Upper Hastings Ranch Association

A nostalgic time of childhood was cramming everyone in the cars and caravanning to go see Christmas lights. My first time visiting Hastings ranch and it brought back those fond memories.

Cars were slowly making their way through the sections. Arms were popping out of windows with cameras at the ready. We were all weaving through the neighborhood. Streets were lined with these cute marquee themes stars, polar bears, Christmas trees, candy canes, easel shadow boxes, moon and angels. very helpful markers when you ask yourself, "have we been down this street?"

I appreciated all the houses that decorated this year. We enjoyed it. The themes were fun to see. Minions, Charlie Brown, Disney, Star Wars, nativity, Santa reindeer, the chilly penguin was so funny (if you've seen it, you know). One house had the radio station to tune into for a musical accompaniment. The house on the hill was one of the main attractions. Flooded with lights to view by the gate. There are other houses that are more accessible to get out and take photos. One house had the Charlie Brown Christmas playing through the window. A surprise added bonus while searching for something outstanding. A reminiscent time of the good old days.

I really wanted to like the Christmas tree light display houses here but there were barely any after driving a long distance.

There was a few here and there that was really decorative

Wish they did like El Segundo and closed off street and had more houses decorated

It seems like they said this year there was a drastic reduction in homes displaying lights, makes sense

You really have to drive around a few blocks or walk & search for blocks with consistent or most of the houses displaying lights

Some blocks had no or barely any houses decorated

The only part that stood out was the insane house all the way at the top that did not disappoint or else I would have given a 1 star. This house was huge and every inch was decorated beautifully

The wait for this house alone if you're driving was like 20 min by itself

Honestly not worth it, if you go with little kids or older parents/grandparents, its also very uphill and hard to walk around for them. Would not recommend

Upper Hastings Ranch neighborhood in Pasadena is gearing up for its annual Holiday LightUp event. Running from Dec. 9 to Dec. 31, this Christmas Light Display has been a staple of the community since its humble beginnings in 1951.

Hubby and I walked almost 4 miles and still couldn't finish all the houses, is our second year going we love it.

Recommended it!!! Arrive early to be able to find parking lot if you want to walk around.

Merry Christmas Everyone

4 stars

For anyone who would like to see Christmas lights, this neighborhood is a pretty solid choice. The first time I visited was Xmas of 2021 and almost every house was lit. Unfortunately, 2023 saw a reduction of decorated houses. The most lit up house is at the very top of hastings ranch street.

I'll be back next year :)

This year, we decided to see Christmas lights at UHR and it was such a delight!! Our initial plan to fly to Vegas was botched due to flight cancellations, but we still wanted to do something festive. I was really impressed how many streets participated in putting up Christmas lights, and every street is demarcated with a different Christmas-theme, such as snowman, snowflakes, Santa, etc. I think there's a map of all the different streets affiliated with this showcase of lights, but we just stopped by without any prior planning and still enjoyed our 5-15mph drive around the blocks. Just bring along some hot chocolate and put on KOST Christmas music, and you're in for a treat!

Some people prefer to park and walk through all the streets, but we brought along our two cats and they were already overly- stimulated with just the drive-by. But I think getting out of the car and walking would be a very nice way to enjoy the cool winter's night. Just be careful crossing the streets--they're not very well lit around the intersection area and cars that are not participating in the Christmas lights may get inpatient. But overall it seemed really safe to get out and walk around the neighborhood.

We try to come every year to visit all the festivities. It's always fun to see all the houses lit up and decorated for the holidays.

This neighborhood has a very organized holiday light up event. This was the 70th year! Each street has a theme and it's displayed on the trees with which street you're on. The displays are lit up so you know if you have already drove or walked it. Most people drive as the streets are very hilly and it's very spread out.

They also offer a Google map with all the winners of this year's event. Categories include Best Use of Light, Best Use of Theme, Religious, Humor and Imagination, and Golden Bell Winners.
You can view it at:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1055RdMis0x_N4aSZRQpfTyHSip0KUOo&ll=34.16681872802019%2C-118.0723142409643&z=15

It's free to drive around in the area!

Definitely recommended!

We go every year for the last 9 years, the kiddos love it, some streets have themes so the neighbors decorate to that theme. It's pretty awesome!

Went here twice over the holidays. Was able to get down to take some pics. Not crowded. I liked that each street has a different character hang in front of the trees so that you can tell if you've been there or not...

Place is easy to find, just put in the address from yelp.

Definitely will be back next year!

It is such a pleasure to come here for the holiday lights! Blocks and blocks full of lights and decor, each one with its own theme which you will see along trees with cardboard cutouts of reindeer, candy canes, etc! I love that the entire community has joined in the effort to share all this winter-themed beauty with the public.

I've only been coming here for a few years, but it's a great way to spend maybe 30 minutes or so slowly driving, exploring, and admiring all the details that the residents put so much work into displaying. A wonderful way to get more into the holiday spirit. Some people even park and walk around the neighborhood, but there are some hills so that could get tiring.

There is a house high up on a hill that is huge and almost seems like a Christmas town on its own! Don't miss it.

The only reason this is 4 star instead of 5 star is I feel like there has been less homes with lights displayed now than in the previous years... but still plenty to enjoy.

One of Southern California's best-known Christmas traditions began in 1957 and is officially called, "The Holiday Light Up." Specific start and end dates for each year can be found on the association's FaceBook page and UHRA.org

The dates for the 2018 holiday season were December 8 - January 2. It begins at 6pm and officially ends at 10pm but it's best to be there around 8:30 or 9 to start. I found some homes turned their lights off earlier than 10. I've heard that on the weekend just prior to Christmas there are bands, carolers and Santa!

Historical fact: This area was originally purchased as an 1100 acre parcel by Charles Hastings in 1882. It's now accessed by several main roads: Sierra Madre Blvd., Michillinda Avenue, Hastings Ranch Blvd. and Riviera Drive.

Fun facts: Holiday Light Up began as a real estate sales gimmick and was conceived by realtor William Lawson, aka Captain Billy. According to Wikipedia, It's considered one of the first (if not the first) So Cal Christmas light displays of scale.

On a very cold and windy LA night around New Year's, I ventured out to Hastings Ranch to finally see what all the fuss was about. I dressed warmly in case I had to walk around and even brought hot tea with me...but it wasn't necessary as I stayed in my warm car through the whole drive!

These are the streets I visited:
*Hastings Ranch Road
*Daveric Street
*Leonard Street
*Pepperhill Street
*Riviera Street
*Crestview Street
*Pine Bluff Street
*Pear Orchard Street
*Valleylights Street
*Michilinda Avenue

I thought it was charming and I'd certainly bring relatives or friends visiting LA during the holidays. It's really too vast to walk so it's best to drive. Some of the stand-outs: Santa with his hat in hand - kneeling at the Nativity scene, a pimped out penguin in a gold Land Rover, many religious scenes and Cinderella alongside Captain America. There's the cute, the serious and just the darn pretty - something for everyone.

Yelp Challenge 2019: 2/100