How much does Corona's holiday season cost this year? The shopping-center and City tree lightings are listed as free, at The Crossings at Corona, in the Dos Lagos plaza, and at the Historic Civic Center. What costs money in 2026 is new. The Shops at Dos Lagos is opening a ticketed Christmas Light Show that runs from November 27 to December 27, so the same shopping center has free nights and paid nights a few days apart. Some nights it has both.
That overlap is how this season works. If you know which event you're actually going to, you can do a lot of Corona's December for nothing. You'll also know where the add-ons start.
The season on one page
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 21, 5 to 7:30 p.m. | Tree Lighting & Santa's Arrival | The Crossings at Corona, 2470 Tuscany St. | Free |
| Fri., Nov. 27, to Sun., Dec. 27, select nights | Dos Lagos Christmas Light Show | The Shops at Dos Lagos, 2780 Cabot Dr. | From $15.99 or $20.99, depending on the night |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 4 to 8 p.m. | Dos Lagos Annual Tree Lighting & Holiday Concert | Central plaza, The Shops at Dos Lagos | Free general admission; optional $25 VIP seats |
| Sun., Nov. 29, 5 to 8 p.m. | Crossroads Christian Church Tree Lighting | Crossroads Christian Church | No price listed |
| Sun., Dec. 6, 4 p.m. | City of Corona Annual Holiday Lighting Celebration | Historic Civic Center, 815 W. 6th St. | Free |
Read down the table and you'll see the pattern. Corona has a tree lighting listed as free on three weekends in a row, and a paid show that opens the night before the second one.
November 21 at The Crossings: free, and first
The Crossings at Corona goes first. Its Tree Lighting & Santa's Arrival runs Saturday, November 21, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at 2470 Tuscany Street, and the listing says it's free. According to the Corona Chamber of Commerce listing, Santa and the Grinch will both be there for photos.
The night is short and needs no tickets, so it fits easily between dinner and bedtime. It's also the only Corona tree lighting this season that comes before Thanksgiving.
The weekend Dos Lagos runs two things at once
Thanksgiving weekend is where the free and paid sides overlap.
On Friday, November 27, the Dos Lagos Christmas Light Show opens. The official site calls it "a brand-new Christmas experience at The Shops at Dos Lagos," and it's presented by Your Pixel Store. It's a walk-through for all ages, and it includes:
- A 40-foot center tree built for synchronized color and music
- A light show across the whole attraction, synced to music, at 5:30 p.m. and then every 30 minutes
- An inflatable holiday maze
- An interactive dance floor that changes colors and patterns
- An all-natural tree lit with programmable lights
- Photo sets with giant ornaments, snowflakes, gingerbread scenes and holiday characters
- A holiday train that rides through an animated light tunnel, at $10 per rider. The tunnel is ride-only and can't be walked. Children 2 and under ride free on an adult's lap.
On Saturday, November 28, the shopping center's long-running Annual Tree Lighting & Holiday Concert happens on the same property. The event page says no general-admission ticket is needed. Here's the schedule:
- 4 p.m. The Holiday Night Market opens.
- 5 p.m. The free concert begins, with Boy Band All Stars, a Backstreet Boys and NSYNC tribute, and Break Free, an Ariana Grande tribute.
- 7 p.m. The tree lighting, with the Santiago High Marching Band and Santa.
- 8 p.m. The night market closes.
The concert uses a temporary stage set up in the middle of the shopping center. The event page says outright that it does not take place at the amphitheater. The only paid option is VIP floor seating in front of the stage. It's $25 a seat, limited to 200 seats, and unassigned, first come, first served inside the VIP section.
November 28 is also a Light Show night, and a peak-rate one, open 4:30 to 10 p.m. with tickets from $20.99. A family can come to Dos Lagos that Saturday for the free concert and tree lighting and never buy a thing. They can also add the Light Show the same evening. Those are separate events with separate prices, and the free one doesn't include the other.
How Light Show pricing changes by night
The Light Show uses two rates, set by the day of the week. Thursdays and Sundays are the value rate, with tickets from $15.99. Fridays, Saturdays and December 21 through 24 are the peak rate, from $20.99. A ticket is good for entry any time during that night's hours, and the QR tickets arrive by email right after purchase.
