In 2026, Phoenix's two biggest holiday light events both run on weeknights and into January. The Phoenix Zoo has said publicly that those are the nights when fewer people come.
Desert Botanical Garden's Las Noches de las Luminarias has 26 event nights this season, up from 19 in 2025, and now continues through Jan. 3, 2027. Last season's listing ended Dec. 30. ZooLights runs Nov. 25 through Jan. 15. Most of the season is still a few weeks away, and the dates worth booking are the ones the bigger crowds tend to skip.
The 2026 season, start to finish
The season opens on a Wednesday at a Desert Ridge resort and ends on a Sunday in a car line at the zoo. The full calendar looks like this:
| Event | Where | 2026–27 dates | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jingle at JW, with the new ice! attraction | JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge | Nov. 18 – Jan. 3 | Bundled passes from $40 to $115 |
| Desert Ridge Marketplace tree lighting | Desert Ridge Marketplace | Mon., Nov. 23 | Adult VIP $40, up from $30 in 2025 |
| ZooLights | Phoenix Zoo | Nov. 25 – Jan. 15, 5:30–10:30 p.m. | $30 member, $35 general |
| Las Noches de las Luminarias | Desert Botanical Garden | Nov. 27–29; Dec. 4–6, 11–13, 16–23, 26–31; Jan. 1–3, 5–9:30 p.m. | Adults $37.95–$42.95 member, $39.95–$44.95 general |
| APS Electric Light Parade | Central Ave. to Indian School Rd. | Sat., Dec. 5, 7 p.m. | Free |
| Phoestivus | Arizona Center | Fri., Dec. 11 and Fri., Dec. 18, 4–10 p.m. | $5 suggested donation |
| Cruise ZooLights | Phoenix Zoo | Sun., Jan. 17 | $135 member vehicle, $150 guest vehicle |
Luminarias prices vary by date and ticket type. Children ages 2 to 17 are $16.95 for members and $18.95 general. At the zoo, children 2 and under get in free.
The zoo has published which nights are quietest
On the ZooLights page, the Phoenix Zoo gives its own advice on crowds for the event. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are generally the least crowded nights. If you want to go later in the season, the first two weeks of December and all of January tend to be less popular. Most guests also arrive right when the gates open, so the zoo suggests coming around 7:30 to 8 p.m., after that first wave has come and gone.
This year the zoo has priced some of those quiet nights lower. Member Mondays, a new benefit for 2026, let members buy up to six ZooLights tickets at $10 each on Nov. 30, Dec. 7, Dec. 14, Jan. 4 and Jan. 11, plus a member preview night on Nov. 23. Two of those Mondays fall in the first two weeks of December and two fall in January, which are the stretches the zoo calls less popular. Six tickets on a Member Monday cost $60. The same six tickets cost $180 at the regular member price or $210 at the general price.
The quiet nights also come with new things to see. The Lake Lights Show has six more 24-foot trees around its 50-foot LED tree, and the Arizona Trail section has a new walk-through experience called Wander the Wonder.
For guests who need a calmer visit, Sensory Friendly ZooLights runs Tuesday, Dec. 8, from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. It requires a separate ticket, $35 general for ages 3 and up. The zoo describes smaller crowds, quieter music, reduced and slow-moving lights, and sensory stations. That Tuesday also falls in the zoo's quieter early-December window.
If the main lots fill, message boards send drivers to the overflow lot at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, at the southwest corner of Van Buren and Priest. From there it's about a 15-minute walk on a lit, paved path.
Luminarias now has a midweek run and a January weekend
The zoo's advice is about its own event. Still, this year's Luminarias schedule includes the kinds of nights the zoo describes as quietest.
Through the first half of December, Luminarias sticks to Friday-through-Sunday weekends. From Dec. 16 to Dec. 23 it runs eight nights in a row, Wednesday through the following Wednesday. That stretch includes Monday, Dec. 21, Tuesday, Dec. 22 and Wednesday, Dec. 23. The Dec. 26–31 run covers Monday the 28th, Tuesday the 29th and Wednesday the 30th. The season then ends with a full weekend on Jan. 1–3, a stretch the 2025 calendar didn't reach.
