Desert Botanical Garden's luminaria nights start soon. Here's how to see the lights

KiMi Robinson, Arizona Republic
·2 min read

The annual Southwest holiday tradition of flickering luminarias will illuminate Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix throughout December.

Las Noches de las Luminarias 2022, during which thousands of paper bag lanterns light the garden's trails as musicians perform, starts Dec. 1 for members and Dec. 9 for the general public.

Playing With Stars: Rotraut will be on show at the same time, and visitors will find colorful large-scale sculptures by Arizona-based German-French visual artist Rotraut along the trails. Her small sculptures and paintings are inside the Ottosen Gallery.

There also will be a kid-friendly enchanted winter village where guests can take part in a community project inside Webster Auditorium. La Posada, a Mexican procession, will return on Dec. 18 for the first time since 2019. La Posada includes singing processions through the garden, piñatas and traditional food and drinks.

Tickets are on sale now at 480-941-1225 and https://dbg.org; reservations are required.

For those who want to honor a loved one or share a personalized message on a luminaria bag that will be placed at the Jan and Tom Lewis Desert Portal, call 480-941-3517 or purchase a tribute bag on the garden's website. The minimum donation is $125.

Also this year, Luminarias returns as a fundraising partner with the Arizona Republic's Season for Sharing. With each purchase, ticketbuyers can donate to the campaign that supported 164 Arizona nonprofits with $1.8 million in grants last year. More information at sharing.azcentral.com or facebook.com/seasonforsharing.

Learn about the Southwest traditionWhy do we light luminarias for the holidays?

What to expect at Las Noches de las Luminarias 2022

Live entertainment, including mariachi bands, choirs, hand-bell performers and instrumental bands, varies by day. Here are the 2022 performers:

  • The King’s Carolers.

  • Mariachi Pasion.

  • Gustavo Angeles Trio.

  • Sahnas Brothers.

  • Phoenix Boys Choir.

  • Daystar Handbells.

  • Red Rock Bass.

  • Traveler.

  • Simply Three.

  • Vinyl Station.

  • Jaleo and Rasapetatiando Dance Company.

  • Harpsynergy.

  • Mountain View Lutheran Bells of Praise.

  • Mountain View Presbyterian Church hand bells.

For the full entertainment schedule, see Desert Botanical Garden’s full program.

Las Noches de las Luminarias 2022

When: 5:30-9:30 p.m. Dec. 1-4 (members only), Dec. 9-11, 15-18, 20-23, 26-31.

Where: Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix.

Admission: $39.95 ($34.95 for members), $16.95 for ages 3-17 ($14.95 for members). Reservations required. NOTE: Ticketbuyers have an option to donate to the Arizona Republic-sponsored Season for Sharing campaign, which gives grants to nonprofits that help struggling families, older adults and teachers and students. Donations can also be made at sharing.azcentral.com.

Details: 480-941-1225, https://dbg.org.

Reach the reporter at kimi.robinson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @kimirobin and Instagram @ReporterKiMi.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Desert Botanical Garden luminarias: 2022 dates, prices