Christmas at the Princess, Phoenix ZooLights and Glendale Glitters 2026: parking and rides

A holiday lights night with Scottsdale Sprinters starts with the organisers’ own 2026 dates, one vehicle for the whole group and a chauffeur who waits while you walk the lights. This guide covers Christmas at the Princess, ZooLights at the Phoenix Zoo, Las Noches de las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden, Glendale Glitters and Scottsdazzle in Old Town, using only what each organiser publishes, parking and drop-off first.

Last updated: September 24, 2026

When is Christmas at the Princess 2026, and how do parking and drop-off work?

Christmas at the Princess runs nightly from Friday, November 20, 2026, through Saturday, January 2, 2027, at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, 7575 E Princess Dr. Parking is a separate paid ticket bought with admission; self-parkers follow the signs onto Cottage Terrace Drive, and rideshare guests are dropped at the Enchanted Plaza. The resort publishes its hours by the day of the week: 5 to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and 4 to 11 p.m. Friday to Sunday; from December 17 it is 4 to 11 p.m. every night. November 20 is a Friday, so opening night starts at 4 p.m., and the last night, Saturday, January 2, keeps the same hours. There are no closed nights. On November 30 the resort’s village is closed for a private event, so the Ferris wheel, the sledding and the mini golf are shut that night and tickets are priced lower. Tickets are booked online in advance for a date, with no entry time. The organiser says it is a ticketed event with limited availability that often sells out, and it does not recommend waiting to buy on site. Children 3 and under enter free, the event is cashless, and tickets bought from resellers are not honored. Book only on the event’s own 2026 ticket page. Admission and parking are separate. A self-parking or valet ticket is required to park on the property, and parking costs more when it is bought on arrival. Self-parkers follow the signs onto Cottage Terrace Drive, where an attendant scans tickets and hands out wristbands; valet guests go to the hotel’s front drive. Guests who arrive by rideshare follow the signs to the ride-share drop-off in the Enchanted Plaza, where staff scan tickets and hand out wristbands. The resort publishes no drop-off for a limousine, a charter or a Sprinter, so our chauffeur unloads where resort staff direct. If the vehicle is to wait on the property through your visit, ask us when you book whether it needs a parking ticket of its own. For dinner, the organiser names Bourbon Steak, La Hacienda and Toro Scottsdale at the resort, recommends reservations there, and suggests making them at least one month ahead. Santa is there until Christmas Eve.

When is ZooLights 2026 at the Phoenix Zoo, and where do you park?

ZooLights runs from Wednesday, November 25, 2026, to Friday, January 15, 2027, from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., at the Phoenix Zoo, 455 North Galvin Parkway. When the main lots fill, message boards send drivers to the overflow lot at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, about a 15-minute walk away; the Zoo mentions no shuttle. The overflow lot is at the southwest corner of Van Buren and Priest, and the walk from it is on a lit, paved path. The Zoo asks guests to carpool and to watch the message boards on the approach. It publishes no rideshare, limousine or bus drop-off for ZooLights, so the chauffeur unloads where Zoo staff direct and meets the group at a point agreed before you walk in. Tickets go on sale October 1 and are good for any one public night of the season: there is no date and no entry time on them. Children 2 and under are free, tickets are non-refundable, and group tickets are sold when 50 or more are bought in advance. ZooLights is open on Christmas night; the Zoo itself is closed that day. The Zoo’s own advice on crowds: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are the quietest nights, the first two weeks of December and all of January are less busy, and most guests arrive when the gates open, so arriving around 7:30 or 8 p.m. can make entry smoother. It is five million lights on over two miles of trail, and most animals are not visible at night. Two nights are ticketed on their own. Sensory Friendly ZooLights is Tuesday, December 8, 2026, with smaller crowds, quieter music and reduced flashing lights. Cruise ZooLights, a drive-through night on Sunday, January 17, 2027, admits vehicles no larger than a full-size long-bed truck, so it is not a night for a Sprinter or a coach.

When is Las Noches de las Luminarias 2026 at the Desert Botanical Garden?

Las Noches de las Luminarias runs 26 nights from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 North Galvin Parkway: November 27 to 29, December 4 to 6, December 11 to 13, December 16 to 23, December 26 to 31, and January 1 to 3, 2027. There are no nights on December 24 or 25. Member tickets go on sale October 1 and general admission tickets on October 16. December 4 to 6 is Members Weekend. Whether entry is timed is not stated on the 2026 page; it is announced closer to the date, so check the Garden’s ticket page when you buy. The Garden has published no parking, overflow or shuttle plan for Luminarias. Its standing guidance, written for private events, says the Garden has complimentary on-site parking with over 600 spaces and bus parking, and that guests are welcome to arrive by ride-share. With a chauffeur, the group is dropped where Garden staff direct and nobody looks for a space. During Luminarias the Garden recommends reserving Gertrude’s by Tarbell’s through OpenTable. The Garden closes to daytime visitors at 4 p.m. on many event days, so an afternoon visit and the evening event are separate plans.

When is Glendale Glitters 2026?

