This year the centerpiece at The Shops at Dos Lagos is a 40-foot tree. Every 30 minutes from 5:30 p.m., it lights up in sync with music and with every other display around it. The organizers' site for the Dos Lagos Christmas Light Show calls it "a brand-new Christmas experience at The Shops at Dos Lagos." It runs every operating night from November 27 to December 27, and you need a ticket to get in.
Last year the center did it differently. On Saturday, November 29, 2025, Dos Lagos held a tree lighting and Santa's arrival starting at 5 p.m. After that, families met Santa through the "DL Polar Express Train," which ran from November 29 to December 24, 2025. You had to ride the train to get to Santa's hidden village.
That one change moves Corona's whole holiday calendar. South Corona's one big lighting night is now a month of nightly shows, and the city's two free lightings sit on either side of it. The Crossings at Corona goes first on November 21. The Historic Civic Center downtown follows on December 6.
Saturday, November 21: The Crossings goes first
The Crossings at Corona holds its free Tree Lighting & Santa's Arrival on Saturday, November 21, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., at 2470 Tuscany Street.
The timing is what stands out. In 2025, Dos Lagos held its lighting on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year the first free lighting in Corona comes five days before Thanksgiving, on the north side of the city. The season's first lighting now comes a week earlier than last year's Dos Lagos ceremony, and it's free.
Friday, November 27: Dos Lagos opens, and the night decides the price
The Dos Lagos show opens the day after Thanksgiving at 2780 Cabot Drive. You walk through it. Besides the center tree there's an inflatable holiday maze, an interactive dance floor that changes colors and patterns through the night, giant ornaments and gingerbread scenes for photos, and an all-natural tree lit with programmable lights.
What you pay depends on the night. Thursdays and Sundays are cheaper. Fridays, Saturdays and the four days before Christmas cost more.
| Ticket | Thursday & Sunday | Fri, Sat & Dec 21–24 |
|---|---|---|
| General admission | $15.99 | $20.99 |
| Admission + train | $24.99 | $29.99 |
| Family 4-Pack | $56.99 | $74.99 |
| Family 4-Pack + train | $91.99 | $109.99 |
A household of four with the train pays $91.99 on a Thursday or Sunday and $109.99 on a Friday or Saturday, so the same night out costs $18 more on the weekend. The 4-Pack covers any mix of adults and children. On a Thursday it costs $56.99, against $63.96 for four single tickets. Buying the train in a bundle saves $1 per rider compared with adding it later.
The train is the only way through the light tunnel, a long stretch of animated lights. It's optional and costs $10 per rider if you add it on. You can't walk through the tunnel, and children 2 and under ride free on an adult's lap.
Your ticket works any time during that night's hours, so you don't need to show up for a particular show. All sales are final with no refunds, and the person who bought the tickets has to show a valid ID at check-in.
The hours have gaps
The planned schedule runs 4:30 to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays and 4:30 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. There's no regular show on Wednesdays except during Christmas week. The organizers say hours, Santa appearances and the train can change because of weather, crowds or operating needs. They ask visitors to check the posted schedule before coming.
Christmas week runs on its own schedule:
- Monday, Dec 21 through Wednesday, Dec 23: 4:30 to 9 p.m., at the higher weekend price.
- Thursday, Dec 24: 4 to 7 p.m., the shortest night of the season.
- Friday, Dec 25: closed.
- Saturday, Dec 26 and Sunday, Dec 27: 4:30 to 9 p.m. for the last two nights.
So the weeknights in Christmas week, usually the cheaper nights, cost the weekend price this time. The final Saturday also closes an hour earlier than the other Saturdays in the run.
Santa at Dos Lagos is a daytime visit
Most of the 2026 change at Dos Lagos shows up in how you see Santa. Last year you rode a train to Santa's village. This year Santa photos need a $10 Santa Train Ticket for each person in the photo. It's a daytime ride, and an evening light-show train ticket doesn't count.
Santa is planned for Wednesday through Friday from 2 to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. During Christmas week he's there noon to 8 p.m. December 21 to 23 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve. There's no Santa on December 26 or 27. Wednesday is the only regular day when Santa is in but the light show isn't, so on most of December's Wednesdays the visit is daytime only.
Photo packages are sold separately from show admission:
- Classic, $42: one 6×8, two 4×6 prints and eight wallets.
- Deluxe, $58: two 6×8s, two 4×6s, four 3×4s and eight wallets.
- Premium, $75: four 6×8s, four 4×6s, four 3×4s, six wallets and two keychain photos.
You can add digital files when you buy a package: one image for $16 or the full gallery for $29. Sales tax applies only to the photo packages.
Our August look at the Cajalco exit followed how South Corona's weekends have come to center on one I-15 exit. This December, the Dos Lagos light show adds a month of nightly shows to that stretch.
Sunday, December 6: The free lighting downtown
The City of Corona's Annual Holiday Lighting Celebration is Sunday, December 6, starting at 4 p.m. at the Historic Civic Center, 815 West 6th Street. The city lists it as a free event.
The city's event page lists sledding on real snow, live performances by community organizations, local artisan vendors, and holiday characters from OBC Theater for photos. Crafters Village has holiday crafts and a spot to write letters to Santa. There's also a Holiday Express Train, roaming entertainers, Santa himself, and a holiday drone show.
So two of the attractions Dos Lagos sells this year, a holiday train and a visit with Santa, are part of a free evening downtown on December 6. That's the strongest case for putting the Civic Center on your calendar even if Dos Lagos is already booked.
Corona Fire will also collect toys that night for the Spark of Love toy drive. The drive is a partnership between ABC7 and fire departments across Southern California, and the city says it has collected more than 11 million toys over the years for children and teens.
The city has posted parking and street details:
- Park in the Main City Hall lot at 400 S. Vicentia Ave.
- Accessible parking is at the Vicentia Activity Center, 550 S. Vicentia Ave., and at the corner of 6th Street and Buena Vista, until those lots fill.
- Plan around the closure of West 6th Street between Vicentia Avenue and Buena Vista Avenue during the event.
The Civic Center was already one of downtown's busiest public buildings this fall, as our look at Main and Sixth covered in October. December 6 brings the city's holiday lighting to the same building.
The season by date
Put together, Corona's holiday calendar now looks like this:
- Sat, Nov 21: free tree lighting and Santa's arrival at The Crossings, 5 to 7:30 p.m.
- Fri, Nov 27: the Dos Lagos Christmas Light Show opens, ticketed, with Thursday and Sunday the cheaper nights.
- Sun, Dec 6: free Holiday Lighting Celebration at the Historic Civic Center from 4 p.m., with a Spark of Love toy collection.
- Dec 21–24: Dos Lagos charges the weekend price every night, and Christmas Eve closes at 7 p.m.
- Sun, Dec 27: last night of the Dos Lagos show.
Planning ahead and pricing things carefully work the same way for a December weekend as for a home sale. If you're thinking about where in Corona your household fits next, from the Civic Center blocks downtown to the neighborhoods around Dos Lagos, Alton Jones and the team can walk you through what each part of the city offers. Schedule a Consultation, and we'll start with what matters most to you.
