This Traditional Holiday Festival In Arizona Is The Best Way To Celebrate The Season
By Melissa Mahoney|Published December 04, 2023
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Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I grew up in New England before moving to SoCal for several years. I then lived in NYC or a year before moving to AZ in 2009. I worked in the entertainment industry for many years of my adult life and have a deep love for photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world. Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream!
Celebrate the holiday season in the best way possible — with the Festival of Lights in Sedona! This traditional holiday festival in Arizona began over 50 years ago and has become a beloved event at the Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village in town. With music, entertainment, Santa, free cider, and, of course, 6,000 luminarias, attending this Sedona event is a must!
For 50 years, the Festival of Lights has been a part of the holiday festivities in Sedona. If you're looking for a family-friendly event this holiday season, you'll have to put this one on your list.
The Sedona Trolley Shuttle will provide free transportation from the Uptown municipal parking lot located at 260 Schenbly Road so you won't have to worry about finding parking at Tlaquepaque.
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Throughout the festival, you can enjoy entertainment and live music in different sections of the arts village as well as free cider.
Of course, Santa will make an appearance from 3 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. on the Patio del Norte. Kids can meet the jolly ol' elf and give him their extensive Christmas wish lists.
The main part of the event will start at 5 p.m. with the tolling of a bell and the illumination of 6,000 luminarias along the pathways and courtyards of Tlaquepaque.
The American Cancer Society will be on hand to sell special luminarias specifically designated for cancer survivors. You can purchase one in Patio del Norte.
The Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village is located at 336 AZ-179 in Sedona. When you come here for the Festival of Lights, take a walk around the village and check out the shops, galleries, and restaurants as well as the architecture. This is one of my favorite places to spend time in Sedona and it may become yours as well.
Have you ever been to the Festival of Lights in Sedona? Is there another traditional holiday festival in Arizona you’ve been to before? Let us know. Happy holidays!