A decade ago, more than 5,000 people rode the City of Albuquerque's Christmas Eve Luminaria Bus Tour. In 2025, fewer than 600 did. The tour still cost about $200,000 to run, which worked out to roughly $341 per rider, and in September the Transit Department canceled it.
Mayor Tim Keller reversed the cancellation within days, so the tour runs on December 24. For people who live near the plaza, it's a useful reminder of how much Old Town's holiday season depends on buses. River of Lights, the Holiday Stroll and the Christmas Eve tour all use free shuttles, ART lines or chartered city buses to move people in and out of a neighborhood with very little parking. Most of the planning this month comes down to the transit schedule.
What the Tour Costs the City
The Paper laid out the numbers in its September 22 report. The city cited low turnout, cost and a shortage of transit drivers. Over the previous decade, an average of 38% of reserved tickets went unused. The event also needs 27 extra buses and 10 Sun Vans on one of the year's busiest nights, in a department that is already short of drivers.
Councilor Joaquín Baca criticized the administration at the Council meeting for canceling the tour without telling the Council or most of the affected neighborhoods. Two days later, according to City Desk ABQ, Keller announced that the tour would continue. "The current tour costs about $341 per rider, so we know the model needs to change," Keller said. "But we're not going to lose an Albuquerque tradition while we figure out a better way to keep it going."
The city says it will spend the next year working with employees, neighborhoods and community partners on a cheaper, less demanding version. That means this December's tour is the last one planned under the current setup. In about a week, the tour's ticket sale opens the season.
Two Dates Back to Back: Nov. 27 and Nov. 28
Luminaria Bus Tour tickets go on sale online at 8 a.m. on Black Friday, November 27. The fare is $1.50. The tour site says tickets are no longer sold by phone or at the Hold My Ticket box office, so online is the only way to buy them.
The next evening, November 28, River of Lights opens its 29th season next door to the plaza at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden. It runs through January 3, from 5 to 10 p.m., with last entry at 8 p.m. It is closed December 24, 25 and 31 and January 1. Entry is timed, and this year's prices look like this:
| Ticket type | Ages 13 and up | Ages 3 to 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Standard timed admission | $21 | $12 |
| Value Night | $15 | $10 |
| General Flex | $31 | $22 |
| Value Flex | $25 | $20 |
| Opening Night | $50 | $40 |
Children 2 and under get in free. The standard and Value prices haven't changed since 2025, according to KOAT's ticket coverage from last November. The new option for 2026 is Extra Cheer, a $12 add-on per ticket that includes express entry and lets you arrive any time before 9:15 p.m.
Getting there is where the buses come in. The New Mexico BioPark Society runs a free Park & Ride from the Zoo every night of the show except the four closed dates, and the ART 766 and 777 lines stop nearby every 10 to 15 minutes at no charge. For neighbors, that's 33 nights when much of the traffic heading toward Mountain Road and the Botanic Garden arrives by shuttle and transit.
December 4 Closes the Plaza Early
The free Old Town Holiday Stroll is Friday, December 4, from 5 to 9 p.m. The tree lighting for the 30-foot replica tree in Plaza Don Luis is at 6 p.m. The schedule starts long before dark:
- Noon: Parking by Plaza Vieja and Plaza Don Luis is prohibited.
- 2:30 p.m.: Road closures begin.
- 5 p.m.: The Stroll begins, and the Albuquerque Museum opens with free admission until 8 p.m.
- 6 p.m.: The tree is lit in Plaza Don Luis.
- 9 p.m.: The Stroll ends.
The city's event page lists free parking at the Albuquerque Museum lot and free ABQ Ride and ART service, including the 766 from the Uptown and Central & Unser transit centers. The 766 serves River of Lights too, so the same line covers both events.
The Route 66 Shows Close on a Schedule
The free museum hours on Stroll night are also one of the last chances to see part of the Albuquerque Museum's Route 66 centennial programming. The city marked November 11, 2026, as the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Numbered Highway System, which effectively created Route 66, and the museum built several exhibitions around it. They close one after another:
- Fred Harvey's Route 66 closes December 6, two days after the Stroll.
- High Desert Ballyhoo closes December 13.
- The Other Route 66: 100 Years of People, Identity, and Place in Albuquerque closes January 3, 2027. It includes more than 300 artifacts, photographs and local stories.
- Fun at the State Fair! runs through February 14, 2027.
The main exhibition, The Other Route 66, closes on January 3, the same day River of Lights ends. Both of Old Town's biggest seasonal draws wrap up the same weekend.
A Gift Shop With a November Lease End
Old Town Emporium at 204 San Felipe NW is part of this season too. The New Mexico gift shop has been around since the 1980s and is housed in a 1930s building that was originally a home. The Henderson family has run it since 2003. In late August, the owners announced they would close the shop this year. When the Albuquerque Journal covered the news, it noted that several commenters remembered stopping at the shop during the Holiday Stroll. The owners hadn't set a final day but said they would close after Balloon Fiesta, possibly around mid-November. KRQE reported that the shop's lease ends in November. The shop sells everything from chile socks to hot air balloon ornaments, at prices from under $5 to $600, and has long been a holiday stop for out-of-town guests.
Christmas Eve, on Four Buses
The season ends the way it began, with the bus tour. On Thursday, December 24, ABQ RIDE runs its 60th annual Luminaria Bus Tour. Buses leave at 5:30, 5:45, 6:15 and 6:30 p.m. The ride takes about 45 minutes and passes through Old Town and the Country Club area. The four departure times and the $1.50 fare are the same as in 2025. River of Lights is closed that night, and the tour site warns that streets may be closed along the route.
All of these events depend on city buses, and the tour is the one the city says it plans to change. Fewer than 600 people rode it last year. If more ticket holders show up this year, the city will have better numbers to work with when it decides what the tour becomes next.
If you're hosting family in Old Town this December and they start asking what living near the plaza is like the rest of the year, The Lovely Home Company would be glad to talk it through. Schedule a free consultation, and we'll share what we know about the streets that light up on Christmas Eve.
