There are some fun and socially distant events throughout the month of November and we will be rounding them up every week. Grab your quarantine pod and go on a COVID safe adventure!
WonderLAnd
When: November 30, 2020 – December 30, 2020
Where: Westfield Promenade – Topanga Canyon
For a few weeks this winter, Woodland Hills is turning into the North Pole. The crafty team behind the sold-out Haunt’Oween is bringing us WonderLAnd next, flipping its jack-o-lantern tunnels and spooky surprises into a drive-thru holiday experience that involves millions of Christmas lights, a holiday-tree forest, and even an appearance by Santa. Throughout most of December, the site of the former Westfield Promenade (6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd) will go snowy, tinseled, and festive with immersive holiday-themed installations and even a few elves. The colorful event will be family-friendly, and entry is priced per car.
Holidays in Your Car
When: November 22, 2020 to Jan 2, 2021
Where: Ventura County Fairgrounds
It’s hosted drive-in movies and concerts, and now the Ventura County Fairgrounds is adding another car-friendly series to its lineup: Christmas lights. Starting November 22, Holidays In Your Car will, well, do exactly that and bring some seasonal festivities into a drive-thru setting. The mile-and-a-half-long trail includes millions of LEDs, laser light shows, and projections all set to holiday tunes. Timed tickets cost $49 for a vehicle with up to four people in it and $64 for five or more passengers. And if you’re farther south, lookout for a similar event at the Del Mar Fairgrounds starting December 5.
Street Food Cinema
Where: King Gilette Ranch, Santa Monica Mountains
When: November 14, 2020 – December 12, 2020
Outdoor movie season isn’t canceled—it’s just headed to the drive-in. Seasonal fave Street Food Cinema is making some social-distancing–friendly tweaks to its schedule and parking itself at a few locations for drive-in movie screenings. There are some important rules you’ll need to follow: Guests must remain in their vehicles (except for when going to the restrooms or food trucks) and wear masks when interacting with staff. Cars must park one space apart from each other. And though outside food and beverages are permitted, dogs are not.
The Elf on the Shelf’s Magical Holiday Journey
Where: Fairplex, Pomona
When: November 12, 2020 – January 3, 2021
From November 12 through January 3, you’ll be able to drive through the Elf on the Shelf’s Magical Holiday Journey at Pomona’s Fairplex. The hourlong experience is set to include all sorts of glittering holiday scenes (conjured up by Broadway set designer David Korins), like a toy workshop, gingerbread village, and “Santa’s magical grotto” (for which, uh, we have some questions). And of course, there’ll be a drive-through gift shop at the end.
South Coast Botanic Garden’s GLOW
Where: South Coast Botanic Garden
When: November 21, 2020 – January 10, 2021
Take a twinkly walkthrough South Coast Botanic Garden during this illuminated, after-hours installation, which kicks off just before Thanksgiving and runs until after New Year’s. Since it’s the first time the Palos Verdes Peninsula garden is staging GLOW, we don’t know what exactly to expect. But we are told that the rose garden, banyan grove, desert collection, and the living wall (a vertical assembly of succulents and ferns) will all be illuminated with thousands of twinkling lights and casts of color. It’ll all be set to an electronic soundtrack created for the event by DJ Jerzy, plus an, uh, eclectic mix of tunes that makes room for Baja surf music, Train and Vivaldi.