Christmas in Los Angeles is a very festive season where you'll find every conceivable traditional holiday activity from tree lightings and boat parades to theme park events and holiday shows.
There are also truly unique Los Angeles Christmas events and some unusual Christmas traditions to discover. Some winter activities begin before Halloween and run through February while others are scheduled throughout November and December.
Some local LA Christmas traditions date back to the turn of the last century while others are just beginning as new traditions.
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The Hollywood Christmas Parade
The Hollywood Christmas Parade is one of the most longstanding holiday traditions in Los Angeles. Every year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, Santa accompanies floats and marching bands down Hollywood Boulevard. The parade starts at 6 p.m. There are plenty of places to watch the parade for free along the street, or you can purchase grandstand seats.
There's lots of free curb space along the 2.5-mile parade route, but if you'd like to see the parade in relative comfort, you can buy tickets to the grandstand seating on Hollywood Boulevard. Bleacher seats are located between Orange Drive and Highland Avenue on both sides of the street.
The U-shaped route starts at Orange and Hollywood boulevards and travels east on Hollywood to Vine, turns south on Vine to Sunset, travels west on Sunset, then circles back to Orange. Grandstand seats run from the beginning of the parade route to Highland Avenue on both sides of the street.