A Merry Drive-Thru Is Ho, Ho, Going to Ventura

The ebullient act, art, and longtime tradition of slow-rolling down a street, all to take in a luminous line-up of lights, is a Decembertime must-do for so many Southern California families.

In short? We're well-accustomed to looking at dazzling displays through the windshield and windows of our cars.

Families across our region will still decorate their homes for Christmas 2020, and such spirits-raising drives will definitely happen, even as the pandemic has prompted the cancellation of other yuletide events.

But there's a new way to do the slow-roll-by-lights coming up, and it involves the same sort of pop-up drive-thru which frightfully festooned the recently concluded Halloween season.

An effervescent example of this?

It's the brand-new "Holidays in your Car" happening, which will call upon the Ventura County Fairgrounds first, with an opening date of Nov. 22, and then Del Mar Fairgrounds starting on Dec. 5.

If you attended any of the Ventura-based Concerts in Your Car pop-ups over the summer, this soon-to-debut spectacular is from the very same team.

So while many of us know what it is to drive by festive, lit-up houses, what will this dual-city celebration deliver?

"With headlights turned off, attendees will drive through an enchanting mile-and-a-half display of over one million dazzling LED lights, accompanied by uplifting holiday music," the producers revealed in a statement.

"Awe-inspiring holograms, laser light shows and impressive multi-colored projections casting festive images of the season onto sets — some standing over 40 feet tall — will all contribute to an unforgettable experience celebrating the most magical time of the year!"

Tickets will be sold per car, but note that "... the number of passengers must not exceed the number of safety belts/seats in the vehicle."

If there are four people (or fewer) in your car, it is $49 to attend, while five people (or more, up to the limit of safety belts/seats) is $64.