New Mexico BioPark Society’s 25th Annual
Presented by
TLC Plumbing, Heating & Cooling
We want to thank our 2022 River of Lights Sponsors
And a special thank you to our presenting sponsor, your Albuquerque plumber, TLC Plumbing, Heating & Cooling.
Tickets
Helpful Tips for a Successful Visit
- To avoid crowds, visit River of Lights early in December and on weeknights (Monday – Thursday).
- Plan your visit early! As we get closer to December 25, nights will sell out.
- Prepare for uneven paths. River of Lights journeys through various parts of the Botanic Garden, which include unpaved paths. Plan accordingly.
- Leave your pets warm and at home. Only service animals are allowed inside City of Albuquerque property, which includes the ABQ BioPark.
- Take advantage of our FREE Park & Ride located at the ABQ BioPark Zoo. Scroll down for more info!
- When heading to Park & Ride, avoid the traffic and take I-40 to 12th Street or I-25 to Lead Ave., then travel to the ABQ BioPark Zoo.
- There is no need to park in the neighborhood or pay for parking at other non-River of Lights businesses. The Botanic Garden parking lot and Park & Ride at the Zoo provide plenty of parking for all guests.
- For real-time event updates, Follow us on Facebook @riveroflights and Instagram @riveroflights_abq.
River of Lights Features
River of Lights presents: Santa’s Magical Experience
Enjoy a magical VIP experience with Santa Claus and his elves for an extraordinary evening of ho-ho-holiday merriment before being whisked away to the enchanting River of Lights!
The experience:
Your magical evening begins with reserved parking at Tingley Beach, and as you enter Santa’s New Mexico Headquarters, his elves will be there to greet you. While Santa wraps up his checklist for the night, indulge in the extravagant build-your-own s’mores station along with hot chocolate prepared by elves.
With refreshments in hand, snuggle up for a holiday story, after which Santa will appear! Visit with the jolly man, present your holiday wish list and take some candid photos. Santa will present every (naughty or nice) child with a special winter-themed stuffed plush animal!
As the first part of the evening wraps up, board a festive open-air shuttle and be whisked away! Santa Claus will personally escort you and the rest of the guests to jump the line right into the magic of River of Lights!
Your ticket includes the following:
- Reserved Parking at Tingley Beach
- S’mores & Hot Chocolate Bar
- Holiday story by Santa’s elves
- Meet & Greet with the jolly man himself
- Gift for every child and toddler from Santa
- Open-air shuttle service from Tingley to River of Lights (including return service)
- Skip-the-line service to enter River of Lights!
- Admission to River of Lights
What is River of Lights?
Who We Are and What We Do.
Guests at River of Lights can walk through the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden and experience over 700 intricately designed and constructed sculptures, light displays, and millions of twinkle lights.
River of Lights was started in 1997 by the New Mexico BioPark Society (NMBPS), the 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports the ABQ BioPark Zoo, Aquarium, Botanic Garden, and Tingley Beach. In its inaugural year, River of Lights attracted 32,000 visitors with 30 rented light displays. Now, the event has grown to be New Mexico’s largest holiday light show, with an attendance of over 130,000 and raising over $1 million in 2021.
River of Lights is the New Mexico BioPark Society’s top annual fundraising event and Albuquerque’s number-one holiday destination.
Creating River of Lights.
Preparing for River of Lights is a year-round job, and the event shines brighter every year. The New Mexico BioPark Society employs three full-time craftsmen. Before each holiday season, new sculptures and displays are created, more twinkle light strands are added, and old favorites are re-lit to give them new life.
Every sculpture in our River of Lights collection is hand-welded and strategically lit by our dedicated artists. They start with a small toy or concept, conceptualize it and transform it into a flat or 3D masterpiece. The team will then create a color scheme and carefully attach rope lights around each curve and corner of the sculpture. Not all of our sculptures are static displays. Some appear to be running, jumping, flying, and chomping – you can almost say our sculptures are living pieces of art!
Did You Know?
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We have over 700 light displays and animated sculptures ranging from a 1-foot flower to a 30-foot Brachiosaurus
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To make a 1-foot sculpture takes an average of six hours, whereas the Brachiosaurus took nearly 600 hours
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Setup starts in mid-September, and it takes a crew of 10 to place sculptures and twinkle light the Botanic Garden
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All of our sculptures are stored in two giant warehouses and four storage containers
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Many of our sculptures are created in pieces for easy installation and storage
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Look for our first-ever hand-made sculpture – the flat panel saguaro cactus
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Search for our first-ever 3D sculpture – the yucca cactus
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Our first T-Rex was modeled after a wind-up toy
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We use over 100,000 zip ties annually to attach rope lights to our sculptures
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There are over 200 miles of twinkle lights scattered through the Botanic Garden
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Over 12 miles of extension cords are running electricity to all our sculptures and twinkle lights
Photo Gallery:
