{"id":71477,"date":"2025-11-27T01:09:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T01:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/71477\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T01:09:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T01:09:16","slug":"this-is-californias-best-christmas-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/71477\/","title":{"rendered":"This is California\u2019s best Christmas town"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Southern California tourist trap has once again been named as a must-visit destination for lovers of Christmastime.<\/p>\n

Solvang<\/a>, the Danish-inspired community located in the heart of Santa Ynez Valley<\/a> wine country, has been named the top town for Christmas aficionados in two separate reader\u2019s choice contests by major publications.<\/p>\n

Newsweek readers named Solvang the No. 5 best Christmas Town<\/a> in the nation, the highest ranking among all California towns, in its annual Newsweek Readers\u2019 Choice Awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"One<\/a><\/p>\n

One of Solvang\u2019s iconic windmills is seen lit up in blue during the town\u2019s annual Julefest celebration in 2022. (Mike Laan\/City of Solvang)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the second time in as many years that Solvang was named the top Christmas Town in California, after finishing No. 2 in the nation just last year<\/a> after being edged out by Grapevine, Texas\u2014which again claimed the top spot in the country.<\/p>\n

Solvang\u2019s annual Maker\u2019s Market, which takes place during the monthlong winter Julefest celebration, also landed on a Newsweek best-of list, claiming the No. 6 spot in its Best Christmas Market<\/a> list.<\/p>\n

\u201cJulefest lights up Danish windmills, bakeries and half-timbered storefronts with parades, a tree lighting and visits with Santa. The Julefest Maker\u2019s Market fills Solvang Park with crafters and local artisans, bringing European-style shopping outdoors under Central Coast skies,\u201d Newsweek wrote. \u201cThis storybook town wraps heritage and hospitality into one festive, walkable celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Visitors<\/p>\n

Visitors gather around for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in Solvang as part of its 2023 Julefest kickoff. (SolvangUSA.com)<\/p>\n

\"Gingerbread<\/p>\n

Gingerbread decorations at a bakery in Solvang as part of its 2023 Julefest kickoff. (SolvangUSA.com)<\/p>\n

\"Visitors<\/p>\n

Visitors to Solvang ride in a horse-drawn trolley during the town\u2019s 2023 Julefest kickoff. (SolvangUSA.com)<\/p>\n

Another reader\u2019s choice awards from a different publication is also celebrating the Danish Capital of America.<\/p>\n

The Zoe Report, a lifestyle website geared towards women consumers, held its own reader\u2019s choice awards with a category dedicated to Best Christmas Town<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This time Solvang claimed the top prize, beating out Aspen, Colorado (2nd) and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (3rd), as well as its de facto rival in Grapevine (7th).<\/p>\n

Readers of the Zoe Report gushed about the European decor, small-town charm and smell of baked goods in the air, as well as its horse-drawn trolleys and Christmas shops open year-round. They also highlighted the ability to immerse oneself in the Christmas spirit without having to worry about freezing their tails off.<\/p>\n

Those curious about seeing Solvang themselves during the holiday season are in luck.<\/p>\n

Solvang\u2019s annual Julefest<\/a>\u00a0(pronounced \u2018yool-fest\u2019) takes place from late-November into early January. The event features Danish desserts, Christmas decorations and lights, parades and performances, which all take place after the town\u2019s annual Christmas tree lighting in early December.<\/p>\n

\"Firefighters<\/a><\/p>\n

Firefighters set a pile of Christmas trees ablaze at the conclusion of the Julefest Celebration in Solvang on Jan. 3, 2019. (Credit: Santa Barbara County Fire Department)<\/p>\n

Julefest ends every year, weather permitting, with a massive Christmas tree burn in January that celebrates the beginning of a new year, provides a means of disposing dried trees that have fulfilled their holiday purpose, and serves as a fire safety demonstration from the Santa Barbara County<\/a> Fire Department.<\/p>\n

The town also hosts nightly events, including scavenger hunts, candlelight tours and a popular light show in its central park.<\/p>\n

For more about Solvang and its annual Julefest celebration,\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Southern California tourist trap has once again been named as a must-visit destination for lovers of Christmastime.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":71478,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,9479,41055,28022,41999,5334],"class_list":{"0":"post-71477","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-california-headlines","10":"tag-california-news","11":"tag-christmas","12":"tag-christmas-decorations","13":"tag-christmas-tree","14":"tag-readers-choice","15":"tag-solvang"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}