The Albuquerque BioPark's River of Lights is coming back for its 29th year, and organizers say this edition includes 50 new light sculptures, several of them built to mark the 100th anniversary of Route 66. The holiday show runs from November 28 through January 3, with tickets for the general public going on sale Friday.
The annual light display, now in its 29th year at the BioPark, is a long-running fundraiser first launched in 1997 by the nonprofit New Mexico BioPark Society, according to albuquerque.com. This year's crop of new sculptures pays homage to the Route 66 centennial, organizers said, according to KOB 4. Organizers also said Blake's Lotaburger is sponsoring River of Lights for the first time this year, per the same report.
Route 66 Theme Takes Shape in Lights
The Route 66 centennial tributes didn't come together overnight. Earlier planning for this season's additions included talk of classic cars, lowriders, and other nods to the historic highway, BioPark Events Director Kent Berry said in comments reported by KRQE. Berry also described River of Lights as a draw well beyond the metro area, saying organizers see visitors come from all over the country and even all over the world, and that many of them return year after year.
The show runs nightly from 5 to 10 p.m. and will close on December 24 and 25, according to the event's own site, riveroflights.org. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, November 6, per that same source — timing that lines up with the ticket-sale date reported separately by KOB 4.
What It Costs to Walk the Route
General admission is listed at $21 for visitors 13 and older and $12 for children ages 3 to 12, with kids 2 and under getting in free, according to albuquerque.com. The site also lists discounted Value Night pricing at $15 for ages 13 and up and $10 for ages 3 to 12, with the same free-admission policy for the youngest visitors.
Published descriptions of the display itself don't fully agree on its scale. The event's own site describes a one-mile path featuring more than 800 hand-welded light displays, while albuquerque.com describes the show as featuring more than 700 handmade light sculptures. Either way, organizers say proceeds from ticket sales help support the zoo, aquarium, Botanic Garden, and Tingley Beach by funding conservation projects, educational programs, and daily care for animals and plants, according to albuquerque.com.
Money Raised Goes Back Into the BioPark
Berry said River of Lights revenue has a direct role in keeping the BioPark running and growing, helping fund construction projects, conservation efforts, education experiences, and facility and veterinary equipment, according to KRQE's report. That funding model has been part of the event since its earliest days as a nonprofit fundraiser.
The show has also become one of the BioPark's biggest annual draws. KRQE reported that a recent season brought in just over 134,000 visitors, about 800 shy of the event's all-time attendance record, with 30 new sculptures added that year. The outlet also noted that Santa's Magical Experience, a related holiday offering, sold out its prior year's 2,000 spots and sold out again after organizers added 1,000 more.
