARY

Who’s ready to head into the most wonderful time of the year? There are a plethora of fun events coming to SoCal and I was thrilled to check out the opening night of Holidays In Your Car. Kicking off at the Ventura Fairgrounds, Holidays In Your Car brings over one million LED lights to life in an array of adorable Christmas displays. We all know I’m a sucker for holiday light scenes, so I knew this would be up my alley.

We made an afternoon of it and enjoyed some time on the beach before sunset. Located directly across from the harbor and pier, it’s an ideal excuse to enjoy Ventura for the day. Since the queue can get congested, it’s a good idea to arrive early. Cars are asked to line up as attendees wait to enter. In the meantime, you can tune your radio to a cheery station to hear some holiday music. This will also serve as the official Holidays In Your Car station to play as you cruise through the event.

Driving Through Holidays In Your Car

When we were signaled to drive on up, we were greeted by a festive staff. They gave us a special bag of swag (more on that later) and reminded us to tune to their station. One of the first scenes featured none other than the big guy himself, Santa Claus! Accompanied by Mrs. Claus, we loved that they were sporting lit up masks. How 2020 of them, no?

Driving through the fairgrounds, several of the displays make use of the horse stables. This proved to work extremely well as they certainly boast “North Pole” vibes decked out with gingerbread men and candy canes.

• 

• 

We were particularly impressed with the drive-thru tunnels. A handful of these highlights brought to mind a theme park ride. Giant, life-sized screens are sure to have the kids in awe, as they did us.

Several have asked me how long the ride is. I would compare it to driving through It’s A Small World at Disneyland. Concessions are available on-site, so you can make a night of it with snacks and hot cocoa.

Enjoying our Media Night Goodies

We loved being a guest of Holidays In Your Car and appreciated our bag of treats. The large insulated bag is perfect for a day at the beach, and I’ve used my special mask almost daily. Mike has taken a liking to the Popcorn-Opolis Holiday Cookie popcorn, and I was glad to see it’s gluten-free. Anything labeled “cookie flavored” is usually off-limits for us, am I right? The gift that surprised me the most was a special Holidays In Your Car labeled red wine. Perfect for parents to enjoy at home after the ride!

• 

Holidays In Your Car will run through January 2nd. On select nights, the event will have special performances in addition to the drive-thru. Families can upgrade to see a live performance of The Nutcracker on December 12th. On December 19th, grab your tickets to see Santa Saves Christmas.

Get all of the details for showtimes and tickets HERE. To see videos and clips from our evening, check out my Instagram Highlights.
Make sure to see Holidays In Your Car before it’s too late! xo

(*Disclosure: I was a a guest of this event on behalf of this coverage. All opinions are my own. )