River of Lights

Guests at River of Lights can walk through the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden and experience over 700 intricately designed and constructed sculptures, light displays, and millions of twinkle lights.

River of Lights was started in 1997 by the New Mexico BioPark Society (NMBPS), the 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports the ABQ BioPark Zoo, Aquarium, Botanic Garden, and Tingley Beach. In its inaugural year, River of Lights attracted 32,000 visitors with 30 rented light displays. Now, the event has grown to be New Mexico’s largest holiday light show, with an attendance of over 130,000 and raising over $1 million in 2021.

River of Lights is the New Mexico BioPark Society’s top annual fundraising event and Albuquerque’s number-one holiday destination.

Creating River of Lights.

Preparing for River of Lights is a year-round job, and the event shines brighter every year. The New Mexico BioPark Society employs three full-time craftsmen. Before each holiday season, new sculptures and displays are created, more twinkle light strands are added, and old favorites are re-lit to give them new life.

Every sculpture in our River of Lights collection is hand-welded and strategically lit by our dedicated artists. They start with a small toy or concept, conceptualize it and transform it into a flat or 3D masterpiece. The team will then create a color scheme and carefully attach rope lights around each curve and corner of the sculpture. Not all of our sculptures are static displays. Some appear to be running, jumping, flying, and chomping – you can almost say our sculptures are living pieces of art!