Glittering Lights waits are long so plan ahead, bring pizza

Glittering Lights is a victim of its own success. Well, that and the pandemic.

John Bentham, CEO of event producer Ivory Star Productions, said the long waits at this year’s holiday-lights event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway are caused, in part, by the success of previous displays.

“And the fact that there’s very little to do in town for the holidays,” Bentham said, since reservations for Ethel M’s Holiday Cactus Garden are completely booked through the season, Opportunity Village didn’t open its Magical Forest this year and numerous live events were canceled. “Everybody’s kind of converging on us because of that.”

Bentham said the hours have been extended this year, with both an earlier opening and a later closing, but waits still have stretched to two hours or more.

“Right now we’re experiencing nights where we’re up at least double last year,” he said. “I don’t expect that to lessen. We knew this was going to be a tough year.”

The problem is, only so many toys can be squeezed into Santa’s sleigh.

“You can only process so many cars through in an hour,” he said.

To combat the problem, they’re opening the gates as early as 4:30 p.m. to start processing cars.

“The minute it’s dark enough — like at 4:45 p.m. — we’re letting people into the light show,” Bentham said. And they don’t close until the last vehicle in line at 10 p.m. (11 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays this month) has gotten the full dose of glitter.

If you’re worried about waiting that long with the kids or your crazy uncle, Bentham advises being prepared.

“We’re trying to tell people to think of it as forced bonding time,” he said. He’s seen vehicles stocked with pizza and beverages, movies to watch, and more. Ivory Star has added portable toilets along Speedway Boulevard; indoor restroom facilities are available at four sites. And Bentham said he’s been working on arranging entertainment along Speedway Boulevard.

“When people come on a Saturday, there’s going to be a long wait,” he said. “And I hate that. It’s a really great experience for families if they come prepared.”

Which, in part, means planning what day and time to go.

“People have dinner and then decide to go,” he said. “You get there about 6:30 — with about 2,000 other cars. I would come early in the night. People start lining up around 4 o’clock. Even on our busiest nights, the earlier you can get there, the earlier you can get right in and then you can start your night.”

Fast passes also are available for an extra fee. And consider going after Christmas; the week leading up to Christmas is always the busiest. Glittering Lights is open until Jan. 10, and Bentham said it may be extended.

He said the problem is happening at light parks all over the country.

“We, unfortunately, are not unique to this challenge this year as one of the only socially-distanced family-friendly events,” he said.

So, in a nutshell: The best time to go is 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays, or at closing time. Avoid this Thursday through Christmas Eve, if at all possible. Consider going after Christmas; “it’s still magical,” Bentham said.

And don’t forget the pizza.

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.