Written By Mauricio Segura // Photo: Golden Bay Times Graphics Dept.
This holiday season, the lights are back in a big way at Sacramento’s beloved festival of magic, the event known as Imaginarium at Cal Expo. Held at Cal Expo (1600 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento), this spectacle has grown into one of California’s biggest and brightest holiday light extravaganzas, inviting families and light seekers of all ages into a realm where fairy tales meet photo-worthy sparkle.
Walking through the festival feels like stepping into another world. Imagine rose gardens glowing with LEDs, illuminated forests winding around giant storybook creatures, infinity mirror rooms that bend reality, and carnival rides spinning under the shimmer of millions of lights. According to the organizers, guests will wind their way through more than five million lights per season, exploring immersive landscapes that mix fantasy, nostalgia, and the simple joy of being dazzled.
The 2025 season opens November 21 and runs through January 4. Evening hours vary by day, typically Wednesdays and Thursdays are open from about 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays often run until 11 p.m., and Sundays generally wrap a little earlier. Ticket pricing is surprisingly accessible for an experience of this scale, with general admission for adults starting around $21 and child and senior tickets beginning near $16. Parking costs extra, so plan ahead.
It’s not just lights. Carnival rides, games, and an ice-skating rink are part of the mix, turning a walk through illuminated sculpture into a full evening outing. Food concessions offer the kind of fair-style fare you’d expect: pizza, hot dogs, fries, and warm drinks. Outside food and beverages are not permitted, except for baby food or medical exceptions.
What makes this event resonate is its blend of spectacle and shared experience. A festival of lights isn’t just about seeing; it’s about being in the moment, bundled up, laughing, posing for photos, and letting the ordinary fade into the black night as color and reflection take over. It carries a sense of tradition, even for first-time visitors, as if it’s something that should have been part of every childhood winter.
For those who appreciate both visual storytelling and reflective moments, Imaginarium has layers. On one level, it’s pure fun with lights, photo ops, and rides that bring out a childlike sense of excitement. On another, it offers something quieter: a space for wonder, for letting go of daily noise and stress, and simply feeling small in a sea of light and color. Of course, being outdoors, there’s the chilly factor. One Redditor summed it up bluntly: “It looks spectacular from afar… getting close, it’s neat at first, but I got bored of the lights rather quickly and standing out in the cold.”
The history behind the festival gives it added depth. What started under another name in past years, originally known as Global Winter Wonderland, has evolved into a polished, large-scale production by Imaginarium 360. Each year, new attractions are added, from laser mazes and infinity rooms to ever more ambitious light sculptures. For families who’ve come before, it offers something new; for first-timers, it’s a revelation.
Things to remember: dress warmly, buy your tickets online to skip the lines, arrive early for the best photo spots, and plan for at least an hour or more if you want to enjoy the rides and snacks. The payoff isn’t just in the photos you’ll take; it’s in the shared moments of awe, laughter, and warmth that come from being surrounded by beauty in motion.
In essence, Imaginarium at Cal Expo is more than just a holiday light show. It’s a full-on experience of wonder, community, and memory-making, a shimmering reminder that even in the dark and the cold, there’s still room for a little magic.
For more information: Imgainarium Sacramento
