10 Must-See Holiday Displays in Arizona

6. Glendale Glitters

From Thanksgiving weekend onward, suburban Glendale sparkles with over a million colorful lights covering the 16 block historic downtown neighborhood. This massive display is the largest free event in the state. I recommend checking it out if you are anywhere near Phoenix this time of year. We drove up for the day from Flagstaff as there are easily enough festive events in the metro (as well as great hiking) to justify the drive. On any given night of the week, you will be able to enjoy all sorts of unique entertainment. 2025 marks the 32nd anniversary of this beloved event.

After your stroll, you can take a horse drawn carriage ride, browse through unique antique shops, check out the downtown Christmas tree, and/or try out a local restaurant (Haus Murphy’s is a great German restaurant with a nice holiday ambiance). For a laid-back experience without the insane crowds & endless vendors, as well as ease of parking, plan your visit on a weekday. The 2 day opening event on Nov. 28th and 29th will feature vendors and carolers.

• 2025 Dates & Times: Nov 28-Jan 1, 5-10pm
• Address: 5847 W Myrtle Ave Glendale
• Admission: Free

7. Tinsel Town at the Village of Tlaquepaque

Tinsel Town is an annual holiday tradition in Sedona, a gorgeous outdoor oasis known more for its’ stunning red rock formations than its’ holiday traditions. This event is located at the beautiful Village of Tlaquepaque, a Mexican themed dining, shopping, and arts village. Around Christmas time, the village is very beautiful with lots of spirited displays featuring classics like Snoopy, Rudolph, & the Nutcracker. The giant ornament photo opp is amazing.

Past seasonal events have included: free screenings of holiday classics, art walks, a sweet stroll, and the lighting of over 6000 luminaries. Be sure to check out El Rincon for dinner: it’s a great Arizona style Mexican restaurant with a wonderful holiday ambiance and I love their Navajo pizzas.

The village is home to lots of great boutique shops and a fantastic Christmas shop. And of course, you cannot leave this desert wonderland without checking out a trail or 2 (check out my top red rock hikes). Fortunately, the winter weather is typically warm enough to still enjoy the trails.

• 2025: Tree lighting on Dec. 5th at 5pm
• Address: 336 AZ-179, Sedona, AZ 86336
• Admission: Free

8. Valley of Lights

Valley of Lights is a wonderful drive-thru light display in Prescott. The trail is pretty long at about a mile so you will see a lot of lights. It’s by far the best drive through show I’ve ever seen. The show is pretty spectacular considering the free admission tag (donations accepted).

Featuring a fun drive-thru candy cane tunnel & displays of favorite holiday characters like the Peanuts gang & the Grinch, along with a few Southwestern themed specialties, you really cannot skip out on this one if you happen to be visiting town over the holidays. All of this holiday cheer easily makes Prescott my number 1 recommend stop in the state this time of year.

• 2025 Dates & Times: Thanksgiving-December 30th, 6-9pm (10 on weekends)
• Address: 2200 N 5th St, Prescott Valley
• Admission: Free – $5 donations encouraged

9. Tumbleweed Tree

Chandler, one of the nicest suburbs of Phoenix, is home to an especially nice little downtown area. I love stopping in Peixoto for a an amazing cup of coffee. There are also a lot of local restaurants lining Main St. Over the holidays, they put up a truly unique desert variation of a Christmas tree.

The city’s long running tradition (2025 marks the 67th year!) of putting up a Tumbleweed tree as opposed to a traditional tree is a truly unique sight to add to your holiday bucket list. This is the last standing tree of its’ kind in the Southwest, so take the opportunity to see it in person while the tradition is still going strong.

According to their website, the collecting of tumbleweeds begins in October (about 1500 are collected) to create this truly unique desert original. The process of adding the tumbleweeds to a wire frame, spray painting & glittering the tree, and adorning it with lights and decorations, is a lengthy process that takes workers almost 2 weeks! The ending result is magnificent both day and night.

• 2025 Date: The tree lighting ceremony takes place on Dec 6th with special events starting at 4:30pm
• Address: 3 S Arizona Ave Chandler
• Admission: Free

Learn more about the unique tumbleweed tradition

10. Winterhaven Festival of Lights

Saving the best for last, the over-the-top light display put on by the Tucson community of Winterhaven each year is one not to be missed. This long running neighborhood light display has been drawing locals and visitors for over 70 years and continues to this day to be the best way to get into the holiday spirit in Tucson.

2025 marks the 76th anniversary of one of the most festive positive vibe neighborhood lights displays I’ve ever come across. My favorite part about living in Tucson was looking forward to this event. I even heard from locals that many people buy homes in this neighborhood just to be a part of this event.

Most of the houses decorate quite crazy with themes including Christmas Vacation, U of A, and
Stranger Things. I really loved the Griswold, Cousin Eddie, and frozen flagpole from A Christmas Story themes. If you like over-the-top light displays, this is the event not to miss.

The amount of creativity the residents put into their displays truly is truly impressive. Asides from lights, you will find carolers, movie screenings, hot cocoa stands and more. For an extra fee, you can sign up for the alpine pedaler which will take you around all the displays.

• 2025 Dates & Times: Dec. 13th-27th. Hours: 6pm-10pm. No walk through this year.
• Address: 3334-3398 N Christmas Ave, Tucson
• Admission: The festival is free to attend although they do encourage donations. In 2023, the community collected $31,222 and 37,800 pounds of food.

A few more amazing displays…

Reid Park Zoo Lights – Tucson’s little zoo offers quite a nice display with thousands of colorful lights and a fantastic synchronized show. This zoo is super small and easily walkable. Plus, the admission price is super low – this is one of the better bang-for-your-buck attractions in Southern Arizona.

Select nights in Nov and Dec. $14.50 for adults, $12.50 for seniors, $9.50 for kids. ($1 discount for 2 can food items or a cat/dog toy).

Marana synchronized tree show – A 45 foot tree is decorated with over 100,000 lights. All season long, you can enjoy a festive synchronized show with lights dancing to popular carols. A lively event kicks off the season on December 6th at 6pm, although I recommend not visiting on opening night due to the insane crowds!