Holiday Lights at Red Hills Desert Garden
Wednesday, November 25, 2026 – December 31, 2026 · All day
Red Hills Desert Garden
Holiday Lights in a Desert Garden
From the week of Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve, Red Hills Desert Garden is strung with thousands of lights and opens nightly. It is free, it takes about half an hour to walk, and it draws tens of thousands of people across the run — which for a five-acre garden on the bench above town is a considerable number.
What makes it worth the stop is that the display has to work with what is planted there. This is a demonstration landscape, built by the Washington County Water Conservancy District and opened in May 2015 to show homeowners what a yard that barely drinks can look like: more than 5,000 water-efficient plants across nearly five acres. So the lights trace agave, barrel cactus, and slickrock rather than spruce and pine. Nobody set out to make a distinctive Christmas display — it is distinctive because the plant list left no other option.
The Stream, and the Fish In It
An artificial stream runs through the garden year-round, and it is not decorative. It holds two federally endangered native fish, the woundfin and the Virgin River chub, both of which survive in only a short stretch of the Virgin River system and nowhere else on earth. The garden is one of the few places anyone can stand and look at either of them.
In December the stream is lit along its length, which means the walk doubles as the easiest look at two of the rarest fish in North America that you will get without a permit and a wetsuit. Worth slowing down for; most people walk straight past it.
A December Evening Outdoors
The practical case for this event is climate. St. George sits low and warm enough that a December evening is usually walkable in a jacket rather than a parka, which is the entire reason an outdoor light display works here at all and does not along the Wasatch Front. If you are visiting from northern Utah, this is the version of a Christmas lights walk where nobody complains about their feet.
The paths are paved, flat, and stroller- and wheelchair-friendly. Parking sits off Red Hills Parkway, a few minutes above downtown, and the nights either side of Christmas are the busiest of the run. Early December on a weeknight is the quiet window.
Who It Suits
Good for families, for anyone visiting over the holidays who wants an outdoor hour that costs nothing, and for locals looking for a short outing rather than a whole evening. It slots easily alongside the rest of the county's Christmas events, and it works well as a stop before or after the Dickens Christmas Festival, which runs the same season indoors at the convention center. For the rest of the year the same garden is a straightforward daytime walk, and one of the better free things to do in town.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the walk take?
About half an hour at an unhurried pace, less if you are moving. The garden is under five acres and the loop is short, which makes it an easy stop on a December evening rather than a whole outing in itself.
Does it cost anything to see the Holiday Lights?
No. Red Hills Desert Garden is free to enter year-round, and the holiday display is no exception. There is no ticket, no timed entry, and no parking charge.
Is it stroller and wheelchair accessible?
Yes. The paths through the garden are paved and largely flat, so strollers and wheelchairs get the whole route rather than a section of it.
What is in the stream running through the garden?
Endangered native fish, kept there deliberately rather than as decoration. The garden is one of very few places anyone can see them without a permit, and the stream stays lit through the holiday display, so the winter evening walk goes right past them. Most people miss it entirely — it is worth stopping at the water on the way round.
When is it least busy?
Early in the run, on a weeknight. The nights immediately before and after Christmas are the busiest of the season. The display opens the week of Thanksgiving and runs nightly through New Year's Eve, so there is a long quiet stretch at the start of it.
Is it warm enough to walk it outdoors in December?
Generally, yes. The valley floor sits at about 2,860 feet, far below the northern Utah cities most visitors compare it to, and winter evenings here rarely call for more than a jacket and a hat. Snow on the ground is unusual. It is still a desert, so the temperature drops sharply once the sun goes down — dress for the evening rather than for the afternoon you walked around in.
Address
375 East Red Hills ParkwaySt. George, UT 84770