With the holidays approaching you might be pouring over recipes and planning your ultimate party, but what happens after the eggnog disappears? Imagine your friends and family gathered around the house cozy, and maybe a little tipsy, but nowhere near done with the night. Now cue the holiday lights…
Phoenix is bustling with tons of light shows, and for most people they’re a must-see every December. Maybe you’ve perused them in your own car, kids kicking your seat while you keep your eyes glued to the road —we get that that’s less than desirable. This year let us take the stress off your drive. Trust us to get your family where you’re going safely, or to make room for everyone! You know what they say, “The More the Merrier”!
The Lights in Phoenix
Maybe you have your own neighborhood locked and loaded —and that’s fine! We can still get you exactly where you want to go. However, if you’re curious about everything the city has to offer we’ve compiled the best sights for you to peruse this winter. There are spectacular sights about 20 minutes in every direction, so if you want to kick your feet up and see something you’d never envisioned before take a look through our list and discover landscapes sure to blow everyone away.
Mccormick-Stallman Railroad Park
This epic Holiday sight hosts more than 100,000 lights and multiple 15-foot inflatable figures that tower over crowds. The main attraction is a holiday train that treks a half-mile loop through the park to carry viewers around the entire display. Adorned with lights, the glowing mini-train brings passengers through tons of different scenes and poses under stunning firework-like displays that pretend to explode and illuminate the entire area.
Pricing for the train varies, but visitors can purchase a fast pass to skip the line. There’s also plenty of time to pose with Santa under the attraction’s 30 foot tall Christmas tree —and after all this excitement having someone to drive you home will make all the difference. Just twenty minutes from the city proper, this sight is a real treat for any winter wonderland lover.
Mesa Temple Garden Lights
A short drive outside the city, this annual community event celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ with thousands of Christmas lights decorating shrubs, trees, and flowerbeds around the property. A variety of displays throughout tell the story of Christ’s birth with outdoor crèches depicting the shepherds’ field, Mary and Joseph’s struggle, the prophet Isaiah, and more. Multiple exhibits also include QR codes that viewers can scan to receive more information on their phones.
Every year thousands of volunteers come together to help put the event on, and their hard work creates one of the most beautiful Christmas sights in Phoenix. Each display helps tell the story of Christ’s birth, as lights dangle from sky-high palm trees. Visitors can view the grounds from 5:00 to 10:00 P.M. and enjoy a special Holiday concert at 7:00 P.M.
Glendale Glitters
Just Northwest of Phoenix is Glendale, home of Glendale Glitters. This free light show is centered around downtown Glendale, where over one million Holiday lights line the complete 16 blocks. The lights start at the end of November and stay up through January 12th, so they’re the perfect way to sneak in a new family tradition even after holidays.
Zoomtown Lights
One of the most exciting light shows in Phoenix is Zoomtown Lights. Hosted at the ISM, the light show spans a total 1.6 miles and allows viewers to drive inside the new modernized raceway onto the same pit road used by professional NASCAR drivers. Stretching around the scene are snowfall canopies, glittering trees, and motorsports themed displays.
The whole spectacle includes over 300 individual scenes and more than 300 million LED lights. Over 50 miles of lights have been strung throughout the raceway, and dangle everywhere to dazzle the whole family. Each day has different pricing, with Monday discounts for military and first responders. “Two Can Tuesday” allows reduced entry for any guest who arrives with two cans to donate to the annual can drive. All in all, this site is a must-see.
Red Mountain Community Church
This community event in Mesa invites viewers to enjoy over 500,000 lights throughout the campus. Built with the help of volunteers, the sight celebrates Christ’s birth with multiple crèches and information displayed throughout the scene for spectators to learn more about the church’s spirit of love. The event begins near the end of November with a must-see Flip the Switch event loaded with cookies and cocoa, and then continues to glow all the way through the New Year.
Illumination, Symphony of Light
Hosted in North Phoenix, this holiday treat is the country’s largest drive-through display of animated holiday lights. The scene includes millions of brightly colored lights choreographed to everyone’s favorite holiday songs, that dance and glitter while you enjoy from the coziness of your car.
In addition to the drive-through display, Illumination also hosts a huge marketplace full of holiday vendors, and arts and crafts activities for children. Santa makes an appearance almost every evening, so make sure to stop by and get your picture taken.
Lights of the World
This event is the largest holiday lights show in North America. Complete with rides for the kids, the event is held at the Arizona State Fairgrounds because it sprawls across the property with more than 75 displays and 10 million lights. Truly in a class of its own, this incredible event brings mind-blowing models of scenes from around the world and illuminates them with nearly neon jaw-dropping light.
Combining authentic cuisine from around the world with cutting-edge lighting displays, this event is a fantastic exploration of global food and culture. Towering exhibits reach new heights in this celebration through the use of lantern lighting and modern LED accents, giving way to sights you could never imagine on someone’s front lawn.
Hack the Holidays
If you’re interested in one of the bigger displays this Holiday season you’ll probably need to purchase entry ahead of time. Couple this with the pressure of getting everyone in the car, buckling up, and getting to your destination on time, and things start to seem too complicated. Plus some of these events will require you to purchase a parking pass, and even then you can spend hours still trying to find a place to park.
Now picture all of those stresses streamlined and left to the wayside. Imagine hopping in a luxury car or limousine, after who knows how big of a dinner, with no need to keep your eyes on the road.
We’ve got you covered whether you’re a family of six or looking to rally your friends onto a party bus —just do it in style. With sights like these and the whole season to enjoy driving should be the least of your worries.