Pretend City's Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony

Pretend City Children's Museum in Irvine kicks off the holiday season with its Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, a cozy morning designed just for young kids. The museum's miniature city is the perfect setting for little ones to welcome winter. The tree lights up at 11:00 a.m., giving families a festive moment without a late-night outing. It is an ideal holiday tradition for toddlers and preschoolers.

After the lighting, the celebration continues with cookies and hot cocoa alongside a special visit from Santa from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Kids can share their wish lists, snap photos and then head off to explore the rest of the museum. Pretend City's hands-on play spaces, from the grocery store to the fire station, keep curious kids busy all day.

The tree lighting is included with regular museum admission, so there is no extra event ticket to buy. Space is limited, so families should reserve timed tickets in advance. Every child must be accompanied by someone 16 or older, and parking right at the museum is free.

📅 Dates & Times

Saturday, December 5, 2026

Tree Lighting: 11:00 a.m.

Cookies and Hot Cocoa with Santa: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Museum hours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

📍 Venue

Pretend City Children's Museum

29 Hubble

Irvine, CA 92618

👨🏻‍👩🏻‍👦🏻‍👦🏻 Age Requirement

All ages are welcome.

Pretend City is designed for young children, so this event is best suited to toddlers, preschoolers and early elementary kids.

All children must be accompanied by a person 16 or older.

🎟️ Tickets/Price

Included with museum admission.

Children: $22

Adults: $22

Seniors and Military & Family: $20

Museums for All (EBT/WIC): $5 per person for up to four visitors

Infants up to 12 months and members: Free

Space is limited; advance tickets are recommended.

GET TICKETS FOR PRETEND CITY

🍔 Food

Cookies and hot cocoa are served during the Santa visit from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

🚙 Parking

Free parking is available in the museum lot and behind the building, with additional street parking on Bunsen and Hubble.

🌐 Website Link

Pretend City's Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony

🧭 Directions

Click on the “Google” map for directions.

📢 Disclaimer

Event listings are believed to be accurate at the time of posting, but details are subject to change without notice. Please confirm all details with the event organizer before attending. FUN WITH KIDS IN LA® is not liable for errors, omissions, or changes to listings in our calendar. Some events have paid us to be on our events calendar, and some events contain an affiliate link.