Moorpark's December Runs on a Relay: The Farm by Day, the Zoo by Night

"Please note this is not an animal centered event," reads the 2026 Wild Lights page at America's Teaching Zoo. "Some of our animals enjoy the lights and some sleep through the night."

The zoo's holiday event happens after dark, and Wild Lights starts at 6 p.m. Across town, Christmas on the Farm at Underwood Family Farms runs in daylight and closes at 5 p.m. Between the two, the High Street Arts Center puts its holiday matinees at 2 p.m.

Their hours fit together so cleanly that Moorpark's December works like a relay. Each tradition hands off to the next, and on the right Saturday you can do all of them without choosing.

Five o'clock at the farm, six o'clock at the zoo

The two biggest events open within two days of each other, on either side of Thanksgiving. Christmas on the Farm opens Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, and runs through December 24. Wild Lights opens two nights earlier, on Wednesday, November 25, and is also open November 27 and 28.

Here is how a typical December day divides up:

The tree lot stays open two and a half hours after the farm gates close. That covers the early evening, so you can pick up a tree on the way to the zoo instead of making a separate trip. The zoo calls Wild Lights a 45-minute self-guided walk through light displays of glowing animals and winter scenes. A walk that short fits inside an 8:30 p.m. close even if you arrive late from somewhere else.

Admission prices also suit different kinds of visits. At the farm, weekend tickets and the November 27 opening day cost $16 and are sold online. Starting November 30, weekday tickets cost $12 and are sold only at the gate. Children under 2 and parking are free. Seniors 65 and older, military members, veterans and emergency first responders get $2 off every day with valid ID. At the zoo, Wild Lights costs $17 for adults 13 and older, $14 for children ages 3 to 12 and for seniors, and $10 for zoo members. Children 2 and under get in free.

Santa works a split shift

Both venues book Santa for different hours, so on some days you can visit him twice.

At Underwood, Santa visits on weekends and November 27, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. only, through December 20. Visits are included with admission, and the farm asks families to take their own photos. At the zoo, Santa comes on four Saturdays, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Photos are free and first come, first served. The zoo doesn't sell photos.

The farm's Santa leaves at 4 p.m. and the zoo's arrives at 6 p.m. Every Saturday the zoo hosts Santa is also a farm Santa day. Here is how those four Saturdays line up, with Christmas Magic added:

The farm adds some activities only on weekends, so the Saturday plan above gets fuller in daylight too. The weekend-only list includes holiday arts and crafts, Christmas duck racing, elf training, a cookie toss, and California "Sleigh Rides" with the farm's draft horses. Animal shows run at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on weekends and November 27. One rule matters before you load the car: the farm doesn't allow dogs or other outside animals anywhere on the property, including the Farm Market and the pick-your-own fields.

December 12 has the most going on

Christmas Magic is the only one of the three that happens in the middle of town, and it adds a third leg to the relay on just two weekends. The High Street Arts Center calls it "Our Holiday Tradition," a show of "music, stories, magic, kids and fun." Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 4; 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 5; 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 6; 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 11; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 12; and 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 13.

The 2 p.m. matinees sit in the gap the other two events leave open. They start after the farm's morning and end before the zoo opens. On Saturday, December 12, all three overlap. Santa is at Underwood until 4 p.m., Christmas Magic plays twice, and the zoo holds one of its two Family Cookie Nights alongside an evening Santa visit.

Cookie decorating costs $12 per kit and you add it at checkout. It requires a Wild Lights ticket for the same night. Supplies are limited, and the last start time is 7:45 p.m. A professional baker and decorator from Killer Confections leads it, but it isn't a structured class, so families decorate at their own pace and can take the cookie home. The zoo notes that the cookies aren't made in a peanut-free facility and that gluten-free cookies aren't available, though guests may bring their own to decorate. The second cookie night is Sunday, December 20, which is also the last day of Santa visits at the farm.

If you want something other than farm snacks between the matinee and the zoo, the Moorpark Acorn's August roundup of new businesses named Casa Chiquiz Cocina & Bar at 530 Los Angeles Ave., Suite 110, and Sandahl Cellars at 111 Poindexter Ave., Suite D.

High Street gets its own Saturday in early December

Downtown's leg is Holiday on High Street, which fell on the first Saturday in December in both 2023 and 2025. The Moorpark Acorn's 2023 photo coverage shows the event on December 2 that year, with Santa, an ornament class led by the Moorpark Library director, kids playing in snow, and Megill and Company performing scenes from "The Nutcracker." The Acorn's 2025 coverage places it on December 6. Families lined up all evening for photos with Santa, artificial snow fell about every 15 minutes, and kids decorated wood ornaments and got their faces painted at the City of Moorpark's Recreation booth.

The first Saturday this year is December 5. That is also a Christmas Magic matinee day and a Wild Lights Santa night, so it may be the only day when all four traditions happen in the same Saturday. The City of Moorpark's community events page posts the official hours and activities for Holiday on High Street.

The 2025 coverage describes an event that ran into the evening, and Wild Lights runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Both draw families who want Santa and something that sparkles after dark. Splitting up that night could make sense: snow on High Street early, then the zoo for the last hour, or the other way around.

The weekday version costs less

Wild Lights includes weeknights, which is easy to miss. It runs nightly from Friday, December 18, through Wednesday, December 23, so it's open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday that final week. It also opens on Wednesday, November 25, the night before Thanksgiving. None of those weeknights includes Santa or cookie decorating, so they're simply for the lights.

The farm runs on a similar weekday schedule. Starting November 30, weekday admission drops to $12 at the gate. The core activities stay: the animal center, wagon rides, holiday store, slides, the Holiday Train, the Bee and Cow Trains, gem mining and the baby goat experience. Animal shows, Santa visits and the weekend-only activities are not offered on weekdays. On Christmas Eve the farm closes at noon, and it is closed December 25. Wild Lights holds its last night on December 23, so Moorpark's relay finishes with the farm's half day on the 24th.

On a weekday the lineup is shorter: daylight at the farm, a tree from Big Wave Dave's on the way home, and the zoo lights after dinner on the nights it's open. It costs less at the farm gate, and it still follows the same hours that make the weekend version work.

Hosting family for the holidays often gets people thinking about their own home. If you're wondering what your place would be worth next spring, or whether to keep it as a rental, The Sarah Quaker Team can walk you through it before the busy season starts. Request Your Free Home Valuation, and we'll get back to you with real local numbers before your holiday calendar fills up.