Sonoran Santa and Mrs. Claus are scheduled for photos on Nov. 27–29 and Dec. 18–23. Families who want those photos without a weekend crowd can aim for a weeknight between Dec. 21 and Dec. 23. Live music this year includes Traveler World Orchestra, Simply Three and Vinyl Station on select evenings. Personalized luminaria tribute bags are displayed at the Ottosen Entry Garden Terrace.
The biggest change at the Garden is the new art. Super Bloom by Graphic Rewilding, a large-scale floral art exhibit, was scheduled to open Oct. 9. It's part of Luminarias this year, but its listed run goes through May 31 and can be seen by day as well as after dark. That means you don't have to fit the exhibit into a December night. A daytime visit in February sees the same installation.
The Garden recommends buying Luminarias tickets in advance and lists free parking, rideshare drop-off and overflow parking during busy periods.
The fixed-date events take up the Fridays and Saturdays
Some events only happen on one or two nights, and nearly all of those fall on a Friday or Saturday. That's another reason to put the flexible events on weeknights.
The 39th annual APS Electric Light Parade is Saturday, Dec. 5. It starts at 7 p.m. at Central Avenue and Montebello Avenue and ends at 7th Street and Indian School Road. The city closes these roads from 5 to 11 p.m. that day:
- Central Avenue, from Camelback Road to Bethany Home Road
- 7th Street, from Indian School Road to Osborn Road
- Camelback Road, from 1st Avenue to 7th Street
Viewing spots along the route are first-come, first-served, and the city says crowds often show up hours early. The city recommends taking Valley Metro Light Rail over driving. Luminarias also runs that same Saturday, so if you go to the parade, save the Garden for a weeknight.
Phoestivus has gone from one night in 2025 to two this year, Friday, Dec. 11 and Friday, Dec. 18, from 4 to 10 p.m. at the Arizona Center, 455 N. 3rd St. The market has gifts from more than 175 small businesses and raises money for the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market. The $5 donation at the door is suggested, not required. With a second Friday on the calendar, you can shop on Dec. 11 and still keep Dec. 18 open for something else.
The smaller markets fall on weekends too. The Downtown Phoenix Holiday Market at GenuWine Arizona Wine Bar is Saturday, Nov. 28, and entry is free. The Makers Hive Holiday Market at Desert Ridge Marketplace is Saturday, Dec. 5. Desert Ridge Marketplace's tree lighting is the exception, on Monday, Nov. 23.
Up north, a new ice attraction starts the season early
The first event of the season opens Wednesday, Nov. 18, about a week before ZooLights. Jingle at JW at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge adds a new ice! attraction themed to Elf, made from more than two million pounds of carved ice, and the program runs through Jan. 3. Tickets are sold as bundled passes ranging from $40 to $115. Its season ends the same day as Luminarias, so the first weekend of January is the last chance for both.
Three weeknight plans worth booking now
Based on the zoo's crowd guidance and the expanded Luminarias calendar, these plans skip the busiest nights:
- Monday, Dec. 7 or Dec. 14: Member Monday at ZooLights, $10 a ticket for up to six people, arriving around 7:30 p.m. Both dates fall in the zoo's quieter early-December window.
- Monday, Dec. 21 through Wednesday, Dec. 23: Luminarias on a weeknight during the Santa and Mrs. Claus photo nights.
- Monday, Jan. 4 or Jan. 11: the last two Member Mondays, after Luminarias and Jingle at JW have ended. On Sunday, Jan. 17, Cruise ZooLights lets you see the light tunnel and the lake show from your car, with Early Bird entry from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Night Owl entry from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The zoo notes that ZooLights dates and hours can change without notice and that tickets are non-refundable. Check the ticket page before you finalize a night.
If you're planning a move around the holidays, or hosting family who want to know what a Phoenix December is really like, I'm glad to help you plan both. Kelleigh Evans answers quickly by text or phone. Schedule a consultation and we'll go over your timing together.
