These are the best holiday lights in the Bay Area

As winter solstice approaches and the nights get longer, brilliant — and extravagant — holiday displays are a beacon of light, brightening the darkest, coldest Bay Area nights. Every neighborhood has those unique few houses that do it up for the holidays, but finding the best displays in the region can be difficult.

Fortunately, holiday lights aficionado Alex Dourov has created the most extensive guide to the best holiday lights on his website, California Christmas Lights. Despite receiving hundreds of submissions to his website every year, Dourov carefully sorts through the displays and only adds 10 to 15 new listings each holiday season.

“I was very discriminating in ensuring that only truly amazing, unique, or out-of-this-world displays held a coveted spot on the website,” he told SFGATE.

But after 25 years of having his mid-October to mid-December consumed by holiday displays, Dourov announced this would be the last year in charge of the website, which he plans to hand over to another holiday lights lover.

“I don’t know — it’s bittersweet for me to give it up, but with one grandchild that I babysit several days and nights each week, and another due real soon that I will also be babysitting, something had to give,” he explained.

Dourov himself has one of the Bay Area’s most impressive neighborhood holiday displays, in Livermore. But even his extreme display pales when compared with the home of Deacon Dave, who has what many believe is the largest light display in the Bay Area, with around 880,000 lights at his home, also in Livermore.

Some popular Bay Area displays are dark this year, including the Gingy House in Suisun City and a former “The Great Christmas Light Fight” winner in Santa Rosa. However, plenty of options remain to explore and enjoy this holiday season. 

Here is Dourov’s list of the best holiday light displays in the Bay Area for 2023, listed by county and city in alphabetical order. A few SFGATE staff favorites are listed, as well. Click on the home address for the Google Maps link. For exact days and hours holiday displays are lit, please check out the homes’ listings on CaliforniaChristmasLights.com.

78 Kilkenny Place, Alameda
This display, known as “Reflections of Christmas,” is best viewed from the rear of the house, as it is reflected in the lagoon. Drive or walk across the lagoon on Aughinbaugh Way and cross the street to Baywalk Road.

43344 Arkwood St., Fremont
“In Fremont, this family has been getting bigger and better with cookies and hot chocolate on weekends — and it’s a walk-through display,” said Dourov. It has a 12 days of Christmas display and a huge Christmas village with a carnival scene.

40 Espada Court, Fremont
For about 20 years, this house with Victorian figurines has been part of a “walking neighborhood” with many well-decorated homes nearby.

36040 Wellington Place, Fremont
Crippsmas Place is the name for 70-plus nearby homes that are decorated for the holiday season; you can either drive or park and walk the streets to enjoy the lights. This neighborhood tradition has been going for more than 40 years and started as a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. More information on crippsmasplace.org.

352 Hillcrest Ave., Livermore
If you want to experience what is believed to be the largest holiday-decorated home display in the Bay Area, make the trip to Deacon Dave’s house in Livermore, which has entertained crowds for years.

The best nights to view the house are Mondays and Tuesdays when the crowds are the lightest. For more information, go to casadelpomba.com

“The Naughty or Nice feature and the Santa Phone, both on the porch, are huge favorites for kids and adults alike,” Dourov said. “The display is interactive and is designed for people to walk around on the property — in the driveway and onto the porch — to see all the attractions. So, park your car, get out and walk around to see everything.”

1234 Riesling Circle, Livermore
This U-shaped street in Livermore has 26 decorated houses. You should get out of your car and walk the neighborhood to enjoy the lights.

6716 Fountaine Ave., Newark
A contender on the 2022 season of “The Great Christmas Light Fight,” this home has a synchronized light show with music broadcast on 88.1 FM. There are four singing Christmas trees, a 33-foot inflatable Santa Claus, giant inflatable snowmen, candy canes and a Christmas tree. There is also a giant couch for photo opportunities.

4480 Clarewood Drive, Oakland
“In Oakland, one of the best displays in the area — a one-woman effort, and her talent really shines,” Dourov said. The display is divided into two sections: the Candy Cane Forest and the Rejoice section.

Picardy Drive, Oakland
Many of the hundred-or-so residents of East Oakland’s Picardy Drive, between Seminary Avenue and 55th Avenue, illuminate their Tudor-style houses with an unbroken string of lights. The display is a holiday tradition that dates back more than 90 years, and it’s meant to symbolize warmth, friendship, and unity. The city of Oakland also helps neighbors string lights on a large tree on a grassy median in the middle of the street.

The best way to enjoy the displays is to walk the five blocks. Make sure to keep an eye out for the “cranedeer,” inspired by Oakland’s shipping industry, that is making its first appearance this year.

3671 Chelsea Court, Pleasanton
Widmer World (aka Bob’s World Two), is another must-see home, even though you have to get out of your car. The display, which has been going on for more than 36 years, is mostly in the backyard of the house and features a 250-yard stroll through holiday lights. More info on Facebook.

