The Dragon Lights Festival at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park closes for the season on Sunday, Nov. 29. Since Nov. 2 it has opened at 5 p.m. instead of 6 and closed at 9 p.m. instead of 10. That hour shift lands on top of a ticket system that only charges weekend prices on Friday and Saturday, and on a free shuttle that only runs on those same two nights. Put the three together and the easiest night to go is a Sunday through Thursday, arriving close to 5. It also costs less.
From Thursday, Nov. 5, through closing night there are 25 nights left. Only eight of them, Nov. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28, are priced as weekend nights.
The 5 p.m. opening comes with an 8 p.m. last entry
The posted schedule for Nov. 2 through Nov. 29 is 5 to 9 p.m., Monday through Sunday, with no closed nights listed. Thanksgiving week runs on the same daily hours. The on-site box office is open 5 to 8 p.m. during this stretch, and the festival says the box office may close early on any night the crowd hits its capacity limit.
Walking time is what squeezes that window. The festival puts the route at less than a mile and says it takes about an hour and a half on average to see all of it. With a 9 p.m. close, anyone who walks in at the 8 p.m. last entry gets 60 minutes, which is short of that average. Getting the full 90 minutes means being inside by 7:30.
Tickets are sold by date and entry time, and each ticket gives a 60-minute window to get in. Once you're in, you can stay until closing. In practice, a 6:30 or later entry slot means less time on the route, so earlier slots give you more of the show for the same price.
Sunday is priced like a Tuesday
The festival splits online prices into weekday and weekend, and only Friday and Saturday count as weekend. Sunday nights sell at the weekday price, including Nov. 8, 15, 22 and closing night on Nov. 29.
| Ticket | Online, Sunday to Thursday | Online, Friday and Saturday | Walk-up, any night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 12 and up | $23.75 | $27 | $35 |
| Ages 3 to 11 | $17.75 | $19.75 | $22 |
| Under 3 | Free | Free | Free |
| Four-pack | $85 | $93 | Not offered |
| Group of 10+, per person | $19.75 | $21.75 | Not offered |
Online prices include tax, service fees and processing fees, and walk-up prices include all fees. The festival's FAQ also warns that buying at the box office adds a $5 to $15 upcharge and that walk-up tickets are limited.
The gap is widest for adults. Walking up costs $11.25 more than an online weekday ticket and $8 more than an online weekend ticket. For two adults and two kids, an online weekday four-pack costs $85. The same group at walk-up prices pays $114. All sales are final, so buying ahead only makes sense once the night is settled.
Capacity is a second reason to buy ahead. When tickets went on sale in September, KRNV News 4 reported that each night's capacity is limited and recommended buying in advance because popular dates may sell out.
The shuttle runs on the two nights that cost more
Parking at the festival is free and first come, first served. The lot at the Wilbur D. May Center, closest to the entrance, is reserved for ADA parking. The Arboretum lot has limited close-in spaces, and there's more room at the west end of Rancho San Rafael Park.
A free shuttle connects the west end lot to the festival every 15 minutes, but only on Fridays and Saturdays. The first bus leaves the west end lot at 5:45 p.m., and the last one leaves the festival entrance at 10:15 p.m. Since the 5 p.m. opening took effect, that first bus leaves 45 minutes after the gates open. The 10:15 last bus is listed in the same FAQ that gives the new 9 p.m. close.
Each night type comes with a trade-off:
- Friday or Saturday: you pay more per ticket and get a shuttle from the overflow lot, but the first bus runs after the gates are already open.
- Sunday through Thursday: you pay less and get no shuttle, so you either park close to the Arboretum or walk in from the west end.
- Weeknight at opening: a 5 p.m. arrival gives you the best shot at the limited Arboretum lot spaces and the full 90 minutes on the route before the 8 p.m. last entry.
When the season pass or four-pack pays off
The season pass costs $68.25, is sold online only, and is good on any night of the festival. Against weekday adult tickets, two visits cost $47.50 and three cost $71.25. Against weekend tickets, two visits cost $54 and three cost $81. Either way, the pass pays for itself on the third visit. With about three and a half weeks left, that means about one visit a week through Nov. 29.
The four-pack works differently. It's sold for any four people, and children have to be with an adult. Four adults on a weeknight pay $95 one at a time or $85 as a four-pack, so they save $10. On a Friday or Saturday they pay $108 one at a time or $93 as a four-pack, so they save $15. For a family of two adults and two kids, the four-pack saves less. On a weeknight it's $85 against $83 for four single tickets, so single tickets come out $2 cheaper. On a weekend, single tickets come to $93.50, so the four-pack saves 50 cents.
Bad weather is covered by a rescheduling policy. If the festival cancels a night for weather or another unforeseen reason, tickets move to the next available date, and holders get 24 hours to move them to a date they prefer.
What's on the route this year
This is the festival's sixth year in Reno, and KOLO reported three new themes for 2026, a dinosaur world, an African desert and Asian cultures. According to KOLO, the lanterns are handmade from metal, steel, LED lights and fabric, and visitors can touch and interact with them.
The festival calls this year's show "Many Worlds Aglow," split into Asian Safari, African Desert and Dinosaur World zones. Featured pieces include pandas, a five-meter horse, a 28-meter desert centerpiece and a six-meter T. rex. Tianyu Arts & Culture produces the show with the May Arboretum Society and Washoe County.
Practical details for the walk:
- Food: several vendors sell Asian and Western food and take cash or card. Outside food and drink aren't allowed, except for special diets and infant food.
- Surfaces: the path is mostly even, but about 1,000 feet around the food court and interactive playground is dirt, and the festival recommends wheelchairs with thicker tires.
- Gear: wheelchairs, strollers and kids' wagons are allowed, and the festival doesn't rent wheelchairs. Tripods are allowed and drones aren't.
- Address: Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Garden, 1595 N Sierra St., with the box office beside the festival entrance.
Sunday, Nov. 8, works as a morning and evening at the park
Washoe County Parks lists a free "Meet the Turkeys" event on Sunday, Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Nevada Farms and Families, next to the Wilbur D. May Museum. The event has turkeys, other farm animals, crafts and family activities. The county's parks calendar has the listing.
That same Sunday, Dragon Lights tickets are weekday priced at $23.75 for ages 12 and up and $17.75 for ages 3 to 11. A family can do the turkeys in the morning, go home, and come back for a 5 p.m. lantern entry at the same park. There's no shuttle that night, so an early arrival is the best way to get a space in the Arboretum lot. Hours, entry slots and current prices are on the festival's tickets page and FAQ.
Rancho San Rafael is a good example of why we pay attention to where the parking, the access and the open hours sit, and that goes for every property we sell, too. If you're weighing a lot or acreage anywhere in Washoe County or beyond, Nolan Realty & Investments works through those details with you from our Battle Mountain office. Talk to a Northern Nevada land expert today. Call our Battle Mountain office.
