Experience the annual Dragon Light Festival in Reno, a spectacular event that will ignite your imagination and illuminate your senses.

Prepare to be mesmerized as you enter a world of enchantment, where intricate lanterns and larger-than-life creatures come to life with a symphony of lights.

Whether you're a local or a visitor, this extraordinary celebration offers an immersive experience for all.

In this guide, I’ll cover everything you’ll need to know to attend this unforgettable summer-time event. Let’s get into it.

Dragon Lights Reno 2023 Dates & New Additions

The Dragon Lights Festival is an annual summer time event in Reno and features hundreds of themed, illuminated lanterns along a trail just shy of a mile.

It’s held at Rancho San Rafael Park in the Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Gardens and features a new theme with accommodating lanterns each year.

In 2023, the theme is, “Nature’s Glow”, with several creatures typically found in gardens and tropical settings. Such as:

• Honey Bees

• Wasps

• Ants

• Tucson Birds

• Lemurs

• Peacocks

• Parrots

• Dragonflies

• and more!

Also new in 2023 is the brand new presentation of the iconic Chinese Dragon and the expanded interactive playground featuring a swing set, drums, lighting effects and more.

The festival runs nightly from June 30th to August 13th, 6pm to 10:30pm.

Tickets & Parking

Parking at the event is included in the price of your admission ticket. There are several lots at the park you can utilize. They are:

• Lot A: This is the lot nearest the entrance and exit. This lot is reserved for disability parking.

• Lot B: This is the first lot you’ll come across and is smaller than Lot A. It typically fills quickly.

• Lot C: The largest lot, but furtherest from the entrance, it is located down San Rafael drive on the eastern edge of the park.

• Lot D (or '“green” lot): This lot is located at the UNR campus off Comstock Dr. and is utilized for overflow parking on the weekends.

If you park in A or B, you’ll be within walking distance of the festival entrance. If you end up in C, you can still walk or take advantage of the free shuttle service (runs Thursday - Sunday).

The D lot also offers free shuttle service to the entrance, but only on Saturdays and Sundays.

Tickets can be purchased either online (through this link) or in person at the gate. If you opt to purchase at the gate, be aware that you’ll pay a surcharge of $5 - $15, per ticket.

Purchasing online is easy and convenient. You’ll select your desired date, your ticket type, and once your purchase is complete, save the tickets to your phone to be scanned at the gate.

The 2023 festival ticket prices are as follows:

• $20 per adult (age 12+)

• $15 per child (age 3 -11)

• Free for children under 3

• $55 family pack (includes two adult and two child tickets)

• $55 season pass (unlimited entry all season for ONE person)

When purchasing your tickets, you’ll be asked to select an entry time. They are 6:00, 7:00, 8:00 and 9:00. You’ll have one hour from your selected entry time to arrive and can stay as long as you wish.

We arrived 20-minutes early to our entry time and were still granted entry. No one batted an eye. If you arrive late, they’ll make every effort to accommodate you but there’s no guarantee.

There are no refunds, but they will allow you to change the date/time of your ticket up to one hour prior to your entry time. You can do so in the account you made while making your purchase.

The Lantern Trail & Amenities

After entering, you’ll come into an opening and see the iconic Chinese dragon ahead of you. To your right will be the interactive playground and to your left will be the food vendors.

To find the trail that winds through the lantern displays, follow the path through the dragon and go right (keeping the interactive playground to your right).

The trail is less than a mile and is on fairly even ground. There are some grade changes along the way but they’re barely noticeable. It’s mostly paved, but there are some dirt/gravel patches.

If you’re bringing little ones along, both strollers and wagons are permitted. They should have wheels appropriate for the terrain, though.

You’ll find dozens of illuminated lanterns along the trail. From beautiful floral themes to giant frogs and armadillos. Some are interactive and many have moving parts.

There are also a couple make-shift tunnels with special lighting affects you’ll get to walk through. Additionally, themed music plays throughout the length of the trail.

As you reach the end of the trail, it’ll split. If you’re done for the night, go left to exit. If you want to remain in the festival, go right to loop back in to where you entered earlier.

When Should You Enter & Tips

We arrived at around 7:45pm and there was still plenty of light left. When we did our first walk through the trail, we were impressed by how illuminated the lanterns still were, despite it not being dark.

However, once the night sky set in, that’s when the lanterns popped and were the most impressive and fun to look at. Consequently, that’s also when the crowds got thick.

Clearly, you’re going to want to be there when it’s dark. That’s the whole point. My suggestion, though, would be to select an entry time prior to sunset.

The reason for this is because it’ll allow you to get a feel for the festival and see the top attractions without having to worry about big crowds. The later it gets, the heavier the crowds get.

This way, you can do a second loop around the trail once it gets dark. You’ll already know what the best exhibits are, so you won’t waste time on the ones you don’t care about and can get through the crowd faster.

It’s also advantageous if you have small children tagging along. It’ll be a lot easier to keep track of them in the interactive playground while there’s still some light.

If you’re coming with a group consisting of two or more adults and two or more children, save money by purchasing the family ticket option. You’ll save at least $15.

If your group is 10 people or more, you’ll enjoy additional savings of 20% off each ticket. That discount will reflect in the cart when you’re checking out.

For more savings, take advantage of their policy of allowing outside food and beverages. There are plenty of areas in the festival to set up a picnic. The only exception is alcohol.

I hope you’ll consider attending the 2023 Dragon Lights Festival in Reno. It’s a fantastic event for the whole family. We had much more fun than we thought we would and can’t wait to attend in 2024.

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