2024 'Hikari - A Festival of Lights' Event: Tanaka Farms, Irvine (Nov 29 - Dec 29) Enjoy Live Music on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday Nights (Video)NEW

The History of Hikari at Tanaka Farms
It's that time of year! Time for making memories with friends and loved ones. Time for tried and true, and new, traditions.

Hikari - A Festival of Lights presented by Tanaka Farms, is our newest tradition! Loosely translated, HIKARI, means SHINE in Japanese. And we have really made the farm shine with over a million twinkling lights! But, how did Hikari come to be? Well, we used to simply close up shop from mid-December to February. Took a break, relaxed, and took a vacation…but, then, Covid happened.

Because most of our business comes from Field Trips, Farm Tours, and other events (collectively known as Agritourism), we needed to pivot and figure out a way to keep our employees working and create a revenue stream for the farm while we were unable to operate normally during the pandemic.

Farmer Tanaka quickly rebuilt our Produce Market Stand into a drive-thru. Which helped tremendously, as folks could still shop for farm-fresh produce without having to leave their cars! But produce sales alone, just weren't enough to keep us afloat. So, with the drive-thru concept in mind, we created a drive-thru Pumpkin Patch! With the success of that event, we decided to do something for Christmas, and Hikari was born!

Our first year of Hikari was 2020. It was a drive-thru event. Folks drove their cars through the farm and checked out the lights right from the safety of their vehicles. We even had live singers singing carols from a tractor out in the fields as they drove by! Santa was there, as well as all the Barnyard animals!

The event was a success! Folks were so happy to have a place to come, feel safe, and enjoy some family-friendly, wholesome Christmas joy. So...we decided to keep doing it.

Now that the worst of Covid is behind us, we have pivoted once again. Gone is the drive-thru, and in its place, a wonderful holiday festival. A gathering place for friends and family. The farm is transformed into a homey, farm-themed, winter wonderland with a nod to Japanese culture thrown into the mix.

Folks can wander through the light exhibits, mingle and grab a hot cocoa and a churro from the Tanaka Grill, play games, do arts & crafts, enjoy holiday music, visit with the barnyard animals, and take a cozy wagon ride around the farm to see even more lights!

We hope to see you and your friends and family making new memories and starting new traditions here at Tanaka Farm’s Hikari - A Festival of Lights! Open on Black Friday, through December 30th.