Christmas Festival of Lights

2023 FESTIVAL INFORMATION

Friday, Nov. 24 – Friday, Dec. 30 (Closed Christmas Day)

Please bring a non-perishable food item for SnowCap.

Festival Hours

Friday, November 24 – Friday, December 15 5:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 16 – Saturday, December 30 4:45 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Grounds close at 10 p.m. each day

STAY TUNED FOR 2023 PRICING AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

To book your choir to perform, please contact Samantha Kocher at events@thegrotto.org.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jane Tokito at jtokito@thegrotto.org.

About the Festival

Choirs in the Chapel

Enjoy the amazing sounds of local schools, churches and civic groups as they perform inside the Chapel of Mary, with its cathedral-like acoustics.

Fun for Everyone

Continuous entertainment for all ages is offered in The Grotto’s plaza area, including outdoor caroling, puppet shows, and an assortment of musical guests.

Puppet Show & Storytimes

At the top of each hour in the plaza tent, enjoy our puppet shows and storytimes.

Caroling

The Grotto Carolers perform every hour at the bottom of the hour in the plaza tent. Sing along to your favorite Christmas songs.

A few details

The Festival of Lights is a walk-through event and visitors can expect to walk approximately one-quarter mile.

All entertainment areas are either indoors or tented, but visitors should dress for the weather. Rubber-soled shoes, warm socks, gloves, and ear coverings are recommended, especially on colder nights.

Average festival visitation times are between 75 and 90 minutes. Visitors wishing to hear a specific concert should arrive at least 30 to 45 minutes in advance of the scheduled concert time.

How to get to the Festival

The entrance to The Grotto is at NE 85th & Sandy Blvd. in Portland, Oregon.

Parking: Parking is free in the main parking lot and on the adjacent streets. Parking attendants will assist you in finding the best spot. Please follow their directions.

Overflow Lot with Free Shuttle: On busy nights, use our overflow lot, which is located at the Parkrose/Sumner Park&Ride on Sandy Blvd. Our free shuttle bus runs every night from this lot.

By Bus: If you plan to take public transit, Bus 12 takes you along NE Sandy Blvd. to The Grotto and Bus 72 takes you along NE 82nd Ave., where you can disembark at NE Sandy Blvd.

From the MAX: Exit at the Parkrose/Sumner Station on the Red Line and take our shuttle bus (located in the bus pull-out on Sandy Blvd.) The shuttle bus runs every night and is free to use.

Thank you to our 2022 sponsors

Enjoy Elmers this holiday season. For locations and hours, visit EatAtElmers.com.

Located just up the road from The Grotto, the Parkrose Elmer’s is a great place to stop before or after visiting the Festival. 10001 NE Sandy Blvd.