DEL MAR — Those dreaming of a “White Christmas” in North County will be able to get just a taste this holiday season at the Del Mar fairgrounds.
This weekend for the second consecutive year, Vincenzo Giammanco and CBF Productions have brought back the classic Holidays in Your Car drive-thru holiday lights experience to Del Mar along with a new walk-around experience, the Snow N Glow Holiday Festival, for families to visit.
“This is our second year here and I think we were able to figure out the kinks and make it better for Del Mar this year,” said Giammanco, founder of CBF Productions.
After a long hiatus, Giammanco’s company brought back the drive-thru holiday lights display that was beloved by families in San Diego County. The event came during a spike in COVID-19 cases last year but being an event completely inside your own vehicle made it suitable for families to enjoy safely together.
“Last year it was intense because we were really in the pandemic and people were just excited to get out and still be in a safe space,” Giammanco said. “It was a tradition that people had been doing for years and they definitely missed it. I think everyone was grateful to have it back in the community.”
Ventura-based CBF Productions boasts over 1 million different lights between its drive-thru display and the walk-around experience.
Giammanco told The Coast News his team had to get everything up and ready to go for Del Mar in record time.
“We had five days because of the horse racing to get everything up and ready,” Giammanco said. “We weren’t able to get in there until it was all over but our team was able to get everything done for the first weekend.”
The event opened its doors this Saturday along with the walkaround experience where guests can enjoy light displays, live music and unlimited snow tubing on real snow, for an extra cost.
The Snow N Glow Holiday Festival also includes free-to-use fire pits for marshmallow roasting, private VIP igloos available for rent and the opportunity for children to meet Santa Claus.
The production company said the event is San Diego County’s “holiday headquarters” and hopes to continue to grow the event in the future.
“We’re really looking at this as a long-term event and we hope to continue to grow and make it better each year,” Giammanco said. “And adding this new Snow N Glow element is an example of the next phase of what this is going to be.”
The Holidays in Your Car drive-thru display is open nightly at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and the Snow N Glow holiday festival is open select nights of the week from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. now through January 2.
