We track 5 displays in Chandler. 4 of them are free to visit.
When to go
Displays here switch on around sunset. In Chandler that means about 5:20 PM in early December and 5:22 PM by mid-month — the earliest sunsets of the year fall right in the middle of lights season. It is properly dark by about 5:49 PM, which is when the displays look their best. December nights in Chandler typically drop to around 35°F.
Date
Sunset
Fully dark
Dec 1
5:20 PM
5:47 PM
Dec 15
5:22 PM
5:49 PM
Dec 25
5:26 PM
5:54 PM
The Chandler lights loop — 5 stops
We ordered every display in Chandler into the shortest sensible driving loop: roughly 12.7 miles and 51 minutes of driving, before you count time spent parked and looking. Start wherever is closest to you and follow it round.
Driving estimate assumes a 25 mph average on residential streets plus four minutes stopped per display. Straight-line distances with a road-network allowance — treat it as a planning figure, not a satnav route.
Practicalities
Residential displays have no facilities of their own — no parking, no toilets, nowhere to warm up — so it is worth knowing what is around. Within about three miles of the Chandler cluster, OpenStreetMap maps 0 public car parks and 4 public toilets. There is no shortage of cafés and takeaways for a hot drink on the way round.
5700 W North Loop Rd (Rawhide Western Town) · Chandler, Arizona
Nov 28 - Dec 28 · typically dusk – 10 PM
ticketedattractionmillions of lightsholiday express trainnightly paradestunt shows
Pratt Brothers Christmas transforms Rawhide Western Town with one of Arizona's biggest ticketed light spectacles — reported at six to seven million lights — plus a holiday express train, nightly parade and stunt shows. It runs from late November through late December.
Chandler's signature holiday landmark is a Christmas tree built entirely from tumbleweeds, lit nightly at sunset in downtown. It's one of Arizona's quirkiest and most photographed holiday traditions.
typically late Nov – early Jan (check before visiting) · typically dusk – 10 PM
Freeneighborhoodhorse and carriage rides Fri-Sat
This Chandler street adds horse-and-carriage rides on Friday and Saturday nights to its holiday light displays. It's one of the more old-fashioned neighborhood experiences in the East Valley.