The Paradise & Pacific Railroad will be back on its loop at the corner of Indian Bend and Scottsdale roads on Friday, Nov. 27, running through light tunnels and holiday scenes at the edge of McCormick Ranch. The lights come on at 5:30 p.m. and go off at 9:30 p.m. every night of the run. Every ticket costs the same no matter when you arrive.
The schedule is what changed. Last season the City sold four entry times, one on each hour from 5:30 to 8:30. The 2026 listings on the City of Scottsdale's ActiveNet system offer an entry every half hour, from 5:30 through 8:30. The price stays flat and the closing time stays fixed. So the half-hour you book now decides how much Holiday Lights you actually get.
A flat price against a fixed closing time
The City's listing puts it plainly. Admission is $15 per person for ages 3 and older, children 2 and younger get in free without registering, and the ticket covers the train and carousel. It also says, "Arrive at your selected entry time and enjoy the festivities until the event closes at 9:30 PM."
Everyone leaves at the same moment, so each half hour you push back your start takes 30 minutes off your visit. The price never moves to make up for it.
| Entry time | Time until 9:30 close | Cost per hour of a $15 ticket |
|---|---|---|
| 5:30 p.m. | 4 hours | $3.75 |
| 6:00 p.m. | 3.5 hours | about $4.29 |
| 6:30 p.m. | 3 hours | $5.00 |
| 7:00 p.m. | 2.5 hours | $6.00 |
| 7:30 p.m. | 2 hours | $7.50 |
| 8:00 p.m. | 1.5 hours | $10.00 |
| 8:30 p.m. | 1 hour | $15.00 |
The 5:30 and 8:30 tickets cost the same, but the earlier one buys four times as much evening. Under last year's hourly grid that gap came in four steps. This year it comes in seven, so families can fit an arrival around a pickup, a dinner reservation or a toddler's bedtime more precisely than before.
Members get $5 off each ticket, according to the park's Holiday Lights page. The table's per-hour figures go down for them, but the shape stays the same.
What the four hours hold
A longer stay only pays off if there's enough to fill it, and the 2026 listing describes several things to do.
- The Paradise & Pacific Railroad, which rides through the light tunnels and holiday scenes. It's included in admission.
- The Caroling Train on the River Rambler, with holiday caroling during the ride.
- The carousel, also included. Wristbands are required for every train and carousel rider.
- S'mores Land, a fire pit beside the passing train with festive music. The kits cost $8 each, on top of admission.
- Hartley's General Store, food trucks and the Model Railroad Building, all listed on the park's event page as part of the evening.
That's two different trains, a carousel, a fire pit and an indoor model railroad, which won't all fit into one hour at a holiday-crowd pace. With an 8:30 ticket you'll probably pick one or two. With 5:30 or 6:00 you'll have time for repeat rides and the s'mores.
Seasoned regulars will also notice the park itself. This is its second holiday season since the City finished its renovation in 2025. According to Construction Superintendent's report on the work by Willmeng, the project replaced the old Bunkhouse and Clock Tower with the Roundhouse. It also added a 5,000-square-foot splash pad, an amphitheater, a new plaza, relocated historic train cars, new paths, lighting and shade trees. The City posts a Holiday Lights Plaza Map with each 2026 ticket listing, and it's worth a look before your first lap.
How the evening compares with an ordinary visit
On a regular day, the park doesn't charge to walk in. A single ride costs $3, a book of eight ride tickets costs $20, and an all-rides day wristband costs $12.
During Holiday Lights the wristband does two jobs. The park's event page says wristbands are required for entry and for every ride. So $15 at night costs $3 more than the $12 daytime all-rides wristband and covers getting in as well. The daytime math still matters after dark, because a visitor who stays for the full four hours and rides repeatedly gets the most out of a single fixed price.
Tickets are sold only through ActiveNet. Sales opened for members, Scottsdale residents and non-residents at the same time, Oct. 27, 2026, at 8 a.m. Each entry time stays open for booking until close to its start. On the Dec. 3 listings, for example, the 5:30 slot takes registrations until 4:59 p.m. that day. The park suggests setting up your ActiveNet account ahead of time to speed up checkout.
The two nights before opening night
Two smaller nights come before the public run, and both have their own rules.
Adaptive Recreation Night is Thursday, Nov. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. It's for Adaptive Recreation participants and their families, with train and carousel rides included. The fee is $5 for Scottsdale residents and $7 for non-residents. You must register in advance, there's no registration at the gate that night, and everyone who comes, including parents, guardians and caregivers, has to be registered. Details are on the City's Adaptive Recreation Night listing.
Member Night is Friday, Nov. 20, from 5:30 to 9 p.m., and it's free for park members who register online. Each member can reserve up to four tickets. Children 2 and younger don't count toward that limit, and households with a six-person membership can email the park for extra tickets. One change this year will affect families who used to bring extra relatives along. The City's Member Night listing says:
"We will not be selling tickets this year for additional family members that want to attend Members Night. This will help limit the crowd size and maintain wait times."
You won't need a printed or digital ticket that night. Your name will be on a list at the check-in table. The half-hour entry grid and the Member Night cap come from the same goal of spreading people out so lines stay short. If grandparents are flying in and you were counting on adding them to Member Night, plan on booking them a regular public night.
Matching an entry time to the calendar
Holiday Lights runs 32 nights, from Nov. 27 to Dec. 30, with no event on Dec. 24 or Dec. 25. The park's event page lists Santa meet-and-greets on Dec. 1, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17 and 19 through 23. Here's a way to plan around the flat price and fixed close:
- Pick the night first. If Santa is part of the plan, choose from the dates above. Remember there's no event on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
- Work backward from 9:30. Decide how long your group will realistically last. Toddlers might be done in two hours, so a 7:30 entry gives them the same evening as a 5:30 ticket for less waiting around. Older kids who want the Caroling Train, S'mores Land and a turn in the Model Railroad Building will get more from 5:30 or 6:00.
- Use the half hours. A 6:00 or 7:00 entry, neither of which existed last season, can fit around a weeknight dinner without losing a full hour of park time.
- Book by the household. Every guest 3 and older needs a $15 ticket and a wristband. Children 2 and under get in free without registering.
- Budget for the extras. S'mores kits are $8 each on top of admission.
For McCormick Ranch households, the park sits right at the edge of the neighborhood, so an early entry time doesn't call for a long drive. More on the neighborhood's everyday routes is in our guide to living local in McCormick Ranch without the car, and the full area overview is on our McCormick Ranch neighborhood page. If you spent spring evenings at the park for its concert nights, our earlier look at Rock the Rails covers that side of its calendar.
At Karen's Collection, we keep track of neighborhood traditions like Holiday Lights because they shape how a December in McCormick Ranch actually goes, from the 5:30 train to the last s'more. If family visits for the lights this season turn into talk of a winter home of their own nearby, Request a Concierge Consultation and we'll start with how they want their evenings to look.
