River's Course Since 1991, Christmas on the Pecos has been a Carlsbad tradition where visitors get to enjoy a forty-minute holiday light filled ride up-and-back the Pecos River. This event has been named one of the "Top-100 must-see events in North America" by the American Bus Association every year since 1996. The Good: *Good wholesome family fun *Prices for tickets were pretty reasonable ($22/adults $18/kids), and it goes to support the event and the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. *The boat ride itself was really enjoyable and seemed a bit longer than the forty minutes advertised, which was fine by me. *Once they started to load the boats, the staff was very organized. PRO TIP: Be the last one on the boat so you'll get a front-row, unobstructed view seats. The Meh: *They could use some better signage on what to do once you show up. Everyone is just kind of standing around unsure of what to do. *There's supposedly crafts, drinks, and food at the Pecos Christmas Village, but we didn't see anything beyond some souvenirs at the check-in ticket booth. However, we did do the ride a few days after Xmas, so it's possible it was done for the season? The Ugly: *Parents that can't control their kids really know how to spread the cheer. -_- TLDR: Great place for wholesome family fun for kids and adults of all ages. If you're in the vicinity of Carlsbad during Christmas time, then I highly recommend you try and do this. read more

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We traveled to Carlsbad, New Mexico for the Christmas on the Pecos event after purchasing our tickets about a month in advance and making all necessary hotel reservations. Several family members also traveled with us and secured their own lodging to attend. In total, we drove approximately 4 1/2 hours to be there. Unfortunately, just three hours before our scheduled boat tour, we received a cancellation notice due to weather impact. I understand that weather issues and safety should always take priority however the problem with this is that the weather was actually perfect. The photo below was taken one hour prior to our scheduled tour and as you can see the river is like glass (absolutely beautiful). Wind speeds were 8mph. When we spoke with the few vendors that were still present they were surprised with the cancelation as well. When we arrived at the location of the boat ride to seek clarification, we were unable to locate staff from the chamber of commerce or staff members affiliated with the tour. We also attempted to call the provided phone number, only to learn that the office is open Monday through Thursday, leaving us without any direct assistance or explanation. The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce has only refunded the ticket cost, but we incurred significant additional expenses--including multiple hotel rooms, travel costs, and lost time--for an event we were unable to experience through no fault of our own. It is disappointing that the Carlsbad Chamber has not offered any support beyond the ticket refund, considering the inconvenience and financial impact this caused and let's not forget the very short notice. I would give the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce less than one star if it were possible. The chamber should have taken responsibility for the situation by refunding our tickets and offering complimentary admission to a future event. We experienced both financial loss and significant disappointment, and the lack of support from the chamber was extremely frustrating. read more

Christmas On The Pecos - See how calm the water is - Boat Charters Near Me - Carlsbad, New Mexico

Christmas on the Pecos is a quintessential holiday event in Carlsbad, NM, that occurs nightly from the day after Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve. This 40-minute boat ride on the calm waters of the Pecos River is a holiday lights and decorations tour of mostly residential homes. These homeowners do amazing & creative decorating - and many are fairly large houses. Reservations must be made online in advance & sell out at peak hours beginning with 6:30PM on up to the last tour as late as 9:30PM on the weekends. They do not run the boats on Christmas Eve. Bundle up! It gets very chilly on the water in the desert. Kiddos are required to wear life jackets. I suggest getting to your tour 15-20 minutes prior so you can find parking, use the restroom, and/or get a refreshment. For more info & to purchase individual or group tour tickets, go to https://www.christmasonthepecos.com. read more

absolutely do NOT recommended anyone take Christmas on the Pecos boat ride...adults on the boats cursing and saying to f the President of the United States as the boat passed the God Bless our Troops display...with children on board...the cursing continued throughout the 45 minute ride... the boat captain never asked for the behavior to stop and actually participated in it as the boat docked...the light displays that families obviously put a lot of work into are not pictures I will post due to the disgusting behavior ALLOWED on the boat this evening...this after driving all the way from Albuquerque...paying for a hotel room and food..a waste of money...we will stick to the twinkle light parade , tree lighting ceremony in old town and luminaria tour in Albuquerque...and spend our money local and where we cherish our tourism dollars #Carlsbad #ChristmasonthePecos read more

Very lovely gentle boat ride to view nicely done, home style Christmas decorations. Our 4 year old loved every minute of this experience. Our 6 year old was a bit bored. He may have just been in a bad mood though. My husband and I enjoyed it very much. We were told we were fortunate to have warm wether so I would recommend truly bundling up. They give out blankets as you get on the boat but they are not enough so gloves, hats, scarves etc are a must. They have the kids wear life vests that are very scratchy and bulky and the family who sat by us on the boats little girl was extremely upset by it. Our kids did better with them than we expected with the vests. The parking was very convenient. We purchased our ticket before thanksgiving and were told they were sold out through the new year so purchase your tickets in advance! read more

Christmas On The Pecos - Boat Charters Near Me - Carlsbad, New Mexico

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After saying for many years that we wanted to try it, we finally made the trek from Albuquerque this year and it did not disappoint. We rode the Noelle and although it was a full boat, it didn't feel crowded. We went on a cold, rainy night and it was chilly but we brought blankets and dressed for the weather so were fine. Supposedly they provide blankets, but the night we went a staff member hadn't shown up so there weren't any and some of the other passengers weren't happy about that - best to bring your own. The lights were gorgeous, the boat seats were comfortable and clean, the boat was covered so the light rain didn't bother us. Our kids thought it was magical and my 78 year-old mother loved it! read more