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Holiday Events
Rockin' Around Route 66
Old Town Holiday Stroll
Friday, Dec. 5, 2025
Every December, Old Town Plaza is set aglow with thousands of luminarias (or farolitos in northern New Mexico) for the annual Christmas tree lighting in Plaza Don Luis. Stroll with loved ones in the centuries-old center of Albuquerque, experiencing an authentic New Mexican holiday tradition. Enjoy the sights and sounds at a patio, such as Outpost 1706, if you prefer.
Holiday Twinkle Light Parade
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025
Neon lights meet twinkle lights at this signature event on Albuquerque’s Route 66! Since 2003, over 4,000 people and 260 vehicles participate annually in the Twinkle Light Parade, a holiday parade in the historic Route 66 neighborhood of Nob Hill. The Mother Road transforms into a moving stage for locals and visitors alike, where classic automobiles and extraordinarily illuminated rides deck the asphalt. ’Tis the season!
The 2nd Annual Luminito Celebration & A Holiday Opera
Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025
The National Hispanic Cultural Center, south on 4th Street (pre-1937 Route 66) in the vivid Barelas neighborhood, brings back the Annual Luminito Celebration in 2025. A portmanteau of “luminaria” and “farolito,” the age-old linguistic debate is settled in the form of a monumental, 20-foot tall paper lantern.
In continuation of a beloved tradition, NHCC and Opera Southwest present “The Farolitos of Christmas,” a holiday opera based on Rudolfo Anaya’s children’s book of the same title. The opera will be performed at the Roy E. Disney Center for Performing Arts: Albuquerque Journal Theater from Dec. 7-14, 2025.
https://nhccnm.org/event/opera-southwest-the-farolitos-of-christmas/
New Mexico BioPark Society’s 28th Annual River of Lights
Nov. 29-Dec. 30, 2025 | Closed Dec. 24 & 25
Every December, over 800 light displays fill up the ABQ BioPark, off the corner of Route 66 between the Rio Grande and Old Town. River of Lights boasts the largest array of light displays made in-house for any light festival in the United States. See everything from a 9-foot-tall T-Rex and elephants modeled after the BioPark’s own to traditional Japanese bamboo lanterns in the Sasebo Japanese Garden.
