Bright Now

With bumper-to-bumper traffic and road-ragers reigning supreme on Arizona pavement, the thought of taking a drive seems more like a surefire stressor than a fun pastime. But Ahwatukee’s annual Festival of Lights makes the largely bygone tradition of family car jaunts doable and desirable again. Since 1992 (minus a few...

By Becky Bartkowski

December 22, 2011

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With bumper-to-bumper traffic and road-ragers reigning supreme on Arizona pavement, the thought of taking a drive seems more like a surefire stressor than a fun pastime. But Ahwatukee’s annual Festival of Lights makes the largely bygone tradition of family car jaunts doable and desirable again.

Since 1992 (minus a few dark years in the mid-90s) a group of the neighborhood’s residents have kept Chandler Boulevard bright during the holiday season, drawing Valley drivers to rubberneck at more than one million glimmering white lights on display between Desert Foothills Parkway and 24th Street.

Dec. 24-Jan. 1, 6-11 p.m., 2011

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