The annual Holiday Light Up, running now through January 4, features the elaborate parkway displays that have drawn families from across Southern California for generations—this year graced by 80 handmade solar stars honoring the neighbors who lost their homes and were displaced by the Eaton Fire in January.
Displays are lit nightly from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The tradition dates to 1951, when families placed luminaria—candles in paper bags—along their driveways to guide Santa. A formal parkway display competition began the following year. Today, the event draws enough visitors that the City of Pasadena has issued traffic advisories in anticipation of crowds.
This season, new entrance signs greet visitors with a message: “The Eaton Fire claimed 80 homes, but it did not dim our holiday spirit.”
The inspiration came from the wreckage itself. After the fire, one block captain’s parkway star remained standing. He wrote three words on it: “We will rebuild.” Board members took that as their cue.
“That gave us hope and we used it as inspiration,” one Upper Hastings Ranch Association board member said, adding that the memorial stars remind her of a hotel chain commercial: “We’ll leave the light on for you.”
On Valley Lights Drive, resident LuAnn Haslam organized the creation of angels—eight feet tall and four feet wide, painted gold—for the entire block. Her angel display survived the fire. Her home did not.
“A way to let our neighbors know we care about them and miss them terribly,” Haslam said. “Making new angels for our parkway decorations has in a small way helped us to feel a part of creating something for all of us.”
On :Startouch block,” original parkway stars that survived the fire still stand. Across the neighborhood, memorial stars mark lots where homes once stood, placed by volunteers who assembled most of them over a single weekend.
“These families have not been forgotten, and we await their return,” a board member said.
The neighborhood offers programming throughout the season. A community walking event is scheduled for Friday, December 13, from 5:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., according to a MIT Club of Southern California event listing. Caroling night follows on Friday, December 19, featuring a local band and caroling group that has performed the tradition for more than 35 years.
The association captured the season’s significance: “When we light up this holiday season, the illumination from the stars will be more than just decoration—it will be a unified symbol of support, hope, and resilience in our cherished neighborhood.”
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