Holiday Lights at the Railroad Park Now Sells Entry by the Half Hour. Your Ticket Sets the Dinner Plan.

Holiday Lights 2026 at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park runs November 27 through December 30, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. It is closed December 24 and 25. Opening night is the Friday after Thanksgiving. The ticket is still $15 for anyone 3 and older, and children 2 and under get in free. Train and carousel rides are included. The change for 2026 is the clock. The city's ticket listing now offers seven entry times, one every half hour from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Everyone leaves at the same time, 9:30.

So the entry time you pick decides two things: how long you get inside the park, and whether dinner happens before or after. The restaurants within a few minutes of Indian Bend and Hayden changed a lot this year, so that second choice looks different than it did last December.

Seven Start Times, One Closing Time

Last season's listing had four hourly entries: 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. This year the City of Scottsdale's ActiveNet listing adds 6:00, 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. It also says guests can stay until the event closes at 9:30.

A 5:30 ticket gets four times as much park as an 8:30 ticket for the same $15. The new half-hour slots let a family pick something in between, like 7:00, which leaves time for an early dinner and still gives two and a half hours of lights, train loops and carousel turns.

Tickets went on sale October 27 at 8 a.m. through ActiveNet, at the same time for members, Scottsdale residents and nonresidents. Park members get $5 off each ticket. Each date and time is its own session. The Thursday, December 3 listing for the 7:30 p.m. entry, for example, takes registrations until 6:59 p.m. that evening. The park's event page says plainly that the event "sells out every year." By the time this post is out, tickets will have been on sale for more than two weeks.

What the Wristband Covers

Your entry time also decides how much of the extras you can fit in. Here is what the park lists for 2026:

• Paradise & Pacific Railroad through the light tunnels and holiday scenes, included with the ticket
• Caroling Train aboard the River Rambler
• Carousel rides, included. Every train and carousel rider needs a wristband
• S'more Land, a fire pit where the train passes and music plays, with S'more Kits at $8 each
• Food and drinks for purchase at Hartley's General Store and food trucks
• The Model Railroad Building, open during the event
• Santa meet-and-greets on December 1, 5, 7, 11, 13 and 17, then every night from December 19 through 23

On an 8:30 ticket, the train, the Caroling Train, a stop at S'more Land and a visit with Santa all have to fit into one hour. On a 6:00 ticket you can do all of it without hurrying and still have time left over. If seeing Santa matters, pick a date on his schedule first and then choose your entry time.

The Dinner Map Around the Park Changed This Year

Last year, dinner before or after the lights meant McCormick Ranch's usual spots. Several of those closed this year, and new places opened, often in different buildings.

The biggest arrival is right on the lakes. PHOENIX magazine's September 2026 roundup reported that Vecina, an Arcadia favorite, opened a second and much larger location in McCormick Ranch. It took over the former Z' Tejas space at 8300 N. Hayden Rd. and serves Modern-Latin food from chef James Fox, with a lakeside patio. In December, a lakeside patio and a 5:30 entry make a short evening. Dinner first and a 7:00 or 7:30 entry makes a longer one.

Spring brought three openings close together. PHOENIX magazine's May 2026 roundup listed:

• Starfish Scottsdale at 8390 E. Via de Ventura, a California-based restaurant with coastal Asian food and handcrafted cocktails. The magazine pointed to the lobster macadamia roll.
• BLU Seafood at 7300 N. Via Paseo Del Sur, Suite 102, serving coastal Mexican seafood.
• Frank & Lupe's, the New Mexican restaurant, reopened at The Shops Gainey Village, 8787 N. Scottsdale Rd., after closing in 2025. It continues the original family's recipes.

In July, PHOENIX magazine's roundup for that month added Bombay House at 8140 N. Hayden Rd., which runs a lunch and dinner buffet. A buffet works well before a 7:00 or 7:30 entry, because the food is ready when you sit down.

Farther up Scottsdale Road, Mendocino Farms opened February 17 at 8777 N. Scottsdale Rd., #304, at the northeast corner of Scottsdale Road and 73rd Place. Phoenix New Times described its sandwiches, salads and soups as a lunch draw. It suits an afternoon at the park more than a dinner reservation.

Some Familiar Stops Are Gone

Several places you might have planned around last December have closed. The same July roundup reported that Campo Italian Bistro & Bar in McCormick Ranch closed after five years, and that Corso Italia in Gainey Ranch had also gone dark. In September, chef Christopher Collins closed Saint Urban, his McCormick Ranch wine bar. The space is becoming the Saint Urban Private Dining Room, available for events. That makes it an option for a group holiday dinner booked ahead, not a walk-in stop on a lights night.

The closing that matters most for dessert came in October. PHOENIX magazine reported that Common Ground Culinary closed Sweet Provisions, the ice cream shop in McCormick Ranch, to expand Grassroots Kitchen & Tap next door. Grassroots will have more room for dinner, and the nearby dessert stop is gone. That leaves S'more Land inside the park, at $8 a kit, as the closest dessert for families coming out of a 5:30 or 6:00 entry.

Three Ways to Plan the Night

With seven entry times and a different set of restaurants, here are three ways to set up the evening:

1. Early entry, dinner after. Take the 5:30 or 6:00 slot when the youngest kids have the most energy. Use the extra time for the Caroling Train and S'more Land, then drive a few minutes to Vecina on Hayden or Starfish on Via de Ventura.
2. Dinner first, middle entry. Eat at Bombay House, BLU Seafood or Frank & Lupe's and book the new 7:00 slot. You still get two and a half hours inside, which covers the train, the carousel and the Model Railroad Building.
3. Late entry, short and focused. The 8:00 and 8:30 slots work for adults or older kids after a long dinner. Plan on one train loop and one stop. On December 19 through 23, make that stop Santa, since he is there every night of that stretch.

The park also has things to do after Holiday Lights ends. Admission on regular days is free. Train and carousel rides are $3 each, an eight-ride ticket book is $20, and a day wristband for all rides is $12. The Roundhouse play space, which opened with the 2025 renovation that also added a 5,000-square-foot splash pad and an amphitheater, costs $6 per person per hour. Children 2 and under play free with a paying adult. The day after Holiday Lights closes, the park hosts Noon Year's Eve on December 31 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a daytime countdown for families who won't be up at midnight.

Living near the Railroad Park, the lakes and Hayden's newest dining is part of what a McCormick Ranch home is worth. If you're curious what your place near the park would bring this season, Denise McManus can help. Get your instant home valuation and see how your home compares with the neighborhood.