The Story Behind Doca Dream Lab

In 2025, as DOCA Festival prepared to bring a brand-new holiday light experience to San Jose, we asked ourselves a simple question:

What if these lights didn’t just dazzle — but also reflected the imagination of our children?

The design of San Jose Holiday Lights was deeply inspired by the spirit of this city — its cultural diversity, its stories, and its people. This festival was created because of San Jose — and for the families who call it home.

And that’s when we had an exciting thought: What if San Jose’s children could help shape the magic? What if their dreams, too, could glow?

That question gave birth to DOCA Dream Lab, our annual art-to-light creation program where kids don’t just visit the lights — they help create them.

While the San Jose Holiday Lights marks its first year, Dream Lab also begins its journey. And like every great idea, it starts small — a spark, a sketch, a story drawn in crayon. We believe every child has a dream worth illuminating, and every drawing holds the potential to inspire awe in public spaces.

This year, a handful of “Fantastic Creatures” imagined by Bay Area kids will come to life as glowing sculptures. But beyond the artwork, Dream Lab stands for something bigger:

• A platform for young creativity in public art
• A bridge between families and community celebration
• A reminder that wonder can come from the smallest hands

Dream Lab is our long-term commitment to joy, imagination, and community. It’s a seed planted in San Jose, growing brighter each year with your stories, your children, your dreams.

Let’s create wonder — together.