Dodgers Holiday Festival: MUST KNOW Tips!

If you are a Dodgers fan, I’m sure you have heard of the Dodgers Holiday Festival. We had a blast and would like to share some absolute MUST KNOW tips before you make the trek out to the stadium for some holiday magic this November 27th through December 24th!

A SoCal Way of Life received tickets to attend the Dodgers Holiday Festival in exchange for a review of our experience. However, all opinions stated here are honest and my own. This post also contains Amazon Affiliate links. A SoCal Way of Life earns a commission on all qualifying purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

What is the Dodgers Holiday Festival?

For those that have not heard of the Dodgers Holiday Festival, it is a holiday celebration of the 2020 Major League Baseball World Champions! This 100% holiday drive-thru event has light shows, LED video displays, artificial snow, music, dancers, light tunnels, and interactive displays.

There will be no doubt that you entered Dodger territory as you drive through. You can feel the Dodger Blue love as you make your way through the drive through and fans honking and cheering along.

What was the experience like?

Dodger blue love runs DEEP ya’ll! There is no doubt that LA is proud of these 2020 World Champions. In essence, this is the celebration for fans since 2020 did not allow for crowded parades.

The drive-thru itself was a very high-energy, happy event. One thing that I personally loved about it is that multiple holidays were represented in the decor.

My personal favorite though was most definitely the light tunnels. There were at least three and they were absolute show stoppers, in my opinion!

You will find sections with Dodger video footage, fake snow, bobble heads, and even Santa Clause. There are staff throughout the event merrily dancing and waving to everyone in the car.

Tips you MUST know!

Like all drive thru events, there are certain things you must be prepared for. However, the Dodger Holiday Festival in particular seems to be so popular that there are some things you need to be aware of. This is especially true if you head out to Dodgers Stadium on a sold out or very popular night of the week.

Get the earliest ticket time that you can!

Keep in mind that this is the celebration and parade that fans were unable to have due to the pandemic. The fact is that you need to be prepared for long wait times to get into the actual event. What does this mean?

The Dodgers website suggests that you arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled entrance time. We arrived promptly at 7 p.m. for our 7:30 p.m. time slot. Getting to the ticket booth was fine, however, the wait time between the ticket booth and entering the event was one of epic proportions. We did not enter the actual drive thru experience until about 8:25 p.m. We completed the drive-thru at 8:56 p.m.

I suspect that the earlier your ticket time, the better your chances of having a short wait time.

*Note: We headed out on a Saturday night. Conditions MIGHT be different on different days of the week.*

Arrive AT LEAST 30 minutes before your ticket time.

See what I wrote above. The sooner you get there, the more likely you are to get in at your scheduled time.

Have EVERYONE prepared before leaving home

There are NO RESTROOMS and no food at the Dodger Holiday Festival. This is pretty common across drive thru experiences in SoCal. However, due to the extraordinarily long wait, you want to make sure that everyone in the car is prepared.

Make sure everyone has used the restroom before leaving home.
Take a portable potty if you have little ones.
Make sure everyone has a meal before you head out or have snacks in the car.
Take masks with you for times when you have your windows rolled down or have to interact with staff.

Make sure you are NOT in the Covid testing lane!

Dodgers Stadium currently has a drive-up Covid-19 testing area. Please be sure to check signs as you drive in and that you head to Gate E (or whatever your ticket states the night of your scheduled visit). I know of friends that waited in the Covid-19 line only to find out that they were in the wrong place and line. Save yourself the time 😉

Take entertainment in the car

If you have impatient individuals in your car, or toddlers, make sure you have some entertainment for them. Maybe take some book lights and books, crayons and coloring books, etc.

My kids are older and handled the wait well. Many of the people in line were just as happy to be there as we were! We had windows rolled down and waved hi to kids (THEY LOVED IT!) and even played “Rock Paper Scissors” with neighboring cars.

Like anything else in life, moments are what you make them. I can honestly say that I had a blast hanging out with my family in the car, outside of the house and away from screens. We talked, we jammed out to music, made videos with our phones, and just had fun being goofy with complete strangers in other cars.

Bring a car with a sunroof for added fun

Hanging out through the sunroof while going through the drive thru adds an extra element of fun! My girls thought it was the best thing ever that they got to stand up and poke their heads out through the sunroof, especially when the artificial snow was coming down and we drove through light tunnels.

Just be sure that your car is clean of course, and that you are driving very slow.

Take a selfie stick

If you have a selfie stick combined with a sunroof, you get twice the fun! I loved getting pictures and video of my girls taking in the festivities.

Also, you can get some beautiful clear shots if you stick your camera through the window. No need to worry about streaky windows ruining a nice photo!

Know the rules

Here are some key rules you should be aware of.

Be sure to check out Dodgers Holiday Festival website for more details.

Tickets must be purchased in advance. No on-site ticket sales.
You must stay in your car at all times.
You must wear a face covering when car windows are rolled down.
Drivers are not to take pictures, video, or hold a cell phone while operating the vehicle.
There is a maximum of 8 persons per vehicle allowed.
Cars and SUVs can only be up to 8 feet high.
No limos, bicycles, motorcycles, scooters, vehicles with trailers attached, buses, RVs, HGV’s, minibuses, cars with trailers attached, or any vehicles that exceed eight (8) feet in height will be permitted to enter.
Guests will also NOT be permitted to sit in the bed of a pick-up truck.

Quick Facts about Dodger Holiday Festival:

- Location: Dodger Stadium, 100 Vin Scully Ave., Los Angeles, CA
- Dates and times: Open nightly, November 27th through December 24th, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Where to buy tickets: https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/fans/holiday-festival
- Ticket prices: Prices start at $55 per vehicle/ticket. Each vehicle only needs one ticket.