Been a long time since out last visit It has come a long way since it began Well worth a trip with the entire family with solid value But i will say the signage to get there is lacking To be fair we did no homework prior to going and we paid dearly, we stumbled around for an hour and finally found the way in The lot attendants were fantastic and found us a parking spot Top tip: plenty of parking when we were leaving at 7:30 ! read more

See all

Beautiful Christmas time tradition. My family goes every year. It's a bit of a walk, so wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. Don't forget to stop for cocoa and a snack! Bring the kids, or your sweetheart for a beautiful walk. read more

Back again for 2024 *Here on a Wednesday at 5p; purchased tickets online; 56°F temperature so it was a very pleasant experience *NOT many people there during a midweek outing so there wasn't a crowd at all. I loved the "specialness" of feeling the displays were just for me *New areas were opened this year and I look forward to more for 2025 read more

See all

I really enjoyed this experience. I've been to other lighted botanical garden events, but this one is my favorite so far. It was exciting to round every turn to see what animal/light feature was next. It was a little tricky to in know if we saw everything, but pretty sure we did! Tips: It was cold, bring layers! Enjoy the treats, we loved the hot cider! We went on a Friday and showed up around 7:30. The line to get in took about 10 mins and while there were a lot of people, it wasn't too busy Parking was tricky, we thought we could drive in, but missed a turn and ended up parking in a neighborhood (which isn't recommended by their website) but worked for us read more

See all

Went to The River of Lights for the 8th time. Absolutely love it. This is an event that our City does an extraordinarily good job producing yearly. Good for all ages. We roamed around comfortably on a unusually warm night. It was truly beautiful. A+++ for their creativity. Took the free bus ride from the Zoo parking lot. Too hard to park otherwise. There are buses available all the time. Never had to wait long. Probably 7 minutes at the most. This year we were on and off going and coming back. There is food and drink available. You can stay inside or walk around with your food and drink. BioPark designed this for children and the child in all of us. The $20 or so to get in was nothing for the enjoyment it produced. Don't think there are many tickets left. If You can't get one be first to respond next year. read more

If you haven't stopped thru to check this out, it was awesome! We visited on opening night and it was rather busy with overflow parking. Safe and fun, family friendly evening with my brother and family from California. Everything was clean and there were lights EVERYWHERE! Second year in a row we went on opening night and it is our new Thanksgiving tradition! By the way... The green chili stew at the snackbar was DELICIOUS! Wanted something warm and tried it and was quite impressed. Of course the kids loved the hot chocolate and cup of elote! read more

River Of Lights - Festivals Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

They did a great job this year the lights were arranged differently and the addition of the Japanese garden was amazing. read more

See all

Need to get into the Holiday Spirit? Here's a relatively inexpensive way to do it. Grab your knit cap, warm jacket and scarf and take a 1.5 mile trip around the Biopark to check out all the lights. Only $15 and free parking. Of course if you want to pay we passed 2 lots one for $15 & the other $20. No thanks - free works for us. Had tix for 5pm, traffic coming into the park wasn't bad, it kept moving. Gotta come from east of the park, no left turns. If you need to get warmed up there are plenty of places selling coffee, hot cocoa & hot cider. Plus adult beverages are available. read more

River Of Lights - Festivals Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

See all

Starry Starry Light We were fortunate enough to attend the 26th annual River of Lights holiday light display at the ABQ Biopark. This was quite simply maybe "the best" holiday lights display we've had the pleasure to attend. The Good: *Runs from the end of November to the end of December, so there's plenty of opportunities to catch the lights. *Tickets are relatively inexpensive as @$14-17/adults & children @$7-9 (lower price is M-Thu only) *1.5-miles of trails--with over 200 miles of lights--so this is a great opportunity to get some steps. *Over 800 hand-built pieces from a 1' tall flower--to an impressive 30' tall dinosaur! *Staff was welcoming and friendly--especially the bus drivers. The Meh: *There's no way to get into the venue without being bussed in, which isn't that big of a deal, but it might be a good idea to mask up. *Signage at the parking lot (near the zoo) could be a little clearer, especially for us out-of-towners The Ugly: *I felt like having a churro while we checked out the lights, and after paying $6 for one, I literally took one bite, spit it right out, and chucked the rest in the garbage. It was easily the most disgusting thing I've eaten in a long while. They should be ashamed of themselves, especially in New Mexico, where they should know better. TLDR: Fantastic holiday light show that should be a yearly must-see event if you're a local or visiting ABQ during the holidays. read more

