L.A.'s Holiday Light Shows, Ranked by Price. The Zoo Wins.

Ranked by what two adults and two kids pay to get in, what it costs to park and how long each show runs.

L.A. Zoo Lights comes first because it's the one holiday light show here that tells a family exactly what a night costs, then lets them park for free. The animals won't be out, though. The zoo's event FAQ says they'll be in their night quarters.

That beats Mommy Poppins' pick for the best light show in town, and it beats a light maze at Santa Anita Park whose prices move with demand. I ranked only the big paid walk-throughs that posted 2026 dates and prices. Free neighborhood blocks and drive-throughs aren't on this list.

1. L.A. Zoo Lights, Griffith Park

The zoo posts a price for every night. Adults 13 and up pay $29 on value weekdays, $32 on value weekends and $35 on holiday peak nights. Kids 2 to 12 pay $19, $22 or $25, kids under 2 get in free, and fees are included in those prices.

For two adults and two kids, that's $96 on the cheapest nights and $120 on the busiest. Parking is free, and the run goes from Nov. 20 to Jan. 10, the longest of the three shows ranked here.

The catch is the calendar. The zoo is open 38 nights, and only eight of them get the lowest price, while 19 are peak. It's closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, among other dates. The ice rink and Santa photos cost extra, and there are no refunds, rain or shine.

2. Enchanted Forest of Light, Descanso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge

Descanso's ticket FAQ puts non-member tickets at $29 to $52 for adults and $19 to $37 for kids, with the price set by the date and entry time. For two adults and two kids, that's $96 to $178. Members pay $22 to $45 for adults and $12 to $30 for kids. At its cheapest, Descanso ties the zoo. At its priciest, the same family pays $58 more than on the zoo's busiest night.

It runs from Nov. 22 to Jan. 9, and parking is free. This is the show's 10th year: a walk of about a mile through the gardens. This year adds a Giant Koi, for the Japanese Garden's 60th birthday, plus a laser show whose finale is a "snowfall."

Here's my defended hot take: Mommy Poppins named it the best holiday light show in Los Angeles, and I'm ranking it second anyway. A laser snowfall is lovely. But a family can pay up to $178 to see it, against $120 on the zoo's busiest night, and it won't know which price applies until it picks a date and an entry time.

3. Enchant, Santa Anita Park

Enchant calls its maze the world's largest Christmas light maze, with tickets starting at $29. That word "starting" is doing a lot of work. Enchant says prices change with the date, the entry time and demand, and its site warns that what sells out is the cheapest tickets, not the event.

If all four tickets got that $29 floor, a family would pay $116 before parking. Parking is sold as an add-on, and so are the ice skating and the snow slide. There's also a family deal for two adults and two juniors.

Enchant doesn't give refunds at any point, and it closes Dec. 27, the earliest of the three.

Scratched: Holiday Road, Calabasas

Last season's light trail at 26800 Mulholland Hwy. won't be back. Holiday Road said it's taking 2026 off because of a projected severe El Niño and problems with the venue it couldn't control, and it promised news about 2027.

That leaves the zoo's cheapest nights: Nov. 23 to 25, Dec. 2 and 3, and Dec. 8 to 10. On those nights, $96 gets two adults and two kids through the gate, and the car parks free.

Source: lazoo.org, retrieved November 2, 2026. Other sources: lazoo.org (2), descansogardens.org, descansogardens.org (2), mommypoppins.com, enchantchristmas.com, holidayroadusa.com.