Reasons we love Tanaka Farms Hikari
Check out the six reasons we love Tanaka Farms Hikari! The Hikari lights are on now through December 30 at Tanaka Farms. Read on for more details about Hikari and why we think it’s a great holiday outing.
Thank you to Tanaka Farms for hosting us at Hikari. We received tickets to attend Hikari in exchange for our written review. All opinions are honest and our own. This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. We earn a commission from all qualifying purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
What exactly is Hikari?
The word Hikari means “shine” in Japanese. Tanaka Farms will be demonstrating Hikari for visitors this holiday season! Tanaka Farms Hikari Festival of Lights will light up the 30-acre farm with over a mile of twinkling lights. Upon entering Tanaka fields, it will look like the farm is literally growing lights!
Six Reasons we love Tanka Farms Hikari
This year Tanaka’s Hikari experience felt like a different experience as it was walk through instead of a drive-thru. I loved both experiences, but this year it felt like we could really take our time strolling through the light installations.
Below, read six reasons why we love Tanaka Farms Hikari and the experience we had this year!
1. All of your senses are engaged!
There are lights, live music, and the smell of kettle corn from nearby vending area.
2. There’s a petting zoo for all ages
Every holiday event seems to have it’s own special little something. For Tanaka’s Hikari, aside from lights of course, I would say it’s being able to walk through the little petting zoo. I don’t care how old you are, it’s still neat to walk past these farm animals and see them up close even if you don’t care to pet 😉 In fact, we discovered that chickens sleep up high on rafters, not on the floor! That rocked our world. LOL!
3. Beautiful Photo Opps everywhere you look!
The lights alone are stunning! You can get so many gorgeous pictures of the lights themselves, in the light tunnels, or along the lantern lane. There are also plenty of cutouts and cute prop set ups throughout that make for some nice pictures!
4. A potential date night spot
I know, everyone things of Tanaka Farms as a place to get great produce or take the kids for a farm tour. But hear me out. While the girls ran ahead of us and had a ball running around and looking at the lights, the hubby and I enjoyed everything a at a slower pace and taking in the beauty. This is a night event after all, so it’s not too far fetched an idea to head out and enjoy some time walking through the beautiful scenery with your significant other 😉
5. You can choose to ride the wagon and do extras…or not!
Something that I appreciate about this event? If you don’t want to ride the wagon, you don’t. If you don’t want a pic with Santa because you already got one elsewhere, you can just skip it! Some events build all of these extras into the cost of an event. I appreciate that you can just pay general admission, enjoy the lights, and not partake in the extras (guilt free) if your family does not care to partake in them.
I personally think that you are not missing too much if you do not do the tractor experience. Unlike during Tanaka’s u-pick wagon rides, we did not have a guide giving us information about the farm or talking during the ride. You will definitely see more lights, but I don’t know that it is a huge loss if you decide to forgo the experience. Now, if you have kids that really love tractors, or want the feeling of a night time tractor ride, than the wagon ride is definitely an experience you should consider. If you do, don’t sit right behind the tractor though if you want to avoid the exhaust fumes 😉
6. Vets and active military get free general admission!
Tanaka gives free general admission to vets. According to the Tanaka site, “Active military personnel, as well as veterans and retirees, are entitled to receive FREE admission. There is no need to register online for a ticket for Military members. Simply show valid Military ID is at check-in for FREE entry.”
Please note that wagon rides are not free. Also, this offer only applies to the service member.
Important Details:
Please note some important details about Tanaka Farms Hikari below. Be sure to head to the Tanaka website if you’d like more details.
Hours:
Open daily from 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
First wagon ride departs at 5:30 p.m. and entry gates close at 8:30 p.m.
Closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
Ticket Information
General Admission
General admission includes entering the farm and walking through the “Gingerbread Forest.” This includes walking through the light displays, standalone photo displays, and access to the food and drink stands. Of course, the market is open to walk through as well.
There is also an opportunity to get pictures with Santa, pet animals, and partake in arts and crafts. All of these activities are priced individually. Taking a picture with Santa and completing arts and crafts requires purchase of a separate activity ticket.
Holiday Wagon Ride
The Holiday Wagon Ride includes both the walk through the “Gingerbread Forest” and a ride on a Wagon tractor. Cost for the Wagon ride varies by date and ranges from $20 to $25 according to the Tanaka website.
You will ride the wagon through part of the farm. You will be dropped off right before Candy Cane Lane and walk through to enjoy all of the lights.
Tanka Farms recommends that you make wagon ride reservations in advance as these tickets tend to sell out quickly.
>>>Enter the code “OCMOMMY” to receive 10% off of your Hikari reservations!<<<
Pricing
Pricing is based upon activities that you choose to participate in. I recommend that you head over to Tanaka Hikari website for further pricing details listed for each date. You can find further details at https://www.tanakafarms.com/hikari.
>>>Enter the code “OCMOMMY” to receive 10% off of your Hikari reservations!<<<
Parking Pass REQUIRED!
You MUST purchase a $10 parking pass in order to park at Tanaka Farms! Be sure to purchase in advance of arrival. You cannot arrive prior to the time listed on your parking pass.
Looking for more fun holiday ideas?
Please be sure to check out the “entertainment” and “DIY” sections of our website for some more fun holiday ideas!
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