# The Desert Lights Festival (formerly Desert Farm Lights) — Surprise

> Event for families in the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler area (AZ). Times are Arizona Time.

- When: Nov 20 – Dec 27 · 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
- Where: The Desert Lights Festival, 14629 W Peoria Ave, Surprise, AZ 85355
- Ages: All ages; children 2 and under free
- Price: General admission $24.95 ($25.95 Dec 18–Dec 27), ages 3 and older; season pass $74.95; children 2 and under free
- Organizer: Desert Farm Lights (The Desert Lights Festival)
- Official page: https://tickets.desertfarmlights.com/f/desert-farm-lights-2026/tickets
- Last checked: Wed, Oct 28

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Nov 2, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-11-01), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/activities/the-desert-lights-festival-formerly-desert-farm-lights-surprise--listing-677eb6344962efc3b496fd9b

## About

Desert Farm Lights, renamed The Desert Lights Festival this year, is a walk-through Christmas festival on a West Valley farm property with more than 28 attractions spread among the light displays. The 2026 line-up lists an immersive 1.5-acre Candy Cane Maze with an easy and a hard route, the Jolly Journey train ride, ice skating on real ice, new winter tubing hills, bungee trampolines, a carousel, a 90-foot fun slide and dozens of photo spots. Santa poses for free photos on your own phone every night until Christmas (5:30–9:30 p.m. in the posted schedule), and the Grinch stays on after Christmas. Food trucks and sweets are on site nightly. The ground is wood chips, so it is stroller accessible but bumpy, and closed-toe shoes are advised. Weekends and the train, slide, trampoline, Santa and skating lines get the longest waits; arriving at the 5 p.m. opening helps. Children 2 and under are free; everyone 3 and older needs a ticket, best bought online because sold-out nights are sold out at the gate too.

## Similar picks in Phoenix

- [World of Illumination: Reindeer Road Drive-Through Light Show — Tempe](https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/activities/world-of-illumination-reindeer-road-drive-through-light-show-tempe--listing-b79fe726154173b4b9d5eaea) — Nov 13 – Jan 3 · 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM · Tempe Diablo Stadium · All ages · From $39.99 · checked Oct 27. World of Illumination brings a new drive-through Christmas light show to the parking grounds of Tempe Diablo Stadium every season, and the 2026 theme follows Reno Reindeer on a…
- [Annual Holiday Tree Lighting — Desert Ridge Marketplace](https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/activities/annual-holiday-tree-lighting-desert-ridge-marketplace--listing-7e5971ed77b62f1cd7b23a8e) — Mon, Nov 23 · 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM · Desert Ridge Marketplace — The District · All ages · Free · checked Oct 21. Desert Ridge Marketplace turns The District into "Cheerville" for its annual Holiday Tree Lighting on the Monday of Thanksgiving week. From 6:00 to 9:00 pm the outdoor center…
- [Railroad Park Holiday Lights — year conflict](https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/activities/railroad-park-holiday-lights-year-conflict--listing-05f2513f52d3c4a713d21241) — Nov 27 – Dec 30 · 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM · McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, Scottsdale · All ages · From $15 · checked Oct 28. Families ride the train and carousel through festive lights and seasonal displays in the railroad park.
- [Mesa Temple Christmas Lights and International Nativity Exhibit](https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/activities/mesa-temple-christmas-lights-and-international-nativity-exhibit--listing-5118234b7a4a87505e8187df) — Nov 27 – Dec 30 · 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM · Mesa Arizona Temple grounds (north lawn) · All ages · Free · checked Oct 20. Every evening from the day after Thanksgiving through December 30, the grounds of the Mesa Arizona Temple in downtown Mesa glow with hundreds of thousands of lights, gardens and…
- [World of Illumination: Candy Rush Drive-Through Light Show — Camelback Ranch](https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/activities/world-of-illumination-candy-rush-drive-through-light-show-camelback-ra--listing-6d71fc8c1cdb22bb9c78a76f) — Nov 12 – Jan 3 · 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM · Camelback Ranch · All ages · From $39.99 · checked Oct 27. New for 2026, World of Illumination adds a second Valley drive-through Christmas light show at Camelback Ranch, the spring-training complex on the west side. This year's Glendale…
- [Photos with Santa — Kierland Commons](https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/activities/photos-with-santa-kierland-commons--listing-0378ef068ab1a916a6a082da) — Nov 20 – Dec 24 · Kierland Commons — Center Plaza, Scottsdale · All ages · Free · checked Oct 21. Santa sets up at Center Plaza in Kierland Commons, the outdoor shopping village on Scottsdale Road, from Friday, November 20 through Christmas Eve. Visiting Santa is free, and…

## More for families

- [Things to do with kids in Surprise, AZ](https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/towns/surprise-az) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/towns/surprise-az.md)
- [Things to do with kids in Maricopa County, AZ](https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/counties/maricopa-county-az) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/counties/maricopa-county-az.md)
- [Christmas lights and holiday events for kids in Phoenix](https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/christmas) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/christmas.md)
- [This weekend in Phoenix](https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/this-weekend) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/phoenix/this-weekend.md)
- [Things to do with kids in Phoenix](https://grassyknees.com/phoenix) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/phoenix.md)