4641 Queen Anne Court, Union City
“Queen Anne Court in Union City has 20-plus homes all decked out — no synchronized lights, but good old-fashioned classy displays,” Dourov said. 4641 Queen Anne Court has three Christmas trees with synchronized lights and music and inflatables.

3732 Colonial Court, Antioch
Known around town as the “Disney House,” this house has more than 35,000 lights. The homeowner makes all of the yard displays.

1201 Silverton Way, Brentwood
This house in Brentwood has a little bit of everything, said Dourov, including musical synced lights and a walkway to stroll through the display.

733 Solitude Drive, Oakley
“This must-see house in Oakley is a wonder to see day or night — better at night, of course,” said Dourov. The display has more than 3,000 smart bulbs and includes Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Olaf and a penguin on an ice rink.

1 Woodview Court, San Ramon
Another walking neighborhood, Vista San Ramon has 161 homes that are decorated as part of the “Festival of Lights.”

Park at San Ramon Central Park or Iron Horse Middle School. Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano bins will be set up for donations on Woodview Terrace Drive at Overlook Drive and at Woodland Drive.

There’s also a 19-foot-tall singing tree with a lighted star accompanied by a 1,200-light matrix display. You can listen to music with your radio tuned to 93.3 FM.

2470 Gitana Court, Morgan Hill
This entire court gets in on the holiday decorations. 2470 features different holiday movies every night and the display includes new inflatables and Santa taking off from the roof.

1716 to 1881 Fulton Ave., Palo Alto
Since 1940, the 1700 and 1800 blocks of Fulton Avenue have been known as “Christmas Tree Lane.” Each house on the street is decorated and also boasts a matching live Christmas tree. They line the road, each lit with colored lights.

Parking on an adjacent road and walking to enjoy the lights is recommended.

259 Kaybe Court, San Jose
“Bobby and Genee Holiday Lights is now located on a cul-de-sac so the viewing experience is much safer for lots of foot traffic,” Dourov said. The 25,000-light display includes a smart pixel display and music playing on 99.5 FM. 

578 Flagler St., San Jose
This display is a contender for the 2023 season of “The Great Christmas Light Fight.” It has a 6-foot-tall talking and singing Santa that greets guests; kids can find out if they are naughty or nice at the push of a button. The home’s two Sven reindeer make themselves available for sit-on photo opportunities for children under 60 pounds.

974 Bluebonnet Drive, Sunnyvale
The Bluebonnet Lights are a group of six houses that synchronize their holiday displays together. Most of the display are LED lights that change colors to the beat of the music.

68 Castro St., San Francisco
Described by one San Franciscan as “the most merry house in San Francisco,” 68 Castro St. delights people with its all-out display of lights and a suspended Santa Claus at the center of it all.

49 Eagle St., San Francisco
After a two-year hiatus, 49 Eagle St. in Eureka Valley is lit once more, but will be a bit more limited in its display because the exterior of the house is still under construction.

1260 Rainier Ave., Pacifica
This Pacifica house has thousands of LED lights programmed to sync to a music broadcast on 96.1 FM. There are also speakers in the yard. The house also has three firework lights, each with 2,600 lights.

1963 Eucalyptus Ave., San Carlos
Almost every house on the 1900 and 2000 blocks of Eucalyptus Avenue is lit up with holiday cheer. Traffic flows from the intersection at Orange Avenue, and the street is one-way to help prevent congestion.

Birch Street, which is the next block over, also has many decorations.

2132 Calder Place, Fairfield
Another former contestant on “The Great Christmas Light Fight,” Ben and Nancy’s Fairfield house is a Christmas lights tribute to Disneyland. You can listen to the musical light display on 88.3 FM from your car. Its light show is one of the best, if not the best, in the Bay Area.

The display has a computer-controlled animated light show daily. For more information, go to the home’s Facebook page.

D Street, Petaluma
D Street is known for its large, stately homes and elaborate Christmas decorations.

“If you’re an Edgar Allen Poe fan, you will appreciate this house,” J.J. Harris told SFGATE, describing one mansion in the neighborhood. “It’s the same every year, and each year I see it, I always think, ‘The Fall of the House of Usher.’ There’s no Mickey or Minnie or three Wise Men here.”

2580 Bean Creek Road, Scotts Valley
Some joke that with this many lights, this Santa Cruz-area display can be seen from Silicon Valley. It features lights synchronized to 15 different Christmas songs.

2130 Bentley Lane, Tracy
A Disney-themed light show draws crowds to this home, known as the Bentley Lane Holiday Magic House. This year, the mini facade theme is once again “The Tiki Room.” You can listen to the music on your car radio at 92.3 FM. For more information, go to the home’s Facebook page.