Hours change through the season too:
| Night type | Hours | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Fridays and Saturdays | 4:30 to 10 p.m. | $20.99 |
| Thursdays and Sundays | 4:30 to 9 p.m. | $15.99 |
| Mon. to Wed., Dec. 21 to 23 | 4:30 to 9 p.m. | $20.99 |
| Christmas Eve, Thu., Dec. 24 | 4 to 7 p.m. | $20.99 |
| Sat., Dec. 26 | 4:30 to 9 p.m. | $20.99 |
| Christmas Day | Closed | None |
The show doesn't run every night. In early December it skips Monday through Wednesday. The first weekday stretch comes during Christmas week. Sunday, December 27, is the last night, at the value rate.
The Santa photo detail families find out at the set
This is where most of the extra cost comes in.
Santa at Dos Lagos keeps daytime hours. He's there Wednesday through Friday from 2 to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. From December 21 to 23 it's noon to 8 p.m., and on Christmas Eve it's 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There's no Santa on Christmas Day or on December 26 and 27.
The ticket page also has a rule that's easy to miss. Every person in a Santa photo needs a $10 Santa Train Ticket, which is a daytime ride during Santa hours. Evening train tickets from the Light Show can't be used for Santa photos. Photo packages are sold separately from event admission.
The packages:
- Classic, $42: one 6×8, two 4×6 and eight wallet-size prints
- Deluxe, $58: two 6×8, two 4×6, four 3×4 and eight wallet-size prints
- Premium, $75: four 6×8, four 4×6, four 3×4 and six wallet-size prints, plus two keychain photos
- Digital add-ons: $16 for one image or $29 for the full gallery, emailed, and only available with a photo package
Here's what that adds up to. Two kids posing for a Classic package means $42 for the prints and $20 in train tickets. Sales tax of 8.75% applies to the photo package but not the train tickets, so the total comes to about $65.68 before any Light Show admission. All Santa photo and Santa train sales are final and non-refundable, and vouchers can be used any Santa day through December 24.
Santa is also at Corona's free events. He's at The Crossings on November 21, at the Dos Lagos tree lighting on November 28, and at the City's celebration on December 6. Crossroads Christian Church's tree lighting on Sunday, November 29, runs 5 to 8 p.m. and lists photos with Santa, a holiday market, a petting zoo, carriage rides and letters to Santa. The lighting ceremony is at 5:30 p.m.
December 6, downtown, and the biggest free night
The City's Annual Holiday Lighting Celebration is on Sunday, December 6, at 4 p.m. at the Historic Civic Center, 815 West 6th Street. The City lists it as a free event. The program includes:
- Sledding in real snow
- Holiday characters brought in by OBC Theater for photos
- Live performances by community groups
- Local artisan vendors
- Crafters Village, with holiday crafts and a station for writing letters to Santa
- The Holiday Express Train through the evening decorations
- A holiday drone show
- A visit from Santa Claus
The Corona Fire Department will collect toys that night for the Spark of Love toy drive. It's a partnership between ABC7 and fire departments across Southern California, and the City says it has collected more than 11 million toys. If you plan to drop off a new toy, bring it with you.
Plan your parking and route ahead of time:
- Main parking: City Hall lot, 400 S. Vicentia Ave.
- Accessible parking: Vicentia Activity Center, 550 S. Vicentia Ave., and the corner of 6th Street and Buena Vista, until each lot fills
- Closure: West 6th Street is closed between Vicentia Avenue and Buena Vista Avenue during the event
December 6 is also a value-rate Light Show night at Dos Lagos, open 4:30 to 9 p.m. with tickets from $15.99. On that one Sunday you can get downtown's free celebration and the cheaper Light Show rate, if you want both.
Before you go
The Dos Lagos Light Show says its operating hours, Santa appearances, train availability and attractions can all change, and its synchronized show times depend on operating conditions. If you bought tickets for a specific night, check the official site that afternoon. The free events have their own pages too: The Crossings, the Dos Lagos tree lighting and the City's celebration.
Hosting family this season, or just want to know what's happening around Corona from week to week? Lisa Costa lives and works in this city and is happy to share what's coming up near you. Let's Connect.
