Mission San Juan Capistrano’s Annual Capistrano Lights Opens December 3 with New Holiday Traditions
Capistrano Lights returns to historic Mission San Juan Capistrano on select evenings from December 3 through December 30 with several new offerings. Tickets are on sale now which include all-day admission, multi-language Capistrano Lights audio tour and additional musical offerings. The holiday programming will be held nightly from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. with the musical and tree lighting starting promptly at 5:05 p.m.
Opening night on December 3 extends to 8:00 p.m. featuring a special welcome by Mission San Juan pastor, Reverend Monsignor J. Michael McKiernan and a reading of The First Christmas by board member Vicky Carabini.
“We are thrilled to bring back Capistrano Lights as a softer holiday event that celebrates the spiritual, liturgical, and family traditions during a time when so many can feel overwhelmed. We hope that our members and their guests, will save a date in December to visit Capistrano Lights and take a pause to enjoy the beauty, religious, and historical significance of Mission San Juan Capistrano,” said Mission San Juan Capistrano’s executive director Mechelle Lawrence Adams.
Capistrano Lights transforms the California Landmark grounds with festive lights, community-designed Christmas trees, large-scale nativity scene in the Ruins of the Great Stone Church (circa 1806), Dickens-era carolers, extended backdrops for holiday photos and nightly 30-foot tree lighting with music.
Throughout the season, all attendees to Mission San Juan will experience the decorated grounds and new Capistrano Lights audio tour with details at each station while the Gospel telling of Christ’s birth can be heard in the Ruins of the Great Stone Church and historic Serra Chapel.
During Capistrano Lights, children’s activities include ‘Selfies with Santa’, crafts by AR Workshop and Elf on a Mission, a daily hunt for Sullivan the Elf and his best friend Poppy.
Other seasonal offerings include extended holiday hours in Serra Chapel and Mission Store, Rancho Capistrano Winery wine nights and family sponsored wreaths.
Event dates, pricing and additional details are available at www.capistranolights.com. Mission San Juan Capistrano is located at 26801 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano.
Capistrano Lights underwriters include Farmers & Merchants Bank, Providence Mission Hospital, Rancho Capistrano Winery, 3:16 Bakery Shop, Plant Depot and Mike Ahumada.
Known as the “Jewel of the Missions,” Mission San Juan Capistrano is a historic landmark and museum that features permanent exhibits with original artifacts as well as traveling and temporary exhibits. Orange County’s only Mission, the site is home to Serra Chapel, The Great Stone Church and the original padres’ quarters of the South Wing and promotes faith, education, preservation and cultural event programming.
Founded on November 1, 1776, by Saint Junipero Serra as the seventh of 21 California missions established by Spain, Mission San Juan Capistrano is owned by the Diocese of Orange and receives no church or state funding. The Mission Preservation Foundation, comprised of business and community leaders, is its fundraising entity committed to ensuring education, preservation and its long-term historic and religious significance.
Photos Credit: Val Westover Photography
Media Contact: Barbara Kimler PR
