Best Christmas Lights in Tucson
From the annual Parade of Lights downtown to traditional candle-lit luminarias to neighborhood Christmas lights displays, Tucson is looking bright for the holiday season.
A host of family activities and holiday events make Christmas in Tucson, Arizona, a delight for all ages. Here are some of the best places to see Christmas lights in and around Tucson.
Tucson Downtown Parade of Lights
Holiday festivities kick off each year with the Tucson Downtown Parade of Lights. The 2009 event will be held on Saturday, December 12, and the parade begins at 6 pm.
During the afternoon, a festival is held at Armory Park, where the parade route ends. Joining the parade are marching bands and musical groups, decorated vehicles, lighted floats, and costumed groups walking or dancing their way along the route.
All entries must be lit, but this can range from LED lights to glow sticks, flashlights to solar-powered pins, lighted candy canes to light-sabers. And with $2000 in prizes up for grabs, the most creative participants will be dazzling the crowd with their bright ideas.
Christmas Lights at Tucson’s Reid Park Zoo
Animal lovers will delight as a multitude of glittering lights turns Reid Park Zoo into a winter wonderland, complete with falling snowflakes, the jingling of sleigh bells, and the reindeers’ favorite friend, Santa Claus. The animal-shaped light sculptures are a highlight among the festive displays.
Families can enjoy Christmas music and refreshments, along with a night-time visit to the zoo. The Zoo Lights are turned on for two hours, 6-8 pm, on specific evenings. The 2009 dates include December 4-6, 10-13, 17-22.
Through December 13, the admission fee will be waived with the donation of a new toy for the Toys for Tots program. Check the Reid Park Zoo website for admission details.
Luminaria Nights at Tucson Botanical Gardens
More than 2,000 luminarias will light up the garden paths at Tucson Botanical Gardens, giving visitors the chance to see cacti and other desert plants in a new light. Luminarias are traditional Mexican Christmas lights, much like paper lanterns, each with a lighted candle set in a base of sand inside a paper bag that allows the light to shine through.
Hot cider, Christmas cookies, and holiday treats are served. A range of musical groups entertains visitors with a variety of festive music.
Now in its 23rd year, Las Noches de las Luminarias, or Luminaria Nights, is one of the city’s most popular holiday events. It is held the first weekend in December, from 5.30-8 pm. Check the Tucson Botanical Gardens website for admission details.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Visiting local neighborhoods to see their houses decked out in Christmas light displays is a holiday tradition throughout the USA. Top of the list in Tucson is Winterhaven, which puts on its annual Festival of Lights to raise funds for the Tucson Community Food Bank.
From mid-December until a few days after Christmas, visitors can walk or drive through Winterhaven’s streets to see an impressive display of sparkling lights, Christmas characters, and traditional and unique holiday decorations. Since 2007, Winterhaven has used energy-efficient LED lights instead of standard bulbs, making it a green event in every way.
For directions and dates for seeing the sights on foot or by car, check the Winterhaven Festival of Lights website. Entrance is free, but a canned food or monetary donation to the Food Bank is appreciated.
Christmas Eve Luminarias at Tumacacori National Historical Park
Every Christmas Eve a fantastic display of luminarias surrounds the old Spanish mission at Tumacacori National Historical Park, about 50 miles south of Tucson off I-19 at exit 29. This is one of the most atmospheric Christmas light displays anywhere.
Thousands of traditional candle-lit luminarias, set in sand-filled paper bags, line the walls and walkways of the 17th-century mission, leading to the enormous shell of the old adobe church, also aglow with luminarias. Visitors proceed along the lighted path and through the church, where the orange candle flames give the adobe walls a serene radiance. Afterward there are homemade cookies and hot chocolate for all.
Gates open after dark, usually around 6pm. There is no admission charge for this Christmas Eve event, but a donation is appreciated.