Santa Clara County is eliminating cars from Fantasy of Lights this December, ending a 27-year drive-through tradition at Vasona Lake County Park and replacing it with just four walk-only evenings. The move has triggered an outpouring of frustration from longtime attendees, including Los Gatos Mayor Rob Moore, who has gone to the event every year since childhood and has asked county parks officials to reconsider.
The holiday display, which features more than 50 large illuminated figures ranging from Santas to dinosaurs and penguins along a 0.9-mile route, has drawn thousands of visitors each December since it began. According to The Mercury News, the event ran for 23 days in December 2025, with only two of those days offered as walker-only options. This year, the entire celebration shrinks to four nights — December 5, 6, 12 and 13 — run exclusively for pedestrians at Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos.
County Parks Director Todd Lofgren said the changes are meant to save money, telling the paper that the event should come close to breaking even going forward. Fantasy of Lights lost $948,537 in 2025, $792,160 in 2024, and $796,818 in 2023, per Lofgren, and county officials point to the walk-only format and fewer event days as a way to cut staffing costs and shrink the event’s overall footprint.
Ticket Prices Climb as Capacity Shrinks
The county will sell 40,000 tickets for the four walk-only days, separate from the 4,000 free tickets it will give away, with ticket sales opening in three phases: November 1 at 8 a.m., November 6 at 6 p.m., and November 9 at noon, per Santa Clara County Parks. Every attendee, including infants age 3 and under, now needs a reserved ticket to get in…