17 Nov 30th–Dec 6th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | mega-tree, HD props and talking objects. Hours: Nightly starting at dusk through Dec. 31. Christmas on Milky Way 4606 W. Milky Way, Chandler facebook.com/christmasonmilkyway Health issues aren’t keeping Frank Kostyun from putting up his interstellar- themed display this year. Consisting of 25 LED stars atop his home, which shimmer in unison with 150,000 other lights. There are also leaping arches and a 45-foot-tall tree. The entire experience is out of this world. Hours: Nightly, 6 to 10 p.m., until early January. Peanuts Airport 1146 N. Quail Lane, Gilbert This charming airport-like display, complete with a runway and control tower, features an inflatable version of Snoopy as the World War I Flying Ace bringing his Sopwith Camel in for a landing while cutouts of Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Linus, Lucy and other characters are waiting. Hours: Nightly at 5:30 p.m. until early January. Lights on Liberty Lane 396 W. Liberty Lane, Gilbert facebook.com/lightsonlibertylane The annual light display created by Gilbert resident Chad Richins is quite massive, so much so that it encompasses not only his own two-story home but also several neigh- boring houses. The display features more than 100,000 individual lights that sing with color while glittering and flashing through an impressive choreographed audio and visual sequence that lasts for dozens of songs. It’s even been on ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight.” Hours: Nightly, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., through Dec. 31. Christmas on Comstock 3642 E. Comstock Drive, Gilbert facebook.com/christmasoncomstock Encompassing more than 110,000 lights, 50,000 feet of wire, 300-plus strobes and various snow machines and other attrac- tions spread out among 13 adjacent homes along Gilbert’s Comstock Drive, this massive display is a highlight of every holiday season. Pro-tip: While Christmas on Comstock is driveable, you’re better off walking due to the sheer amount of traffic rolling through the popular attraction. Hours: Operates 6 to 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday; and 6 to 10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday. ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ at Halloween 2537 E. Amberwood Drive facebook.com/ thenightmarebeforechristmasathalloween As its name portends, this family-friendly display outside of an Ahwatukee home features Jack Skellington, Sally and other characters from ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas.’ There are also singing pumpkins in Santa hats and a choreo- graphed light and animatronics show occurring hourly on Friday and Saturday evenings. Hours: 7 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, through Dec. 23. Santa Train 541 E. Mountain Sky Ave. santatrain.com This ain’t no “Polar Express.” Frank and Dianne Polimene’s long-running display outside their Ahwatukee home is built at 1/6th scale and makes for a quaint sight as it chugs along an 80-foot-long track, circling a miniature illuminated volcano and Ferris wheel. There’s more to see than just a festive choo-choo, as an animatronic Santa, a candy cane dispenser and various star-shaped lights twinking on the South Mountain foothills behind the house are also present. Hours: Nightly until 11 p.m. through Jan. 1. Birkett Family’s Winter Wonderland 8414 E. Valley Vista Drive, Scottsdale winterwonderlandaz.com Holiday displays don’t get any bigger or brighter than the one seen at the Birkett family’s home in Scottsdale. It’s won awards (including an episode of “The Great Christmas Light Fight”), spans their entire property from front to back and is a whimsical and delightful Disney-esque creation. There’s an enchanted castle on the roof while the yard has snow-capped rolling hills and a field of lights. Around the side, a large mockup of a mine leads to a scene with characters from “Frozen” around a pool. If you’re into the holidays, you have to see Winter Wonderland at least once. Hours: Nightly, 6 to 11 p.m., from Dec. 8 through Jan. 1. The Glow Up from p 14 The holiday display at Danny Dingman’s townhouse in Mesa. (Photo by Tom Carlson)