See all

OH, what a magnificent spectacle the River of Lights is! There are holiday light celebrations all over the place. Some you drive through, some you walk through. On a recent visit to our best friends in Albuquerque we decided to vis the River of Lights and it was SPEC-TAC-U-LAR! The ABQ Biopark is divided into various themed areas with hundreds of thousands of millions of light sculptures telling various stories. From ants to butterflies to a big-ass spider to large, jungle-dwelling felines to dinosaurs, the entirety of the Biosphere is illuminated in a bright, glorious, colourful fashion. While it's obviously a Christmas thing it's not all about Christmas. There's a pirate ship, there's a dragon, there are dinosaurs (did I mention the dinosaurs?), there's a vast miniature train layout, and the list goes on. Holiday music fills the air as you make your way through. There are restroom facilities available throughout the exhibit (some heated, some not), a gift shop, a few places to get hot cocoa or, if you prefer, some cocoa with *something extra", and some light snacks available for purchase. It took us about an hour-and-a-half to tour the entire thing and it was magical. This was probably my favorite Christmas experience this year and I hope to be able to do it again the next time we visit. read more

See all

Wow this is the best nighttime botanical garden light display I have even seen!!!! Worth the drive from Dallas to see it 100%! We wanted to come last year, but our plans got derailed. This year we were able to make the trip to ABQ, with this event as the centerpiece of the trip. We had considered talking the free ART (Albuquerque Rapid Transit) bus to the Botanical Garden, but decided instead to drive to the free park-and-ride by the zoo, and take buses run by the Botanical Garden instead. That worked really well - there were plenty of buses, loading on and off was very efficient, and we didn't have to wait at all. We bought tickets online - price was $20 per person, which we think was well worth the price. The event hours are 5pm-10pm. We had tickets for 8pm, but were allowed in at 730pm. Entry is carefully controlled by counting people as they go in and out to avoid overcrowding, reduce pedestrian traffic congestion, and ensure everyone has a nice time. The one-way route through the gardens was well marked and easy to follow. Inside the gardens there were multiple places to buy snacks, hot chocolate, soft drinks, and alcoholic drinks - some stalls served beer and wine only, but others nearby had a full bar with popular cocktails. The star of the show were the light displays - so many amazing light sculptures and installations to see in themed areas. There is something here for everyone - our personal faves were the calm and elegant lights in the Japanese Garden, the animatronic dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park area, and the Albuquerque area featuring the local desert creatures. Some light sculptures seemed to move - we loved the inchworm walking down a branch, the frogs jumping into a pond, and the butterfly release - all rendered in lights. 5 amazing holiday event stars read more

See all

May I start with this is an amazing annual event. We just happened to be in Albuquerque over Christmas as my wife's Dad was in the VA Hospital. As I was watching the local news this event was mentioned. I told my wife about it and next thing you know, we had tickets. We needed a good distraction. We have been to Zoolights in Phoenix and it was nice. However, this is Zoolights on steroids 5X over. The park is broken down into themed segments. For example, Alison in Wonderland, Bugs, African Plaines, and many more! It is like somebody squeezed Christmas at the Princess and Zoolights together and made a super baby light walk. There were holiday drinks throughout, firepits, Waffle Fries smothered in brisket and green chili's . Yum!!! Parking can be a little cumbersome. Ride the shuttle if you can. The nights can sell out quick prior to the holiday. Jump on your tickets. Amazing photo opportunities abound. Super event for the kids! The model train set-up is so cool. You could just watch that and drink Hot Cocoa. It made our season brighter for sure! It run through the month of December. #irishcatv2 read more

River Of Lights - Festivals Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Awful! Got sick with COVID and not able to make it the night of our tickets. Was told they don't care if we were sick, they will not transfer our tickets to another night. Out 60$ for an experience our kids did not even get to experience. Money hungry, not family friendly! If they cared so much, they would accommodate under some circumstances due to it being out of people's control. Thank you for nothing river of lights! Awful! read more

Parking was a big hassle, directions to suitable parking were very small and not visible. Police were present but did not seem to be directing traffic. Very unorganized and's poor planning for the amount of tickets sold , judging by how many people were there. read more

