Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade bringing holiday cheer, street closures to Tempe

PHOENIX – The Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade is bringing holiday cheer, along with street closures, to the downtown Tempe area this weekend.

The free festivities — which include a holiday market, live entertainment, photos with Santa and food and beverage vendors — run from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at Tempe Beach Park.

The main event, the Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade, launches in Tempe Town Lake at 7 p.m. In addition, there will be a fireworks show at 8 p.m.

While there are multiple paid parking options in the downtown area, attendees are encouraged to ride bicycles or take Valley Metro light rail to the event.

How Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade will impact Tempe traffic

Motorists will have to contend with multiple street closures, including the Mill Avenue Bridge over Tempe Town Lake. Southbound bridge traffic will be cut off at 4 p.m., and the northbound bridge will close at 7 p.m.

In addition, the following roads are scheduled to be closed from 4 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday:

• Eastbound Rio Salado Parkway between Hardy Drive and Mill Avenue.
• Westbound Rio Salado Parkway between Mill Avenue and Lakeside Drive.
• Southbound Mill Avenue between Curry Road and Rio Salado Parkway.
• Northbound Ash Avenue at Third Street.
• Eastbound First Street at Rio Salado Parkway.

Streetcar and bus routes in the area will also be affected by the event. A full list of the street closures and transit impact is available on the city of Tempe website.

This will be the fourth consecutive weekend with a traffic-jamming event in Tempe.

The streak started with Arizona State University’s homecoming activities on Nov. 23. The Fantasy of Lights Street Parade then took place over Thanksgiving weekend, and the Festival of the Arts was held on Mill Avenue last weekend.

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