Dragon Lights opened its 2026 season at the Wilbur D. May Arboretum in Rancho San Rafael Park on Friday, Oct. 2, and it runs every night through Nov. 29. The posted schedule splits the season into two parts. From Oct. 2 through Nov. 1, the gates are open 6 to 10 p.m. From Nov. 2 through Nov. 29, they're open 5 to 9 p.m.
That one-hour shift changes more than it looks like it would. Combine it with the ticket prices, the shuttle schedule and the timed-entry rules, and the second half of the season turns into a different outing. It's earlier, it fits a weeknight better, and on a Monday through Thursday it costs less per person than the Friday and Saturday crowd pays.
What the switch actually moves
Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. The festival's earlier hours start the next night. The organizers haven't tied the two together publicly, but the timing lines up. Dark comes an hour earlier on the clock that week, and that's when the lanterns start an hour earlier too.
Last entry and box office hours move along with the gates:
| Oct. 2 to Nov. 1 | Nov. 2 to Nov. 29 | |
|---|---|---|
| Festival hours | 6 to 10 p.m. | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Box office | 6 to 9 p.m. | 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Last entry | 9 p.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Stay until | 10 p.m. close | 9 p.m. close |
The organizers say a full visit takes about an hour and a half on average. The route is under a mile on mostly even paths. Under the November schedule, that means a family that arrives at 5:30 p.m. can walk all three worlds and be back at the car by about 7 p.m. In October, the same visit starting at the 6 p.m. opening ends around 7:30 p.m., and a later entry window pushes it toward 10.
This is new for 2026. KOLO's 2025 preview listed the festival at 6 to 10 p.m. That season ran from Sept. 26 to Nov. 30. This year's run starts a week later and ends a day earlier, and the earlier November hours are a change from last year.
The price sheet points the same direction
Every 2026 price includes tax, service fees and processing fees, so the number on the page is the number you pay.
Online, Sunday through Thursday: $23.75 for ages 12 and up, $17.75 for ages 3 to 11, and $85 for a four-pack.
Online, Friday and Saturday: $27 for ages 12 and up, $19.75 for ages 3 to 11, and $93 for a four-pack.
Walk-up, any night: $35 for ages 12 and up and $22 for ages 3 to 11. Children under 3 are free in every category.
Season pass: $68.25, online only, good for any night of the run.
Here's what those numbers mean for a household. Two adults and two children going on a weeknight pay $83 at single-ticket prices. The weeknight four-pack costs $85, so for that family it costs $2 more. It starts saving money once at least three of the four people are 12 or older. Three adults and a child would pay $89 at single prices, and four adults would pay $95, so the pack saves them $4 and $10. The same family on a Saturday pays $93.50 at single prices. A walk-up visit costs $114 total, and that's assuming the box office still has tickets.
The box office is the risky option. Walk-up tickets are limited, and the organizer can close the window early when a night reaches capacity. In November, it also closes at 8 p.m., an hour earlier than in October.
Weekday prices went up modestly from last year. In 2025, online weekday tickets started at $22 for adults and $16 for children. The 2026 weekday prices are $1.75 higher in each category.
The Wednesday rate is new this year
The 2026 announcement added a $20 senior ticket every Wednesday. It's sold at the box office only, and no advance reservation is needed. The release doesn't give a qualifying age, so ask at the window. Because it's walk-up only, the November box office closing time of 8 p.m. applies on Wednesdays too.
When the season pass pays for itself
At $68.25, the pass costs less than three online weekday adult tickets, which add up to $71.25. It's also well below three Friday or Saturday tickets at $81. For an adult planning a third visit with online tickets, the pass is the better deal. The math is different for children. Three online weekday child tickets add up to $53.25, which is well under the pass price. For an adult, two online visits are cheaper with single tickets. Two walk-up adult tickets come to $70, though, which is a little more than the pass. The pass lists two time slots for each night because the operating hours change mid-season. That makes it easy to see the October and November versions of the show on one purchase.