Glendale Glitters returns to Murphy Park in Historic Downtown Glendale for its 33rd year: the lighting ceremony is at 5:45 p.m. on Friday, November 27, 2026, the kickoff event runs November 27 and 28 from 5 to 10 p.m., and the lights stay on nightly through January 1, 2027, from 5 to 10 p.m. The City of Glendale’s 2026 page gives Murphy Park in Historic Downtown Glendale as the place and no street address. Last year’s lighting was in front of the Glendale Civic Center. The city has not published 2026 parking for Glendale Glitters; it is announced closer to the date. Two years ago, in its 2024 release, the city pointed drivers to free parking in the downtown garage at 5835 W. Palmaire Ave. and on surface streets. With a chauffeured ride the group is dropped close to the park where traffic staff allow, and the vehicle comes back at a time you set. Glitter and Glow and any other special Glitters night have no official 2026 dates, so they are not on this page.

When is Scottsdazzle 2026 in Old Town Scottsdale?

Scottsdazzle, the City of Scottsdale’s holiday season in Old Town, kicks off on Saturday, November 28, 2026, with the Tree Lighting Spectacular at the Scottsdale Waterfront Canal Bank, 7135 E Camelback Rd, from 7 to 9 p.m., and runs through December 31, 2026, throughout Old Town Scottsdale. The tree lighting is free and lights a 36-foot Scottsdazzle tree; this year it celebrates 75 years of Scottsdale. The city’s event calendar lists more evenings through December, and it says the full 2026 program is announced closer to the date, so check it before you set the night. Old Town parking is free: every public garage is free, and street parking has a three-hour limit. Old Town is compact and walkable once you are there. Old Town Scottsdale’s Transportation Safety Zone is in effect every night from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. While it is in effect, hired vehicles load and unload only at the marked Passenger Convenience Areas and vehicle-for-hire lanes, never in a through lane, so your chauffeur stops where the city allows.

Can you see two holiday light displays in one night?

Yes. ZooLights and Las Noches de las Luminarias are both on North Galvin Parkway in Phoenix, about 2 minutes apart by car, and Christmas at the Princess is about 27 minutes from the Phoenix Zoo in typical traffic. Book the vehicle by the hour and it waits between the stops, so the second display is a short, warm ride. Those drive times are Google’s typical times without event traffic, measured on September 24, 2026. From Kierland the Princess is about 7 minutes; from Old Town Scottsdale about 22; from Sky Harbor or the Phoenician about 27; and from Historic Downtown Glendale about 34. The drive-time map on this page lists them. Plan around the hours. ZooLights runs 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. and Luminarias 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., so the Garden goes first when you pair them. Christmas at the Princess opens at 4 or 5 p.m. and closes at 10 or 11 p.m., depending on the night, and Glendale Glitters is lit from 5 to 10 p.m. The Princess ticket is for a date and the ZooLights ticket for any one night, and neither carries an entry time. One display with dinner fits the 4-hour minimum. Two displays usually take 5 or 6 hours, and three a longer evening. The hours you book cover the wait while you walk the lights, and a stop inside those hours costs nothing extra.

Which vehicle fits a family, a date night or an office party?

Families and friends start with the Executive Black Sprinter (14 seats) or the Mini Bus (24 Pax); date nights and VIP groups take the Luxury SUV (Suburban), the Maybach Jet Sprinter or our pick, the Ultra Luxury Party Sprinter (15 seats); office parties take the Executive White Sprinter, the Executive Mini Coach (29 Pax) or the 56-Passenger Motorcoach. The Ultra Luxury Party Sprinter is our flagship for a lights night: fiber-optic lighting with eighteen modes takes the cabin from a dance party to something as quiet as candlelight, and it seats 15. For a couple, the Luxury SUV (Suburban) is black on black with heated leather captain’s seats; the Maybach Jet Sprinter (9 seats) and the Maybach Shuttle Sprinter (8) are the Maybach cabins. For a family, the Executive Black Sprinter has black leather seats that each recline, with room for strollers, coats and bags; the Mini Bus (24 Pax) seats 24 for an extended family. An office holiday party takes the Executive White Sprinter (14 seats), the Executive Mini Coach (29 Pax) (29) or, for the whole company, the 56-Passenger Motorcoach (56). The motorcoach photos on this page are representative; the assigned coach is confirmed in writing. Count everyone who rides, plus coats and anything bought at the displays.

What does a chauffeured holiday lights night cost?

Every vehicle is booked by the hour with a 4-hour minimum (the motorcoach 5): 4 hours in the Executive Black Sprinter is $580 before tax, about $41 each for 14 riders; the Ultra Luxury Party Sprinter is $1,000, about $67 each for 15; the Luxury SUV (Suburban) is $500 for a date night. Those are the published hourly rates times the hours, before 8% Arizona sales tax: $145 an hour for the Executive Black Sprinter, $250 for the Ultra Luxury Party Sprinter, $125 for the Luxury SUV (Suburban) and $295 for the Maybach Jet Sprinter. The fare belongs to the vehicle, so one more rider does not change it. Admission and any parking at the displays are bought from the organisers, not from us. The packages on this page add extras from our catalog to a vehicle and a set of hours, priced the same way: the Lights Crawl, Princess Date Night and the Family Lights Tour. Checkout shows exactly what is charged today and when any balance is due. Call (623) 986-6339 or email reservations@scottsdalesprinters.com with the night, the pickup address and the rider count, and we confirm what is open. Availability varies by night and by vehicle.