No one knows the inner workings of HolidayLights at CALM Zoo better than Josh Barnett. As he gears up for his 23rd year overseeing the dazzling display, Barnett reflects on the joy, creativity, and year-round preparation that go into bringing the experience to life.
“In our shop, it’s Christmas every day,” he said.
Barnett’s fascination with lights began when he was just five. What started as a child’s curiosity soon became a passion that filled his parents’ and grandparents’ Bakersfield homes with glowing displays each December.
In 2001, his passion took a life-changing turn. After creating a synchronized light show at his childhood home in southwest Bakersfield, he caught the attention of The Bakersfield Californian’s holiday light contest and enthusiasts all over Bakersfield.
“I just wanted to be on the Griswold scale,” Barnett said with a laugh — referencing the contest’s holiday house rankings.
The show drew large crowds and filled a whole book with business cards from people eager to hire him for their own displays. But not every idea was met with immediate enthusiasm. One business that hired Barnett wanted to recreate the elaborate style of his home display, but needed the landlord’s approval. He laughed recalling the incident, explaining what the landlord had said.
“I went by that kid’s house and we can’t do that to Rosedale Highway,” Barnett recalled him saying, referring to the traffic backups the spectacle would create.
Soon after, an opportunity came with Stier’s RV, where Barnett was given full creative freedom to design a holiday light show. Around the same time, the CALM Foundation was searching for a new holiday event and fundraising opportunities. After seeing Barnett’s work, CALM reached out — and a lasting relationship was born.
Over the past two decades, the partnership has transformed into a Kern County tradition, drawing families from across the Central Valley and becoming CALM’s largest fundraising event each year. Steve Sanders, KCSOS Chief of Staff, highlighted that CALM Zoo’s HolidayLights relies heavily on the long-standing contributions of the Barnetts and their team, whose creativity and dedication have built a lasting family tradition for the past 22 years.
HolidayLights at CALM Zoo has become a beloved Kern County tradition where magical nights and lifelong memories are made.
“Josh is a man of integrity, kindness, and someone who is living out his dream,” said Sanders. “It is an honor to partner with him and we look forward to many more years of this amazing partnership.”
Even when challenges arose — like the COVID-19 pandemic — Barnett found creativity and comfort in his work. During the height of the pandemic, Barnett and his crew transformed HolidayLights into a drive-thru event for two years.
“It was just what the community needed at the time,” Sanders recalled. “But we were eager to get the show back to its traditional format.”
As HolidayLights grew, so did Barnett’s business, Lightasmic — a professional lighting company that now installs large-scale displays across the nation. Traveling for installations means being away from home often, but Barnett says he never does it alone.
His wife, Vicki, plays an essential role behind the scenes — managing operations, overseeing projects, and ensuring every bulb is in its perfect place before the doors open at CALM Zoo on November 29.
“She’s out there making sure everything is exactly as we wanted,” Barnett said. “I couldn’t be doing what I’m doing without her. Every day is a pinch-me moment — not only because I get to do what I love, but because I have the support of my family.”
Barnett says his favorite moments come when he quietly walks through the pathways at CALM Zoo, hearing families laugh and marvel at the displays.
“Since we’ve been doing it for over 20 years, we now see parents bringing their kids — the same parents who came when they were little. It’s really come full circle.”
For the Barnett family, it’s no different. Each year, they look forward to their newest tradition: watching the five-foot-diameter custom ball drop during CALM’s New Year’s Eve event. Barnett is always quick to credit the local community for making it all possible and contributing to the sense of holiday magic.
“To the community, I say thank you. They’ve given me that opportunity,” he said. “Had I grown up somewhere else, I can’t say that I would be able to do what I’m doing, because our community is so unique and so supportive.”
Even after more than two decades, the excitement hasn’t faded.
“We’re lighting more trees, we’re building more displays — every year they get more and more detailed,” said Barnett. “It still feels like yesterday, even though it’s been over 20 years. It’s amazing how much it’s grown.”
Tickets for this year’s event are on sale and should be purchased in advance HERE.
By Erin Pruitt
Erin Pruitt joined the Kern County Superintendent of Schools as a Communications Specialist in 2025. Before this role, Pruitt served as an Assistant Producer for KETN's Do the Math program since 2017, where she first discovered her passion for storytelling and community engagement in the field of communications.