Participants will travel through the heart of Albuquerque, down luminaria-lined avenues in Old Town and past the glowing hot air balloons and spectacular holiday displays of the Country Club neighborhood. These areas limit their streets to automobile traffic on Christmas Eve, and together host the City's largest concentration of lights and luminarias. Old Town also features the City's impressive holiday tree and the celebrated decorations / ceremonies of the San Felipe de Neri church.
In its fourth year, ‘Lights and Luminarias' is the first professionally-led bicycle tour on Christmas Eve in Albuquerque, and allows participants to bypass the headaches and congestion traditionally faced by motorists. Tour packages may be customized with a number of amenities including twinkle-light bike rentals (each bike is wrapped with miniature LED holiday lights) and a choice of
body-warming artisan beverages from the New Mexico Tea Company (www.nmteaco.com) or the Chocolate Cartel (www.chocolatecartel.com), which are attached directly to your handlebars in a keepsake Routes mug. All participants will enjoy hot beverages and handmade biscochitos (the state cookie of New Mexico) upon returning to Routes Bicycle Rentals & Tours.
New Mexico is famous for its 200 year-old tradition of lighting luminarias (or farolitos) on Christmas Eve. Each luminaria consists of a brown paper bag illuminated from within by a votive candle. Thousands of luminarias are arranged in rows and patterns along streets, in plazas, and on rooftops throughout Albuquerque to create an unmatched display of flickering light. "We are honored to share the holiday magic of New Mexico with our guests in such a unique way", said Josh Arnold, who owns and operates Routes Bicycle Rentals & Tours with his wife, Heather. "Albuquerque has one of the most impressive holiday displays in the United States, and this bicycle tour allows total immersion. Lights and Luminarias has become one of the City's most beautiful and anticipated holiday traditions".
Guests can purchase tickets for the ‘Lights and Luminarias' tour on the Routes Bicycle Rentals & Tours website by clicking the ‘Book Now' button next to their preferred tour time (http://routesrentals.com or http://bit.ly/LuminariaABQBikeTour), or by calling (505) 933-5667 during business hours. All tours are approximately one hour in length, and packages begin at $18 adult / $12 youth with twinkle-light bike rental. Participants may also choose to bring their own bicycles at a discount.