William Riera
Audio By Carbonatix
A Phoenix family has a chance to win a king’s ransom on national television tonight and get crowned as the Valley’s next holiday royalty.
Santa’s Castle, the regal holiday display at the west Phoenix home of Bill Riera and Annette Lemire, is set to appear on ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight” on Thursday, Dec. 11.
The reality competition series airs each holiday season and features over-the-top home displays facing off for the crown. Each episode awards $50,000 and a glowing trophy shaped like a Christmas light bulb.
The episode of “The Great Christmas Light Fight” featuring Santa’s Castle airs at 7 p.m. Thursday on ABC15.
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Riera and Lemire are the latest Arizona residents to compete on the series since its debut in 2013. Their appearance comes a week after the Valley’s Jimenez family won an episode for their display, The Biggest Little Christmas in Phoenix, on Dec. 4.
Will Riera and Lemire become the next Arizona winners of “The Great Christmas Light Fight”? Their castle-fronted display gives them a fighting chance.
‘The best part is knowing a lot of people will see our display’
Santa’s Castle is one of the best Christmas lights displays in Phoenix. The dazzling extravaganza near 39th Avenue south of Bell Road covers every inch of the four-bedroom home owned by Riera and Lemire.
Visitors can enter through a Christmas tree-shaped archway. A glowing front yard filled with more than 100,000 lights and illuminated candy canes awaits. A castle-like facade covers the front of the home. A pair of double doors leads to a quaint Santa’s workshop with a hearth, Christmas décor, wrapped gifts and an animatronic Kris Kringle.
Riera and Lemire have decorated their home for more than a decade. The lights and features have increased each year. Riera and his family, including grandsons Tyler, Tristan and Cooper, create the display every holiday season.
Riera told Phoenix New Times in 2024 that Santa’s Castle is “our Christmas card to our friends and community.”
Producers of “The Great Christmas Light Fight” approached the couple in 2024 about appearing on the series. Filming for their episode took place during last year’s holiday season, though Riera won’t divulge any details. Last month, he posted on social media that he’s excited for Santa’s Castle to appear on TV.
“The best part is knowing a lot of people will see our display and sharing our Christmas joy with them,” Riera wrote.
