In 1986, the homebuilder Del Webb strung lights along the Chandler Boulevard medians to help attract buyers to a new community called the Ahwatukee Foothills. After the homes and land had sold, Del Webb stopped putting up the lights. Three residents, Janyce Hazlett, Susan Ballman and Dawn McCraw, decided the lights had become a landmark worth keeping. In 1995 they formed the Festival of Lights as a 501(c)(3) charity to raise money for them.
Forty years after that sales display, the tradition has split into three parts. The lights, the festival and the night run all happen along the same mile of road, but each has its own organizer, its own date and its own cause. If you plan to give money or time this season, knowing which group runs which event tells you what your help will pay for.
The lights have been on since the first days of November
The Foothills Community Association lists "FCA Holiday Lights ON!!" on its calendar for November 2, 2026. Ahwatukee Foothills News reported that the light-up was planned for Nov. 1. So by mid-November the display has already been running for more than a week, well ahead of Thanksgiving. The association's own history page describes the lights as running from Thanksgiving night through January 1, which was the older schedule.
The display covers the medians from 24th Street west to Desert Foothills Parkway. AFN describes that stretch as about a mile long. This is the sixth year the Foothills Community Association has run the installation. The association handles the vendor contracts, the donations and the sponsorships.
Who pays for a mile of white lights
The display is paid for by two homeowners associations plus donations from the wider community. Here is how the 2026 funding breaks down, based on what the association and AFN have published:
| Funding source | 2026 role |
|---|---|
| Foothills Community Association | Over $50,000; the largest single contributor |
| Club West HOA | $25,000 |
| Community GoFundMe | $18,000 goal; $12,750 from 80 donors as of early November 2026 |
| Business sponsors | Sponsorship arranged through the association's management company |
Together the two HOAs give more than $75,000, and that still does not cover the full cost. In 2024, AFN reported that the display cost about $125,000 a year, covering installation, removal and electricity. Foothills HOA board member Carrie McNeish explained the gap to Ahwatukee Foothills News this fall:
"Our current display exceeds this contribution by far if we are keeping the same quality of lights and display."
Donations go into a separate bank account that is used only for the lights. They are not mixed with regular HOA funds, and anything left over after the 2026 season is set aside for the 2027 display. You can give online through the association's GoFundMe, which opened August 27, 2026. You can also mail a check made out to the Foothills Community Association, with "Donation for Lights" in the memo line, to Trestle Management Group, Attn: Cathy Van Galder, 450 N. Dobson Road, Suite 201, Mesa, AZ 85201. Businesses interested in sponsoring the lights can call Van Galder at 480-422-0888, ext. 1073.
The Nov. 21 festival still celebrates the lights but funds other causes
For more than 20 years, the Festival of Lights party was one of the main ways the display was paid for. That arrangement changed over a few years:
- 2020: COVID-19 and other problems kept the Festival of Lights Committee from holding its beer and wine tasting and its November kickoff party.
- 2021: The Foothills Community Association took over management of the display, with its own bank account just for the lights.
- 2023: The committee took the name Light Up Ahwatukee.
- 2024: As Ahwatukee Foothills News reported that year, the HOA took over all fundraising for the display. Light Up Ahwatukee kept the holiday festival and the spring gala and began giving the money it raises to local charities, under a mission it called "Lighting Up ALL of Ahwatukee."
Light Up Ahwatukee also moved the party from the Saturday after Thanksgiving to the Saturday before. This year's festival honors the 30th anniversary of the original Festival of Lights party. It runs Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Desert Foothills Park, 1010 E. Marketplace Way. Admission is free.
According to Light Up Ahwatukee, the day includes:
- An inflatable park with bounce houses, slides and rides, next to Santa's Village
- Complimentary photos with Santa, reported by AFN
- More than 30 Ahwatukee artisans and small businesses along Marketplace Street
- A rotating lineup of Valley food trucks
- Live entertainment, local performers and character meet-and-greets
- A Beer Tavern and Cocktail Garden for guests 21 and over after sundown
The festival is run by volunteers, and its proceeds go to local charitable causes. Past recipients on the group's charity partners page include the Kyrene Foundation, the Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee, Girls Rule Foundation, The Mellonhead Foundation, Armer Foundation, My Special World and Hope for the Homeless. Neighbors can still sign up for a volunteer shift, and parking and traffic help is one of the listed roles.
Money spent at the festival goes to those charities, and the GoFundMe is what helps keep the medians lit.
On Dec. 19, the boulevard closes to cars for the night run
The third event is the one that ties back to the display's budget. The fifth annual Million Lights 5K is organized by Breanna Bissell and takes place Saturday, December 19. It starts at Desert Foothills Park, the same place as the festival. The Kids Fun Run starts at 6:30 p.m. and the 5K at 7 p.m. The 5K course goes out and back along Chandler Boulevard, under the lights, and the race site says the roads will be fully closed.
The registration listing names the Foothills Community Association as the event's beneficiary. So the run is the one holiday event whose entry fees support the same organization that pays for the lights.
| Race | Distance | November 1–30 price |
|---|---|---|
| 5K, adults | 3.1 miles, chip-timed | $50 |
| 5K, ages 17 and under | 3.1 miles, chip-timed | $40 |
| Kids Fun Run | ¾ mile inside the park, untimed | $20 |
Prices go up for registrations on December 18 and 19, so signing up in November costs less. The deadline to add a shirt is December 4. 5K runners receive a bib, a 2026 finisher award, water along the course, a peppermint-cookie station, and cookies, hot chocolate and chocolate at the finish. Kids Fun Run finishers get a medal, a Raising Cane's gift, cookies and hot chocolate. To register or volunteer, contact Bissell at [email protected].
Other things to do near the lights this season
A few other plans fit well around a drive past the lights.
The Ahwatukee Recreation Center's Entertainers' Fall Show is Saturday, November 14, at 7 p.m. in the center's main hall. The local group MC6 A Cappella will perform 1950s and '60s doo-wop. The show is open to the public as well as ARC members. Reserved seats are $25 at PurplePass.com/arc, or in the ARC lobby from 9 to 11 a.m. through the day of the show, except Sundays.
Par Five Sports Grill opened in October at 1241 E. Chandler Blvd. PHOENIX magazine describes a large comfort-food menu of burgers, salads and steaks, plus cocktails, live entertainment on weekends and game-day viewing. The restaurant got its start in Sierra Vista.
On Sunday, December 6, the Ahwatukee Farmers Market is listed from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on East Warner Road. That makes it an easy morning stop between the festival and the run.
If you'd like to talk about the neighborhoods along this mile of lights, whether you're thinking about your own home or just curious about the area, Liv AZ Real Estate Group would be glad to hear from you. You can also find more about Ahwatukee on our Ahwatukee neighborhood page. Let's Connect.
