Las Noches de las Luminarias returns to the Desert Botanical Garden on November 27, for evenings among the garden’s 55 acres of desert plants. It runs on select nights through January 3, from 5 to 9:30 p.m., and it needs its own ticket; general admission does not cover it. For the afternoon, the Japanese Friendship Garden in downtown Phoenix is a 3.5-acre stroll garden with a 14-foot waterfall and a koi pond. Here is which nights the luminarias run, what both gardens cost, and a table near each.
We run Botanical Garden Near Me, a directory of public gardens and arboretums across the United States, and we are a guest here. Top of Phoenix asked for the gardens. They supplied the restaurants.
The plan, in order
Spend the afternoon downtown at the Japanese Friendship Garden, which is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., through January, with last admission half an hour before closing. It is closed Mondays. Then drive east to the Desert Botanical Garden for the luminarias, which start at 5 p.m. Check the night before you plan. This season the luminarias run November 27 to 29; December 4 to 6, 11 to 13, 16 to 23 and 26 to 31; and January 1 to 3. The garden is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Las Noches de las Luminarias
The Desert Botanical Garden is at 1201 North Galvin Parkway. It has five trails across 55 acres and a living collection of 55,000 plants, including 4,800 species, 420 rare and endangered plants, and the world’s largest cactus and agave collections. Las Noches de las Luminarias runs 5 to 9:30 p.m. on the nights listed above. General adult tickets are $39.95 to $44.95 and children 2 to 17 are $18.95; members pay $37.95 to $42.95 and $16.95. The garden is open daily from 8 a.m. for regular visits, and general admission this fall starts at $32.95 for adults and $14.95 for children 2 to 17. Children under 2, members and active military with ID get in free for general admission. Parking is free on site, with overflow lots at busy times.
Japanese Friendship Garden
The Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix, Rohoen, is at 1125 North 3rd Avenue downtown. It is a 3.5-acre Japanese stroll garden with flowing streams, a 14-foot waterfall, a koi pond with more than 300 koi and more than 85 varieties of plants; its teahouse and tea garden were completed in 1996. From September to January it is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Adults are $14, seniors $12, students, military and youth 7 to 17 $11, and children 6 and under free. The garden has its own lot on its west side, with no parking fee.
The full list
Hours, prices and directions for each of these, with the official page for each, are on our side. The Desert Botanical Garden page on Botanical Garden Near Me lists them, closest first.
Where to eat after
One table for lunch near the Japanese garden and one for after the luminarias, each checked against its hours. They come from Top of Phoenix lists: casual and Asian. The scores are theirs, not ours.
Harumi Sushi Bar – Downtown
Insider Score8.3
Japanese · Phoenix
Lunch near the Japanese garden. Under a mile away downtown, open from 11 a.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends. Omakase or à la carte, with a chirashi bowl and black sushi rice that gives the nigiri its own character.
Zu Izakaya
Insider Score7.8
Asian Fusion · Tempe
After the luminarias. About a mile from the garden, open until midnight (10 p.m. on Sunday). Casual and compact: yakitori, tonkotsu ramen and a spicy pork quesadilla that is a real standout.
Scores are Top of Phoenix Insider Scores. Restaurant photographs from Yelp and Tripadvisor.
Sources. Desert Botanical Garden, Las Noches de las Luminarias and Visit pages, checked October 23, 2026. Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix, home, Hours and Admission and About pages, checked October 23, 2026. Restaurant hours from Top of Phoenix records. Top photo: Desert Botanical Garden by Simeon87, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; other photo credits are under each photo.
Botanical Garden Near Me writes for Botanical Garden Near Me. Botanical Garden Near Me lists public botanical gardens, arboretums and conservatories across the United States, with hours, admission and directions taken from each garden's official site. This piece was written for Top of Phoenix.