Celebrate the Season with Holiday Activities in Azusa
The temperatures are cooling to mild and comfortable ranges—it rarely gets too cold in the San Gabriel Valley—and everyone’s gearing up for a magical holiday season. With holiday activities in Azusa, California, and the surrounding areas, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year!
Even though you probably won’t see snow on the ground, you can discover plenty of holiday cheer in Azusa and the surrounding area. You’ll find parades, light displays, Santa visits, and so much more! So grab a cup of cocoa and keep reading to learn about many of the holiday activities in Azusa and close by that you can enjoy this year!
Holiday Activities
Join the Azusa Santa Tour: The Azusa Police Department has a long-standing tradition of hosting Santa in the city during December. This used to be a breakfast with Santa, but in 2020, officers began escorting Santa on a tour through neighborhoods in the city. This tour has since become a favorite holiday tradition for area residents. Watch the police department’s Facebook page for details on this year’s Santa tour or breakfast.
Celebrate with Christmas Music: The holiday season and music go hand in hand. For nearly four decades, Azusa Pacific University’s School of Music has hosted a holiday concert for the public: Celebrate Christmas. At this event, more than 150 musicians gather to perform traditional carols and Christmas songs. The popular annual show takes place at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena, which can seat 1,000 people. The 39th annual event gets all jingle jammy with it on December 2, with a matinee performance at 2:30 p.m. and the evening show at 7:30. Tickets range from $20 to $75. For further details, visit the event’s website.
Hone Your DIY Crafting Skills: Do you like to spend time making holiday decorations? The Azusa Public Library hosts crafting classes during the holiday season—either in-person or with grab-and-go kits. Past years’ grab-and-go crafts for kids have included a letter to Santa, a holiday ornament, and a polar bear craft. For adults, it was a DIY holiday ornament. Watch the city’s
newsletter for details about the upcoming crafting events. For further information on upcoming craft classes or other library activities, call (626) 812-5146.
Attend the Tree Lighting and Winter Family Fiesta
The annual tree lighting and fiesta are traditional holiday activities in Azusa. Each year, the city gathers for fun and a holiday craft boutique in front of the city hall. The fiesta activities in past years included a synthetic ice rink, bounce house, sled runs, food booths, entertainment, arts and crafts, and more. The city also brings snow! The event culminates with the lighting of the city tree.
Watch the city’s
Facebook page and
newsletter for details on the 2023 event.
Venture Out into the San Gabriel Valley
Azusa isn’t the only city in the San Gabriel Valley teeming with holiday activities. If you’re interested in traveling a little outside city limits, you’ll find even more holiday fun!
San Dimas: Running Festival - This city is home to the annual Holiday Running Festival. The event this year takes place December 9 and 10, with a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and kids run hosted at Pomona Fairplex.
The running fun starts on Saturday, December 9, with the Holiday 10K at 7 a.m. Next up is the Holiday 5K at 8:30 a.m. The Kids Penguin Waddle starts at 9:30 a.m. The half marathon is scheduled for Sunday, December 10, beginning at 7:30 a.m. If racers run the 5K and half marathon, they’ll complete the Golden Snowflake Challenge. They’ll finish the Triple Snowflake Challenge by running the 5K, 10K, and half marathon. All challenge winners receive a special medal. A prerace Health & Fitness Expo will be held both days from 6 a.m. to noon. Over 9,000 visitors are expected at the Pomona Fairplex during the two days of the popular festival.
Ontario: Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Trans-Siberian Orchestra is part-extravagant rock show and part-Christmas storytelling experience. TSO embarks on its annual holiday trek across North America, which makes an Inland Empire stopover at Ontario’s Toyota Arena on Saturday, December 2. This year’s theme is “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve: The Best of TSO and More!” Prepare to have all your senses dazzled in two stunning shows at 3 and 7 p.m.
Monrovia: Holiday Parade - The annual Holiday Parade is back in Monrovia! This year’s event starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 7. The route goes north on Myrtle Avenue from Walnut Avenue to Palm Avenue.
Irwindale: Spectacular and Tree Lighting - Irwindale kicks off the holiday season on Friday, December 1, with its annual Christmas Spectacular and tree lighting ceremony! After the mayor lights the tree, stay for snow, a play area for kids, Santa, and more.
Arcadia: Snow Festival - Everybody dreams of having a white Christmas, but they don’t take into account the extra hassle that entails on a day-to-day basis: Scraping car windows, shoveling driveways, being smothered in snowsuits like Ralphie’s little brother in A Christmas Story—the list goes on and on.
Now, what if you could tolerate the snow for one day of fun but switch right back to enjoying that temperate Southern California weather for the rest of December? Not to worry: The city of Arcadia has the answer with its annual free Snow Festival. There will be snow play, a sled run, crafts, train rides, an ugly sweater contest, holiday music, and food trucks. What more could you want? (Pelting a sibling with a fresh snowball, perhaps? You didn’t hear that from us!)
The Snow Day falls on Saturday, December 2, and will take place at the Arcadia Community Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Glendora: Gingerbread House Decorating - Do you love to decorate gingerbread houses but hate baking the pieces and cleaning up the mess? Then head over to the Gingerbread House Decorating Party at Glendora Public Library! This event happens on Saturday, December 2, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. You can make your own house, take photos with the Gingerbread Man, go on a gingerbread scavenger hunt, and more! The best part? It’s free!
Christmas Parade: This year’s parade will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, December 9, in The Glendora Village at Bennett. The route goes down Glendora Avenue, then Foothill Boulevard, and finishes on Grand Avenue to Bennett.
Duarte: Celebrate the holiday season with the Duarte annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Duarte City Hall Courtyard on Thursday, November 30, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The event features crafts, carolers, photos with a jolly dude in a red suit, and treats before the tree lighting, which happens at 7:45 p.m.
Have a Safe Celebration
Don’t forget about safety while you're out celebrating with holiday activities in Azusa.
Before you leave home, make sure your Christmas tree is safe. Never leave the lights on if you’re asleep or not home, don’t use string lights with broken or worn cords, and never light candles on the tree. Every year, the National Fire Protection Association estimates that 160 house fires start with Christmas trees, and we don’t want you to be one of those victims.
Here’s another holiday safety tip: Practice candle safety. Holiday-scented candles can help you get into the holiday spirit, but they can be dangerous, too. Every year, firefighters respond to an estimated
7,610 house fires caused by candles. And guess what? Christmas is the
peak candle-fire day. So remember: Never light a candle within 12 inches of anything flammable, and never leave a lit candle unattended.
If you love parades, Santa, holiday lights, crafts, and other holiday activities, you don’t have to look—or drive—very far. Holiday cheer is everywhere in Azusa and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley. From all of us at Le Med Apartment Homes, we hope you enjoy these fun and magical holiday activities in Azusa, and we wish you a safe and happy holiday season!
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