With three days left until Christmas, it's fair to say that we've reached the equinox of the season of lights.

Several spots in Oakland are well-known for their holiday displays. If you're looking for flickering Santas and illuminated animals, here are five destinations well worth visiting after dark.

Jack London Square | Photo: JACK LONDON SQUARE/Facebook

Jack London Square

Backed by palm trees and San Francisco Bay at the foot of Broadway, the 55-foot Mt. Shasta tree at Jack London Square is waiting to take a selfie with you.

For a worry-free trip, take the ferry from San Francisco or the free Broadway shuttle from the 12th or 19th Street BART stations downtown.

Photo: Oakland Zoo/Facebook

Zoolights At Oakland Zoo

Zoolights at Oakland Zoo continues through January 1st, except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Each year, lighting designers create unique displays that are popular with audiences of all ages. This year, look down on the action from one of the zoo's new 8-passenger gondolas through safari-style windows.

Children's Fairyland I Photo: Facebook

Children's Fairyland (699 Bellevue Ave.)

Lake Merritt's theme park is decked out to celebrate the winter holidays of multiple cultures this holiday season with its Fairy Winterland transformation.

Tonight and tomorrow are last chances to catch Santa, The Tap Dancing Christmas Trees, and the Festival of Lights parade, which starts at 6:15pm. Admission is $10 for everyone 12 months old and up.

Photo: Mountain View Cemetery/Facebook

Mountain View Cemetery (5000 Piedmont Ave.)

The Holiday Circle of Lights at Mountain View Cemetery will be open to visitors until January 1st.

Although it's the resting place for more than 170,000 people, the cemetery's Bay views and high elevation make it an ideal place for a quiet stroll among scarved penguins and dazzling trees.

Home on Picardy Drive. | Photo: V Smoothe/Flickr

Picardy Drive (between Seminary and 55th avenues)



The residents of Picardy Drive near Mills College are famous for their yearly tradition of dressing their storybook-style houses with strands of lights and Christmas decor that stretch continuously.

Where are your favorite Christmas displays in Oakland? Tell us in the comments.