by Mary Pope-Handy, Clair Handy | Nov 2, 2023 | Events, LG Lifestyle, Los Gatos Events, Parks, Visiting Los Gatos
The 25th annual Fantasy of Lights show at Vasona Lake County Park begins soon! Occasionally people call me to ask about it – please note that I do not run the event – I am only posting information about it. Full info can be found on the county’s park website, linked below.
25th annual Fantasy of Lights:
Get your tickets now, they sell out fast! Entry with prepaid tickets only!
What: The Fantasy of Lights
Walk-Thru
Fantasy of Lights Walk-Thru Saturday, December 2 and Sunday, December 3 4:00pm – 9:00pm
Adult (13 and up) – $15
Youth (4-12) – $7.50
Child (0-3) – FREE
Please note that this year’s tickets will go on sale in 3 different phases:
Phase 1: Wednesday, November 1st, 8:00am
Phase 2: Sunday, November 5th, 12:00pm
Phase 3: Friday, November 10th, 6:00pm
Drive-thru Nights
Fantasy of Lights Drive-Thru Tuesday, December 5 – Friday, December 30
(Closed December 25)
Regular Vehicle (passenger capacity up to 12) – $30
Large Vehicle (passenger capacity of 13-20) – $50
Oversized Vehicle (passenger capacity of 21 and up) – $100
Open rain or shine. As always, the Fantasy of Lights is closed on Christmas Day (Dec 25).
Where: Vasona Lake County Park, 333 Blossom Hill Road (near University Avenue) Los Gatos, CA
How much: Tickets must be purchased in advance available online through EventBrite.
Walk through cost is $15 for ages 13 and up, $7.50 for ages 4 – 12, and free for 3 and under (tickets still required for free entry!)
Drive through cost is $20 per regular vehicle (up to 12 passenger capacity), $50 per oversized vehicle (13+ passenger capacity).
More details:
Please check the county’s page for this event.
More questions? PLEASE do NOT call me about this event. Please contact the SCC Parks Department and check out their website for the Fantasy of Lights! The Vasona phone number is (408) 355-2201.
Please visit Live in Los Gatos for year round events, neighborhood information, photos around the town, interesting real estate market data, haunted places and the occasional historical tidbit.
Los Gatos is a wonderful place to visit during the holidays, but it’s also a great place to live year round! If you are interested in buying a home in Los Gatos (or selling one), please contact me, Mary Pope-Handy (contact information in the sidebar). I’m both a Realtor based in the Town of Los Gatos and a resident myself, working full time in helping nice folks to buy and sell homes here and throughout the west valley and greater Silicon Valley communities.
If you aren’t familiar with the area, here are a few things to know!
Buy a home in Los Gatos (info on neighborhoods, school districts, homes for sale to browse online, links to important local sites & info)
Relocating and buying a house in Los Gatos
Los Gatos real estate on Facebook
Monthly Los Gatos real estate market update
Los Gatos real estate market statistics & trends for houses
Los Gatos realty trends and stats for condos & townhouses
by Mary Pope-Handy, Clair Handy | Oct 13, 2023 | Events
Celebrate the season in style with the Los Gatos Halloween Pet and Kids Parade! The Paw-Looza is sure to be tons of fun for all!
Details on the Los Gatos Halloween Pet and Kids Parade
The event takes place on October 29th 2023 from 3 – 5 p.m.
Check in at 2:30 the U.S. Bank Parking lot , which is at 127 N. Santa Cruz Avenue, Los Gatos CA
Come in costume and bring the whole family. Many downtown merchants will be participating in handing out treats to the costumed visitors participating. There will be prizes for the best costume!
The cost is $10 per family or $5 per individual, and the recipient of funds raised will be The Street Dog Coalition.
Tickets can be purchased at Eventbrite using this link.
