Free, Christ-centered Christmas lights display returns to downtown Mesa this holiday season
This article was contributed by a local member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed may not represent the views and positions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For the Church's official site, visit churchofjesuschrist.org.
The adjacent Mesa Temple Visitors’ Center hosts the annual International Nativity Exhibit, which includes unique nativity scenes from cultures and countries from around the world — many which are handmade
The beautiful grounds of the Mesa Arizona Temple, 101 S. LeSueur, will light up with Christmas spirit this year from Friday, Nov. 29, through Monday, Dec. 30. The lights will be on each evening from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The event is free.
Visitors are welcome to stroll through the north lawn and gardens of the temple grounds and enjoy the hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights adorning palm and citrus trees, cacti, hedges, shrubs, and flowering beds.
In addition, there are 10 favorite biblical vignettes placed among the olive trees that help tell the Christmas story, including figures of Mary and Joseph on their way to Bethlehem, a near life-size Italian Fontanini nativity scene with a star above shining with tens of thousands of twinkling lights, and three lighted wisemen with camels. Each area has a stand that identifies the biblical story and special QR codes so visitors can use their cell phones to access additional videos and information for these scenes depicted.
Thousands of volunteers make this beloved community event possible, which started in 1979 and has become a holiday tradition for many who come each year to enjoy the Christmas lights and feel the spirit of peace in these historic gardens.
The Mesa Arizona Temple, dedicated in 1927, was the first temple built in Arizona by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The 20-acre temple grounds are home to a wide variety of vegetation as well as two stunning reflection pools and has long been a landmark in the East Valley.
During the Christmas season, the adjacent Mesa Temple Visitors’ Center hosts the annual International Nativity Exhibit. This event is also free to attend. View hundreds of unique nativity scenes from around the world and enjoy the Christmas story through inspiring works of art — many which are handmade — depicting the Savior’s birth. The nativity display runs the same dates as the Christmas lights event and is open 5-10 p.m. each evening with daytime viewing 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Tuesdays/Thursdays at the Visitors’ Center, 455 E. Main St., which is located just west of the temple grounds on the corner of LeSueur and Main Street. Free parking is available nearby.
See the Christmas lights and feel the spirit of Christmas throughout the holiday season!
More information on the Mesa Temple Christmas Lights and International Nativity Exhibit, including FAQ, can be found at MesaTemple.org/Christmas.
Other important info:
- Free parking is available nearby or use Valley Metro’s Light Rail System, with a stop at Mesa Drive and a short walk to the temple grounds.
- Special needs parking in the lot directly east of the north temple grounds on Hobson; parking attendants will assist visitors.
- Wide pathways of cement and gravel can accommodate strollers and wheelchairs.
- Hosts wearing red badges can help assist visitors.
For more info, please visit MesaTemple.org. (MesaTemple.org is not an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
