Ahwatukee Festival of Lights
Bringing Ahwatukee Together Since 1995
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Festival of Lights Kick-Off Party
Schedule Of Events
Wristbands for Candycane lane can be purchased for $20 and drink tickets for the Tavern can be purchased for $7 each or 3 tickets for $20. Don’t forget to bring CASH for the 50/50 Raffle!
Food will be on sale in the Tavern from Wicked Brews, Bites, & Spirits and along food truck trail from all sorts of vendors! Coffee and hot cocoa from The Buzzed GOAT Coffee Company, funnel cakes, Hot Bamboo, Domino’s Pizza, Cuties Lemonade & More, Pita Jungle, Mini Donuts & Treats, Water and Ice Ahwatukee and I Dream of Weenies.
Santa’s Village for photos with Santa will be open from 12-5PM! Photos can be taken on your phone and are complimentary!
The Tavern is open until 10PM with live music all afternoon! It’s going to be a beautiful 70* and we look forward to celebrating with all of Ahwatukee! Live music will take place from 3:30-10PM with Lil’ Debbie Band and Calico.
Proceeds from the Festival of Lights Kick-Off Party 2022 will benefit The Armer Foundation For Kids.
Festival of Lights
Our Story
The Ahwatukee Foothills Festival of Lights (FOL) was founded in 1995 as an Ahwatukee community initiative after the developer of the Foothills, Del Webb, discontinued promotional festive-season lighting along the Chandler Blvd medians.
Three women, residents of Ahwatukee, felt that the lights were a beautiful landmark and should be present each festive season. They established the FoL as a 501C3 charity to implement substantial community events to raise money and fund the annual lighting. A substantial network of energetic and dedicated volunteers has sustained the effort every year since then.
As of 2020, The Festival of the Lights has morphed more into a charitable organization with a broader purpose as the committee is no longer responsible for setting up the Christmas lights along medians of Chandler Boulevard between Desert Foothills Parkway and 24th Street. That job now falls to the Foothills Community Association, however the FOL Committee is still raising money to help the HOA raise money for the lights as well as other charitable activities in Ahwatukee.
The Million White Lights that famously illuminate Chandler Boulevard from 24th Street to Desert Foothills Parkway stands as a remarkable example of community spirit. Through thick and thin, the organization has sustained and grown each year, frequently reinventing itself to refresh and maintain relevance.
FOL activities are centered on two events:
- The Wine and Beer Tasting Festival, an adult-only event each spring at The Foothills Golf Club.
- The Holiday Kick-Off Party, our day-long family celebration in Desert Foothills Park. The event commemorates the start of the holiday season and the illumination of the Chandler Blvd lights.
These two events provide financial support for selected charities in Ahwatukee and additional funding for the lights provided by two HOAs (Foothills and Club West).
Holiday Kick-Off Party
SATURDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING – SAT, NOVEMBER 19, 2022
Desert Foothills Park, 1010 E Marketplace SE, Phoenix, AZ 85048
The Festival of Lights Holiday Kick-Off Party is a premier family-fun event for the Ahwatukee community that raises funds for the lighting of the medians over the holidays on Chandler Boulevard
We have inflatables, a Marketplace Street Fair, the Tavern/beer garden, food trucks throughout the park, visits with Santa, entertainment for the family, live music and other fun activities. Up to 15,000 attend the day long festival.
We hope that you will join us! Read More
Vendors
Now accepting applications for:
- Marketplace Vendors
Apply Now - Food Truck Trail
Applications closed for 2022 – see who is joining us!
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Volunteers Needed
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Spring Wine and Beer Tasting Event
TENTATIVELY: TBD
We’ll begin posting information about our springtime fundraising event after the first of the year. Please check back in January for information on how to participate, donate, or volunteer. Have questions? Contact us.
What’s New?
Festival of Lights Schedule of Events
Extra! Extra! Read all about the Kick-Off Party
EXTRA EXTRA! Read all about it! Thank you to Paul and Ahwatukee Foothills News for the incredible continued coverage of the Festival of Lights Kick-Off Party 2022 happening next Saturday at Desert Foothills Park! The article in this week's paper gives extensive...
Ahwatukee’s Festival of Lights Kick-Off Party names selected charity partner for 2022
The Festival of Lights Kick-Off Party has chosen the Armer Foundation For Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to easing the financial burdens of families with children battling extreme medical conditions. When health insurance is not enough, they assist with...
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2022 Charity
The Festival of Lights Kick-Off Party has named the designated charity for 2022, which is the Armer Foundation. The Armer Foundation For Kids is a non-profit organization dedicated to easing the financial burdens of families with children battling extreme medical conditions.When health insurance is not enough, they assist with copays premiums deductibles and any medical-related out-of-pocket expenses.
Jennifer and Matt Armer founded the Ahwatukee-based nonprofit Armer Foundation for Kids in 2019 as “a small mom and pop foundation.” The couple has had an extraordinary effect on the lives of so many children and their families in just five years.
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Festival of Lights Association
4435 E. Chandler Blvd. #200
Phoenix, AZ. 85048