Winter Break Camps in Los Angeles

18 winter break camps in Los Angeles, by area

Grouped by area, starting on the Westside. Dates, hours and prices are as each camp posted them in October 2026; where a camp had only last winter’s page up, we say so. “Extended care” means hours before or after the camp day, usually for a fee. For a summer list for kids who need more support, see our special needs summer camps guide.

When is winter break in LA (2026–27)

LAUSD’s 2026–27 instructional calendar sets Winter Recess as December 21, 2026 through January 8, 2027. The last day of school is Friday, December 18, and the second semester begins Monday, January 11, 2027 (a school may make that day pupil-free, in which case June 7 becomes a school day). That’s three full weeks, and the camps above are built around them: Dec 21–24, Dec 28–31 and Jan 4–8, with Christmas and New Year’s Day falling on the Fridays. The same calendar gives Thanksgiving week off: November 23–25 are unassigned days and November 26–27 the holiday, and some camps here, like Got Game and the YMCA’s break camps, run a Thanksgiving camp too.

If your child isn’t at an LAUSD school, check your own calendar before you book. Other districts and most private schools set different breaks, often shorter, and a camp’s third week may land when your child is back in class. Steve & Kate’s and Tumbleweed, for instance, don’t run Jan 4–8; UCLA runs only that week.

How to choose a winter camp

Start with the days you actually need covered, then match hours and holidays. Winter camps differ more than summer camps on exactly which days they run.

• The days around the holidays. Nearly every camp closes December 25 and January 1. Many also close December 24 (Steve & Kate’s, Got Game) and some close December 31 (Got Game); Wildfolk drops afternoon care on both. If you work those days, Santa Monica Playhouse (Dec 26–29) and Broadway Gym (open Dec 26 and Jan 2 last year) fill gaps.
• Hours and extended care. Camp days run from 9 to 2 (5-Eleven Hoops) to 9 to 5 (Cabrillo Beach). For an 8-to-6 day without extra fees, look at Steve & Kate’s, Woodland Hills Rec Center or AdventurePlex’s extended option. City centers charge $20 to $70 a week for extended care; others, like Launch Sports and Tumbleweed, post none for winter.
• Weeks or days. Camps sold by the day (Steve & Kate’s, AdventurePlex, Got Game, Broadway Gym, Color Me Mine) suit a patchwork schedule. Launch Sports sells three- or four-day blocks only; the city centers and Tumbleweed sell weeks.
• Refunds. City of LA camps refund in full only if the city cancels, with a 15% fee on other approved refunds and none once camp starts. Launch Sports gives credits, not refunds, more than 72 hours out. Color Me Mine turns cancellations into 90-day studio credit. Steve & Kate’s refunds unused day passes automatically. theCoderSchool refunds in full up to 21 days before.

Then ask what a day looks like: how many kids in a group, whether there are field trips (and whether a trip day costs more, as at Camp Encino), and what happens on a rainy day at an outdoor camp like Tumbleweed.

• Lunch, unless it’s included (Steve & Kate’s; AdventurePlex sells one)
• A refillable water bottle and a snack; city camps give an afternoon snack
• Closed-toe shoes; a camp shirt where it’s required daily (Tarzana, Encino, Woodland Hills)
• A sweatshirt: December mornings are cold outdoors and some studios run chilly
• Sunscreen, still, for outdoor camps
• Government ID at pick-up (Woodland Hills requires it every day), and the names of everyone allowed to pick up

What it costs

Prices below are what each camp posted in October 2026 for 2026–27 unless marked as last year’s. City of Los Angeles recreation centers are the least expensive full days, and the city notes that refunds carry fees, so pick your weeks carefully.

Ways to pay less: Got Game’s early-bird rate ends December 2 and it takes 20% off for siblings; Santa Monica Playhouse gives 10% to siblings and says financial aid may be available; Beach Cities residents pay AdventurePlex’s lower rate; UCLA has a few need-based scholarships for its own students and staff. City camps ask for a registration fee ($35 to $45) and a weekly deposit on top of tuition. Sign-up for recreation camps in other cities has its own dates: Santa Monica, for example, opens winter registration to residents November 4 and to everyone November 11 (santamonica.gov).

When to sign up, and other ways to fill the break

Winter camps are small. Launch Sports caps each program at 20, Tumbleweed and Steve & Kate’s say space is limited, and AdventurePlex’s fall days sold out. Dates to put in your calendar now:

• October 19: Camp Encino registration opens.
• October 21, noon: UCLA Winter Camp goes on sale.
• November 4: Tarzana’s online registration opens at 9 a.m.; Santa Monica residents can register for city camps (non-residents November 11).
• December 2: Got Game’s early-bird pricing ends.
• 48 hours ahead: Color Me Mine closes booking two days before each camp day.

Several places LA parents look for winter camps hadn’t posted anything by mid-October. The Los Angeles Zoo’s camp page listed only summer 2026 sessions; Discovery Cube LA in Sylmar, STEM Castle in Glendale and Encino, and Theatre 360 showed last year’s pages or a coming-soon note. Museums and zoos tend to announce winter camps in November, so check again after Thanksgiving.

If you only need part of a week, half days stack well: Launch Sports and Color Me Mine run 9 to noon, and Drawn2Art Pasadena runs a 9-to-noon clay camp Dec 21–23. For the odd days nothing covers, see our parents’ night out guide for drop-off evenings, and our birthday party places guide for gyms and play centers with open-play hours. For a teen who’s too old for camp, Wildfolk’s Guides-in-Training program (grades 7–11, $175 a week), Woodland Hills Rec Center’s winter CIT program (for its returning summer CITs) and Highland Park Recreation Center’s Camp Leadership Program (volunteers 14–17) are the winter options we found; for the summer, see summer programs for teens.

Questions parents ask