Timed tickets and how much slack they give you
Tickets are sold for a specific date and entry time. You have a 60-minute window to get in, and once you're inside you can stay until closing. If you miss your window, entry isn't guaranteed, though you may still get in if the grounds aren't at capacity.
All sales are final. You can still move your ticket to another date or time up to an hour before your slot starts, as long as the same ticket type at the same price is available on the new night and there's room. This matters most around the Nov. 1 to Nov. 2 switch. A Sunday 9 p.m. entry has no Monday equivalent, because Monday's last entry is 8 p.m. If a night is canceled for weather, every ticket moves to the next available date, and holders get 24 hours to pick a different night.
Tickets bought as gifts need a date and time chosen up front, because the festival doesn't sell gift cards.
Which lot, and which nights the shuttle runs
Parking at Rancho San Rafael is free and first come, first served.
- Lot A is the Wilbur D. May Center lot. It's reserved for ADA parking only and sits right next to the festival entrance.
- Lot B is the regular arboretum lot. Anyone can park here, but space is limited.
- Lot C is at the west end of the park, about a half-mile walk from the entrance.
The free shuttle between Lot C and the entrance runs only on Fridays and Saturdays, every 15 minutes, from 5:45 p.m. until the last departure from the entrance at 10:15 p.m. There's no shuttle Sunday through Thursday, so a weeknight visitor parking in Lot C walks the half mile both ways. In November, the shuttle still starts at 5:45 p.m., which is 45 minutes after the gates open at 5. Anyone arriving at opening on a November weekend will be walking from Lot C or looking for a spot in Lot B.
Getting around the grounds
Strollers, kids' wagons and wheelchairs are allowed. About 1,000 feet of the route around the food court and interactive playground is dirt. The organizers recommend wheelchairs with thicker tires, and they don't rent wheelchairs on site. Only licensed, trained service animals are allowed. Outside food and drinks aren't permitted, except special-diet items and food for infants. Vendors sell Asian and Western food and take cash and cards. The Visit Reno Tahoe event listing says this year's vendor menu has been expanded to include hot beverages. This year's announcement also lists a gift and souvenir marketplace. Tripods are allowed for photos. Drones aren't.
What's actually new on the route
This year's theme is "Many Worlds Aglow." Huiyuan Liu, the event manager, described it to KOLO as "three imaginative new worlds." Asian Safari has the panda bamboo forest corridor and five-meter galloping horses. Dinosaur World has a six-meter T. rex, a triceratops, a parasaurolophus and a 25-meter butterfly corridor. African Desert is built around a 28-meter centerpiece and includes a color-shifting chameleon, a tortoise and a butterfly-and-dragonfly photo display. A free QR-code audio guide explains the displays and helps with finding your way around the grounds.
The festival first came to the May Arboretum in summer 2018, when it ran from June 30 to Aug. 5. Since then it has moved to the fall and stayed at the arboretum.
The arboretum in daylight
The festival only takes over the gardens after dark. Washoe County lists the May Arboretum as open year-round during regular park hours with free admission. Special events like Dragon Lights may charge only during their event hours. The county calendar has a free Ranger Walk: Fall Photo Hike at the arboretum on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. It requires advance registration. On Sunday, Nov. 1, the May Arboretum Society and the Northwest Nevada Bird Alliance lead a garden bird walk from 8 to 11 a.m. It costs $5 and is free for May Arboretum Society and Lahontan Audubon members. That Sunday is also the last night of the 6-to-10 schedule. You could do the bird walk that morning and see the lanterns that evening, and use the same parking lots for both.
If you're planning a family outing at Rancho San Rafael this season, or you'd like a neighbor's take on Reno's fall calendar, Tristan Lipschutz and the Reno/Tahoe Realty Group team are glad to talk it through. Talk to a local real estate advisor who keeps the same calendar you do.
