If you haven’t been to Las Noches de las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden, you’re missing out. The 24-night event features more than 8,000 hand-lit luminarias, glowing along the garden’s trails, as well as live entertainment, including mariachis and holiday singers.
This year’s event also features an exhibit by British artist Bruce Munro, who is known for large, immersive light-based installations incorporating miles of fiber optics. The exhibit showcases eight works by the artist, including one with 30,000 individual spheres cascading down a hillside to the Sonoran Desert Nature Loop Trail and another with 58 glowing towers nestled among the saguaro cacti.
As you stroll, you can sip hot cider and munch on festive cookies. Food and wine will also be available for purchase.
If you want something more substantial, you can purchase tickets for the buffet dinner. Meal tickets are $22 for adults and $12 for children ages 12 and under.
Or, you can enjoy dinner at the garden’s amazing local restaurant, Gertrude’s. Reservations are highly recommended.
Las Noches de las Luminarias is open to the general public November 27-28, December 10-13, 16-23, and 26-January 3. The nights of December 3-6 are reserved for members of the Desert Botanical Garden.
Admission on open evenings begins at 5:30 p.m. The event ends at 9:30 p.m. For a complete list of performers and more information about Las Noches de las Luminarias, click here.
Tickets are $30 for adults and $12.50 for children ages 3 to 12. Children under three are admitted free. You can purchase tickets online or in advance at the garden. The event does sell out every year, so purchase tickets before heading out.
Even though this is an outdoor event, smoking is prohibited and no pets are allowed.
The Desert Botanical Garden is open daily except on July 4, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day and features more than 50,000 desert plants on its five trails, each illustrating themes such as conservation, desert wildflowers, and people of the Sonoran Desert.
Feel free to give me a call for more information on the Desert Botanical Garden and other fun ideas for local Valley events throughout the holiday season. Scottsdale and Phoenix are the place to be for a cool, snow-free winter of outdoor fun!
