Willow Glen Holiday Lights

Without a doubt, the best neighborhood of holiday lights in the South Bay — and possibly even in the entire Bay Area — is in Willow Glen, a charming community centrally located in San Jose. It is a MUST SEE for us every holiday season. And not just once or even twice. This year we visited four times! And we still crave for more!

The holiday cheer here is contagious. Whenever we visit, not only do I feel my holiday spirits lift instantly, but I also catch myself grinning from ear to ear every five minutes. Or maybe it’s every minute – I’m not sure. We’ve even seen some of the residents out in their front yards all night greeting visitors!

It’s spectacular how year after year the residents of Willow Glen continue to decorate their homes at an extraordinarily high participation rate – pretty much every house within the 5+ block radius is brightly lit. Plus, there’s not just one holiday lighting tradition that the folks here continue to celebrate, but two! Not only will you find each participating home with a small, cutely decorated Christmas tree placed near the sidewalk in the front yard, but each street also has its own distinct theme that is impossible to miss. Brightly lit archways, light poles, hanging glow sticks, hanging snowflakes, candy canes, shooting stars, snowmen, and more. They sure are creative and crafty with string lights and PVC pipes here! (This will make so much more sense once you go visit, I promise).

Pro tips for an unforgettable experience in this wonderland of lights:

• Parking – Drive in from Meridian Ave → Willow St → Park on the first few streets on the left like Glen Eyrie Ave or Glen Echo Ave to avoid getting stuck in traffic. There is plenty of street parking available.
• Best Time – All the lights are typically up by the second Saturday in December, but most are up before then. Over the years it has gotten more crowded here, so we recommend either visiting earlier in the night (around sunset ~5:30pm) or later (~9pm) to avoid the popular after-dinner crowds. The lights typically stay on until 10pm, and even later until 11pm the closer it gets to Christmas day.
• Walk or Drive – Walk! You can drive, but we prefer walking in order to soak in the experience at our own pace, without feeling pressured by cars waiting behind you.
• Route – Up to you! It’s all fantastic, no matter which street or side of Willow St you start on. The north side of Willow St (closer to Los Gatos Creek) is where most visitors start and thus more crowded than the south side (next to Willow Street Frank Bramhall Park). One side is not better than the other – despite what the crowds show – so make sure to walk around both! If you and/or your dog would prefer to dip your toes rather than dive all in, we recommend breaking up the experience over multiple shorter visits rather than attempting to see it all at once (which from experience can easily take over 2.5 hours… I logged ~5 miles that night!)
• Dog-Specific – Many dogs stroll down the sidewalks here with their pawrents, so be mindful if your bestie can get reactive towards other dogs. We personally step off into the street when we see other dogs on the sidewalk to avoid any potential issues. Also, please pick up after your pup – you can throw it away at the park nearby.
• Layer up!

Starting from Glen Echo Ave, this street’s theme is a combination of bright light poles and colorful glow sticks hanging from the trees. This is one of our favorite streets!

Next up is Glen Eyrie Ave, which is on the north side and parallel to Willow St. The highlight here is the reindeer and Santa display that is connected across multiple houses, with Rudolph leading the way. Pictures don’t do this justice – it is a definite must see.

Glen Brook Ave also has bright, colorful light poles along the sidewalk. One of the houses even has a fun Xmas Dance Zone in the driveway!

You’ll find magical tunnels of lights on Cherry Ave. But wait, this isn’t the only street with light tunnels that you can walk through! My favorite display on this street is on the south side: the Main Street Electrical Parade, with all your favorite Disney characters waiting on the front yard to board the train. Watch out for the snow showers here!

Camino Ramon is the other street with brilliant light tunnels, but in the shape of Christmas trees. Camino Pablo is the only street where the theme is where you’d least expect to find it: bright snowflakes hanging above the street in the sky! Other themed streets include Camino Ricardo (candy canes), Carolyn Ave (shooting stars), and Lester Ave (snowmen with purple hats). And last but not least, Willow St itself has some of the most elaborate displays in the entire neighborhood, like the Charlie Brown house below with beautifully colorful trees.

To conclude this symphony of lights, we recommend driving to the final number at the Toys for Tots house at 1800 Willow Street, and the encore at the Make-A-Wish house at 1851 Cherry Ave. The intricate displays at both of these houses take donations that benefit their respective organizations.

So gift yourself and your dog an unforgettable experience this holiday season and go visit the Willow Glen Holiday Lights! Plus, our ultimate guide is an excellent place to discover even more neighborhood holiday lights in the Bay Area to stroll around with your dog.