It's been some years since I've gone to the River of Lights. This year I wanted to show the boyfriend the little things ABQ has to offer. Since we are in a pandemic you have to schedule your visit online to reserve a spot. This made me feel safe because usually there is overcrowding. We got there during our designated hour. We went bundled to the teeth (please bundle or it won't be fun), ordered a free-refill $16 coco-cup (the cup is really nice and reusable). I certainly drank $16 worth of hot-coco. We played with our camera and the lighting. The way they looped other seasons, holidays, fairytales, and the actual NM Zoo within their light artistry was amazing. 10/10: I highly recommend walking the River of Lights with your loved ones this season! read more

See all

Awful in 2024-I am so sad, we've been going since this began practically every year. Timed ticket for 6pm. I couldn't believe that they did not have any ANY accommodations at the bio park for a crowd overwhelming the handicapped parking on site so that there was not any at the park. They directed us to Zoo park and ride and no remotely close parking, no handicapped buses or directing for handicapped. 80 plus dollars gone. I'm sure the display was great but we couldn't park anywhere accessible. I think they should reserve that front parking all for those with mobility impairments, and further back and park and ride for those without. I wish there was some way to get a refund. read more

The show is outstanding! As an elderly person, I would warn against making reservations. I made a mistake on the dates, and there is no understanding or grace on their part. I had to pay again for my mistake. No refund for previously purchased tickets. The park was not crowded, so next time I'll bring visiting grandchildren and pay once at the gate. This rating is for the way they do business, not the show. read more

I think sometimes these sorts of annual, holiday, crowd-drawing, cheesy events and activities get a rep for being lame or over-hyped. But sometimes....despite the crowds and the cost and the kitsch and cheesiness...they end up being kinda dang magical. Such is the case with River of Lights. It is busy. It is OVERLY crowded. It is a little price-y (depending on your budget). But it is completely worth it! You can get your tickets ahead of time (a wise choice). Be patient and enjoy yourself. It is a lot of fun and kind of impressive. People will be pushing you and others and running around where there isn't room to run. Take a deep breath and keep calm. Be a cool human and help people take pictures, then maybe they'll do the same for you. Continue to be a cool human and don't be a dick who just stops and stands and lingers in the middle of a narrow walkway. At least move to one side. And then...enjoy! Dinosaurs! Plants! Animals! Animated displays! There is something for everyone! And even for someone who was in the most sour of moods, hating the holiday season this last year, and being insanely annoyed by misbehaving children and the parents unwilling to even try to keep them in line....it put a huge dang smile on my face! read more

See all

Wow wow wow.... I have come to the river of lights for many years. This year has surpassed all the experiences we've had so far. Everything from getting into the grounds to the snacks throughout the gardens and even the displays to enjoy are just astounding. We had such a wonderful time. We stayed here for over 2 1/2 hours and enjoyed every second of it. There is music played throughout the park. The miniature train area is adorable. There are a plethora of displays to enjoy and a good handful of live action displays to discover around the parks. My girls and I really got a kick out of the alien that abducted a cow. If you head over, take your time to find that display, it was a treat. They even have the option for early entrance to the park and a train ride around the park. We might give that a try next year. Bundle up and head over, it is definitely worth your time. read more

See all

Always so much fun and such creativity. It is a yearly tradition for our family and we look forward to it every year. I highly recommend buying tickets ahead of time as it usually sells out very quickly. read more

This is a yearly holiday light show at the Albuquerque Bio Park, It goes from 600p to 930p, admission $12 Adults, $6 children ages 3-12. There is a website of https://riveroflights.org for the event. The website already posted is a City Website, and it is a City event. There are loads of different animals, scenes, and light creations. They work on more every year. There are snacks and drinks for sale but in my opinion too pricey, like $4 for a hot chocolate. The place can get quite busy! So watch weather and if you can go midweek and the weather is ok GO! Tickets sold at entry and no waiting for tickets when I went and it was a busy night. People are all taking pictures, and the people were quite respectful of each other when taking pictures. read more

