PHOENIX — Tianyu Lights Festival returns to the Valley with its larger-than-life lanterns! The walkable nighttime festival promises visitors exciting new sights and unforgettable experiences at Camelback Ranch-Glendale.
“We're bringing a completely new display and new themes! It will be more than 60 sets of lantern displays, and I would say the walkthrough will take at least an hour, and there are so many photo opportunities and interactive play playgrounds that you might want to spend some time [at],’ said Huiyuan Liu, event manager for Tianyu Lights Festival, to ABC15.
The festival will divide the park into four distinct areas: Bugs Aglow, Color of Holidays, Rainforest, and Prehistoric Animals.
Liu describes the layout of the land for Tianyu Lights Festival Phoenix.
“Once you walk in, you'll be seeing a lot of bugs- we call it Bugs Aglow, because they all illuminate at night. And then as you walk through, there's an area where we have a lot of holiday-themed lantern displays […you’ll] feel like you're in Christmas. And then next you will see a lot of jungle animals. And then, before we finish, you will see a lot of dinosaurs,” said Liu. He added that last year’s displays were different, but many audience members asked if dinosaurs would be featured in the show. In response, they decided to bring a variety of new displays this year.
One of the massive lanterns that will be on display this year features a 200-foot-long dragon that will float on water and a 100-foot-long butterfly-decorated tunnel that guests can snap pictures in.
“You have to come and experience it to know what we are talking about. Some of the displays are larger than life, and some of them [you] can walk through, some of them you can touch or sit on and play with,” shared Liu.
The Tianyu Lights Festival celebrates its Asian culture and traditions through its lantern artistry.
“Everything [is] handmade from scratch by our lantern artisans. We have to bring them from China to come and set up and build this place here,” Liu to ABC15. “The lantern festival has a history of over 2,000 years […] nowadays we're using different techniques and different materials to build this [festival]. So, we're using a century-old lantern-making skill and technique to tell new stories about nature preservation and about cultural diversity. We're trying to build something fun for all ages, for all people who would come through the gate.”
The festival also has a food court and a ‘handicraft marketplace’ featuring inner-bottle painting, Aluminum Braiding, a 3D Wind Spinner, and more.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
- Event venue: Camelback Ranch – Glendale [10710 W Camelback Rd] in Phoenix.
- The event runs from October 24 to January 4, 2026.
- This family-friendly experience offers tickets available both online and at the gate.
