Every city has a drive-through light tunnel. Phoenix has something better: three genuinely different nights, all running from late November into January. Christmas at the Princess is the spectacle — a 65-acre luxury resort in North Scottsdale rebuilt as a Christmas theme park. ZooLights is the family institution — 5 million lights across the Phoenix Zoo. Las Noches de las Luminarias is the soulful one — thousands of hand-lit candles in paper bags lining the trails of the Desert Botanical Garden. Visitors plan trips around all three; locals argue about them like sports teams. The comparison below is the short version of that argument.
The comparison
| Princess | ZooLights | Luminarias | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, N. Scottsdale | Phoenix Zoo, Papago Park | Desert Botanical Garden, Papago Park |
| 2026 dates | Nov 20 – Jan 2, nightly | Nov 25 – Jan 15, nightly | Select nights from Nov 27 – Jan 3 |
| Price | GA from $35 + parking ($35 self / $120 valet, in advance) | $35 / $30 members | ~$42 / ~$37 members |
| The thing | Rides, trains, ice skating, 4-story musical tree, fire pits & igloos | 5M lights, 2 miles of trails, 50-ft LED tree, glowing animal sculptures | Thousands of hand-lit luminarias, desert trails, live music |
| Best for | The big night out / splurge | Families & tradition | Date night / visitors |
| Book | Early — sells out, parking surges at gate | Online, any-night tickets | Early — December nights sell out |
Christmas at the Princess — the spectacle
The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess doesn’t decorate; it transforms. Across 65 acres from November 20 to January 2, general admission (from $35, kids 3 and under free) covers the rides of Twinkle Town and The Village — chair-lift Ferris wheel, alpine slide, a real-ice slide down Snow Mountain — plus the Princess Express trains through the Lagoon Lights, the four-story musical Enchanted Plaza tree, character shows and complimentary fire pits in S’mores Land. Ice skating at Desert Ice and photos with Santa are extra, as are the private igloos and fire tables that turn the night into an occasion. Hours run 5–10 p.m. Mon–Thu and 4–11 p.m. Fri–Sun, and the pro move is baked into the pricing: overnight guests get complimentary admission and VIP express wristbands that skip the ride lines, which is why half of Scottsdale books a staycation here. If you’re visiting, that math often beats four wristbands plus parking.
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ZooLights — the family tradition
For a lot of Phoenix families, Christmas starts when the Zoo lights up. From November 25 to January 15 ($35, $30 members; member-preview night Nov 23), five million lights wrap two miles of zoo trails: a 50-foot LED tree performing to music, a floating light show on the lake, a 200-foot light tunnel, glowing animal sculptures, Santa photos through Dec 23, and s’mores by the fire. Two things to know: the animals are mostly asleep and out of sight — this is a light show that happens to live at a zoo — and the Zoo itself says Monday–Wednesday are the calmest nights, with a second wave of calm in January. Arrive at 7:30–8 p.m. and you’ll walk in behind the opening rush. There are also separate drive-through “Cruise ZooLights” nights and a sensory-friendly night, each ticketed apart — worth it for the right crew.
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Las Noches de las Luminarias — the one that’s only here
The Desert Botanical Garden’s tradition is the oldest soul of the three: volunteers light thousands of luminarias — candles in paper bags — by hand, and set them along the Garden’s desert trails among the saguaros. Add strings of twinkle lights, live music scattered through the Garden, and hot drinks, and you get the most romantic night in Phoenix’s December. It runs select nights only — Nov 27–29, Dec 4–6, 11–13, 16–23, 26–31 and Jan 1–3, 5–9:30 p.m. — and the select-nights format means December dates sell out; this is the one to book the day you decide. It’s in Papago Park, ten minutes from the Zoo — the two pair beautifully on a weekend, Luminarias for the adults’ night, ZooLights for the kids’.
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So, which night is yours?
- One night only, make it count: Luminarias — it exists nowhere else on earth.
- Kids under 10: ZooLights, no contest. Under 5, go early in the evening and early in the season.
- A group night out / visiting family to impress: the Princess — and seriously price the overnight-stay version.
- Doing all three: Princess on a weekend (book the stay), Luminarias midweek in early December, ZooLights in January when the crowds thin.
Coming in for the season? Our Phoenix & Scottsdale two-day itinerary and 12 hours in Phoenix & Scottsdale build the days around these nights, Arizona in January covers the season after the crowds, and the Little Canada guide is for the snowbirds who time their whole winter by them.
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