The Street Dog Coalition
The Street Dog Coalition is an amazing and wonderful volunteer organization and we are proud to support them. Per their website:
“The Street Dog Coalition provides free veterinary care and related services to pets of people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. Using a One Health approach to street medicine and pop-up street clinics, we care for lives on both ends of the leash.”
Please learn more about them at their website: The Street Dog Coalition

Many thanks to the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce and our friends and colleagues, fellow dog lovers Ducky Grabill and Roxy Laufer (in our same office) for sponsoring this fun Halloween event. Such a fun idea and such a great cause!
Howling Halloween – a precursor
Years ago, we had a fun dog costume parade in Los Gatos each October called the Howling Halloween Pet Parade. The proceeds used to go to the Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Department’s K9 unit – a wonderful cause. That event was hosted by Society Dog, a pet supply company that closed several years ago.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Sep 16, 2023 | Events
Screen on the Green is coming back soon – playing that night will be “Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
The event will be Friday, September 22, 2023 on the Civic Center Lawn, which is not the normal venue for Screen on the Green (in recent years it has been at Oak Meadow Park). The mayor will make a welcome statement at 7:15.
Attendees, it is important to bring layers and something low to sit on – blankets, cushions, or low backed lawn chairs, are alright. I always bring a flashlight for after the show.
Screen on the Green additional info
For additional details, please see the Los Gatos town website page for Screen on the Green by using the link or clicking on the image to the right. We’ll update this post when we know more details.
Also coming up in September: Fiesta de Artes or the Los Gatos Art & Wine Festival Sept 16 – 17, 2023.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Aug 14, 2023 | Events
OktoberFest LG returns on Sunday, October 1st, and it’s an event not to be missed! This will be the 2nd annual one.
OktoberFest LG details
Sunday, October 1
The hours are 12:30-6:30
Location: Los Gatos Civic Center Lawn
110 E Main St. Los Gatos, CA 95030
Family-friendly & FREE!
Enjoy a full day of Oktoberfest-themed activities, all benefitting KCAT, our public ratio and TV with news and information on Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and Silicon Valley.
Good food and drink, too, with Grilled Brats, German-style Pretzels, Oktoberfest Gelato and more!
More info will be available in September at KCAT’s OktoberFest page.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Aug 2, 2023 | Events, Los Gatos Events
The annual Los Gatos Fiesta de Artes is back. Now called the Los Gatos Art & Wine Festival, in 2023 it’s celebrating 51 years of art and entertainment in downtown Los Gatos. (It returned in 2021 after being canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.)
Fiesta de Artes, Los Gatos Art & Wine Festival dates
Mark your calendars Sept 16 – 17, 2023 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Yes, you can bring your dog!
If you’ve never been, it’s a fabulous opportunity to mill around the Civic Center lawn and enjoy art of various types. It’s free! If you’d like to partake of food and wine, the proceeds all go to a very good cause. And of course, there are plenty of beautiful art pieces for purchase, too.
What happens at the Fiesta de Artes or the Los Gatos Art & Wine Festival?
Think food & drink, art & shopping, dancing & socializing! Once again, there will be more than 150 vendors with a huge variety of artists and vendors displaying and selling their artwork, plus booths with food and wine and of course loads of music throughout both days. Please check out the musical lineup and food offerings info here: Fiesta music and food
Fiesta de Artes will be at the Civic Center lawn across the street from Los Gatos High School – 110 E Main Street, Los Gatos CA 95030
Patrons are encouraged to bike, walk, carpool, use public transportation or get friends and loved ones to drop you off. Apparently there’s even a bike valet to facilitate arriving on two wheels. (Per the FAQ page, which is loaded with great information.)
Many thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Los Gatos and all of the other sponsors for making this wonderful event possible yet again.
Please check out all of the details at the event’s website:
https://losgatosfiesta.com/
Related reading:
Los Gatos Spring Wine Walk (there’s usually a Fall Wine Walk in October, too)
Los Gatos Free Music Concert Series
Los Gatos Youth Theatre Summer Musicals