Pratt Brothers Christmas at Rawhide!

 

It is a little bit cheesy, but during the holidays I love Hallmark holiday movies & I absolutely love Christmas lights. So, I always thought it would be wonderful to live in a town that goes all out for Christmas with holiday lights & festivities. Most cities put up some lights but don't really go crazy, but visiting the Pratt Brothers Christmas at Rawhide in Arizona will make you feel like you are in a holiday movie Christmas town. This event is located at 5700 W North Loop Rd Chandler, Arizona 85226, parking is included in admission. 

This event is hosted at Rawhide which is a small old western town theme park in Arizona. When the Pratt Brothers take over for the holiday season it turns into a sparkling Christmas gem featuring over six million Christmas lights, a magical train ride through thousands of lights, visits with Santa, an area where it snows & more. This was our first year visiting the event & we had a fantastic time! Tickets are $35 for general admission or $80 for VIP tickets. On your way into the event don't forget to grab a map near the front entrance! Because it not only shows you where to go but all of the show times will be listed on the flyer as well so you can plan out your night. Expect to spend anywhere from three to four hours here if you take your time doing everything.

We arrived shortly before the gates opened & there was already a pretty decent size line formed to get into the event. We weren't sure how long it would take to get in, but they had everything set up & running pretty smoothly so it didn't take long before we were headed into the event. Upon entering you will see that every house down main street is covered from top to bottom in Christmas lights! And if that wasn't enough lights there are also lights strung from one side of the street to the other, plus several photo opportunities like a giant ornament or a huge stage coach which are also completely covered in lights. 

What's included in general admission? You will be able to ride on the train as many times as you wish, watch the Gingerbread light show as many times as you want, visit Santa, write letters to Santa, play in a 'Snowfall' and more. We stopped at pretty much everything aside from visiting Santa as my kids are a bit older, and we didn't do the Smore's kit area because it cost extra and we weren't really hungry at the time. If you arrive to the park right when they open, I suggest heading either to see Santa first as the line can get pretty long quickly or heading to the back left near the Gingerbread light show to hop on the train before a line starts. We went on the train twice, each one was pretty much back to back. We took turns being on the right side vs the left side because the light displays you drive through have a ton to look at it is easiest to concentrate on looking at one side at a time so you don't miss anything. I think they did a fabulous job with each different themed area of the train ride from Peppermint fields to going back in time with Dinosaurs, even adults will love this train ride. I've been on several different train rides at different holiday events here in Arizona & I would have to say that the Pratt Brothers train ride is hands down the best when it comes to the length of the ride & how much there is to see on the ride. 

The Christmas themed western stunt show was cute, it gave you a chance to sit down and watch a tale about Santa visiting the town of Rawhide. I'd say the show last about twenty to twenty five minutes in total & is scheduled so you won't miss any other big shows like the parade down main street. At 8pm there is a parade down main street which features several pretty whimsical vehicles to look at such as a giant gingerbread house that drives by or a car that reminded us of a wonkamobile. Shortly after the parade ends is one of the Gingerbread house shows so you can watch them back to back. The show is spectacular, there are a ton of lights and even pyro bursts during the show. 

They also have a "Snowfall" area which has a few dozen snow frosted Christmas trees, at certain times through out the night it will snow in that area. Instead of using shaved ice it is a bubble mixture that is shot out of hoses from the roof, however it does look similar to a snow fall. It was a fun experience and made for some cute photos and many laughs. I also liked looking at the large miniature Christmas village they had set up, it reminded me of the one my great grandmother used to put up when I was a child. 

Writing postcards to Santa was fun, the little work shop area they had set up looked fantastic and was well organized. I also loved that one of the buildings wasn't just a normal Christmas house, instead it was a "Scary" Christmas house which was decorated with purple and green lights and inside were festive Halloween decorations. Browsing the shops was fun at well! Overall we all had a great time at this event & I would 100% visit it again next year.  

If you want to see more from this event stop by my Instagram page to watch a reel where I highlight more details from this event. 

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. (Click on the name or locate it on the right-hand side of my page).

Disclaimer-  Pratt Brothers Christmas provided this experience to us for the review + giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.