See all

Every year I have the same thought: It's just a light show, man. Static lights, like, it's not even trippy, no psychedelic 70's music. Do I really wanna go to the River of Lights again? And in the end, the decision is always a resounding Yes. Skipping out on the River of Lights is like denying yourself a tamale on Christmas eve. Gotta do it, gotta get yourself some of that hot chocolate, load up the cup with marshmallows, wrap yourself up in some arctic-strength jackets and scarves and wander the Botanic Gardens. We're a funny sight, we New Mexicans, bundled up like a bunch of southwestern eskimos, geeking out on the pretty little lights. But this festival, like a luminaria stroll through Old Town, is a local tradition I never miss. Some notes on the 2017 edition: + If you can, attend on a weekday. The ticket line is short (warning, adult admission is now $12), and the gardens are much easier to navigate without the crowds. + Single-lane traffic on Central makes the commute a slog, even on weekdays. If you're downtown, Google Maps will give you an alternate route to avoid at least some of the traffic, but if you're on the west side, definitely consider riding the A.R.T. shuttle from Coors/Yucca/Atrisco. + Every year, you can anticipate some surprises. This go 'round, there's a terrific UFO (naturally, by the farm) beaming up an unsuspecting cow. There are also plenty of those light projector thingies, decorating the caves of the children's garden. read more

See all

I've lived in Albuquerque all my life but have never gone to River of Lights. This year (2022) I went with my husband. It was about 45 minutes to walk through, not including our 40 minute wait for the overpriced spiked hot chocolates ($10 each). It was also very cramped and people were walking AGAINST the flow of traffic- so that was pretty annoying. Nonetheless, it was a fun experience and very beautiful to witness. Can't wait to see it again next year read more

See all

A magical winter wonderland of unicorns and penguins and zebras and trains and giraffes and flowers and UFO's. It can get pretty chilly at night, so dress in layers and drink up that hot chocolate. It's always classic that you have to come here with your significant other and post pictures on social media immediately afterwards. (Hint: if you buy your tickets online ahead of time, it saves you the trouble of having to wait in the longer line and can enjoy the lights longer) read more

See all

This was my second time at River of Lights. I love this type of thing during the holidays. The lights and displays are beautiful and plentiful. I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything. There were a lot of paths that broke off so I know we did a few bits of back tracking, and really I didn't mind. I just loved it all. Obviously, it was packed and there were other people who were pushy and inconsiderate of those around you, but that is not an unexpected thing at something this large for the ABQ area. The majority of others around were respectful of the other guests. read more

This is the 3rd year we've gone and it's always a pleasure to go & see the beautiful light displays. I feel the price is pretty inexpensive for all the work that goes into it. If you're on the fence, definitely go check it out, the lights are beautiful. read more

At first glance driving down central avenue it doesn't seem like much when you glance over at the Bio Park. When you walk into Bio Park and are surrounded by the custom art created with lights. It's easy to get caught up in everything. It's perfect for the whole family to go out and see not only the park itself but the installations as well. Price wise it can be a bit for a family of 5 or more but considering most of the entertainment out here it's worth the price of admission. Plus nothing like getting a little family bonding somewhere magical. I came with some friends and their children. We all had a great time. There is so much to see and should you get thirsty or hungry, they have plenty of areas to get food, beverages, and even adult beverages (beer, hard liquor, and cocktails). If it wasn't 20 degrees outside I would have enjoyed it more, but I am so glad to have been able to visit this year. If you miss it this year don't worry there is always next year! One of Albuquerque's great seasonal activities! read more

See all

Wonderful light show! Best I have ever been to! Snacks and drinks are pricey but the walk was lovely! read more

See all

wasted 2 hours waiting to be told tickets are sold out since day light and no ticket booth open this is scam

The light display itself was nice, not sure that it is worth $17 adult entry. The parking is horrible. The botanical park parking lot fills up very quickly and it seemed like you could only get in that lot from westbound Central Ave. The parking attendant told us to go park at the zoo and ride a school bus for free. She also said there would be a shuttle at Tingley Beach, which is a rough dirt lot with no lighting, no signs about a free shuttle. Streets are old and narrow, so there is no parking on streets and walking. We found a spot in El Vado Place, east of the old El Vado Motel, half expected our car would be towed. The website implies controlled and limited entry. There were so many people, no way is the bio park limiting anything. You walk thru, one way, one time. You cannot go back thru. I'm glad to have seen it, not sure I will ever go again. read more

11% INconvenience fee is too much and you HAVE to book and pay on line. I like that they mix up the displays and add new ones, but I wish they would do some maintenance to the existing displays: the lizard has had a section out for at least 3 years. read more

I don't know what River of Lights is like. It's almost impossible to get tickets!! The City should do something similar elsewhere that is FREE to the public and doesn't require appearing at a designated time. Even most smaller cities do that! read more