Pratt Brothers Christmas at Rawhide — Local services in Sun Lakes

What a fun event! Really thought through with so many fun stations. My 4-year old had a great time even though we could not do all the activities. We basically only went on the train ride, watched the gingerbread house light show several times and the parade, and made a stop at the gift shop. But that was more than enough for us. Here’s why I gave a 4 star rating: driving up to the event was a pain. We were in the super slow car lane leading up to the parking lot for over 30 minutes, when they eventually decided to reroute us to the back parking since the one we were lined up for was full. All those who parked in the back with us walked to the back gates only to find them locked, and walking all the way to the front was out of question because it would’ve taken us another 40 minutes to get to the event on foot. It was way too far. Luckily, one of the people standing with us knew a staff member and called them to send people over to unlock the gates. They did but asked us to line up so they could scan our tickets. People objected to another long wait, and so they finally agreed to let us in and had their personnel scan our tickets when we finally reached the venue. The issue was resolved, but by that time we had spent over an hour from when we arrived at the initial car lane until we were actually inside the venue. the line to the train ride was extremely long. They had 2 trains from what I’ve seen, which was great to keep the line moving, but we ended up buying the express line pass to get in the shorter one. That’s $20 per person, free for kids under 3 yrs. That still took about 20 to 30 minutes of waiting in the express line so I imagine the non-express would’ve taken over an hour. The staff did a great job keeping lines moving for all activities, but I don’t think the organizers realized the volume of people that would come in, which is why every activity had a super long line that we personally were not willing to stand in and therefore ended up only doing the bare minimum.

My recommendations if you intend on going: buy your tickets online and arrive as early as possible. They open at 6 so be there before then to make sure you don’t get stuck in the painfully long car lane (yes a single lane). We got there at 6:30 have a back up car potty or travel pee bags for the little ones because the toilets are also backed up. if you can, try going on a week day. Maybe the volume of attendees is way less and you’d have a better chance at enjoying the full experience. just for the train-ride, which was amazing and totally worth our while, and watching the light show and the parade, we ended up paying $50 per person plus taxes and purchases from the gift shop, which to me was too much. However my little one had “a blast” in his own words, which I cannot put a price on. You decide if that’s worth it for you. I read in the reviews that the Santa experience is amazing but the tickets were sold out on the day we went. Plus, that’s not a priority for us since we typically don’t celebrate Christmas, so it wasn’t a big deal. If it is for you, make sure you book those tickets in advance online (another $8 per person I believe) and be prepared to stand in a long line for that as well.

Overall, great experience for the kids but they need to account for the huge number of visitors and have better organization with the parking and admission situation. Will I go next year, most probably yes, but on a week...

This was our first year visiting & we enjoyed it. Based off other reviews it looks like they've made some changes from last year. This is a semi long review, but if you stick with it I will try to cover as much as I can. Ticket prices are $35 for general admission, this includes free parking, and includes all activities aside from the cookie decorating and smores kits which cost extra. You are able to get on the train as many times as you'd like to wait in line.

We hopped on the train twice when we visited, so we could each swap seats to fully see both sides of the decorations. This is the fourth train ride I've been on at local Arizona Christmas spots, most of the train rides will not last longer than 10 minutes and some aren't worth it. However I really enjoyed the train ride at this event, it was packed with lights & each area had it's own little theme. Like most large events the lines will grow the longer the event goes on, if you get there when it first opens I would head directly back to the train. We were able to get onto the train back to back with less than a two minute wait each time because we went as soon as the park opened at 6pm.

The stunt show lasts for about 20-25 minutes & was cute. I would wait inline about 10 to 15 minutes before the show time as it gets packed quickly. I wish I could take home a replica of the small Christmas village display they had set up, it reminded me of my great grandmother who used to put one out every year before she passed away.

The snow show area was neat! I didn't realize the 'Snow' was bubbles and not shaved ice, but it was still fun. We got a lot of cute photos and laughed our butts off being covered in bubbles. The area that it is in is a bit dusty so if you have allergies I might avoid that spot. The Gingerbread house show was cool to watch, I like that they included pyro into the show.

The parade was cute, they had some pretty neat cars in the show. It last about twenty minutes give or take a few minutes. Everyone did a great job lining up along main street to watch it & helped make sure the kiddos could see it. My kids are a little older and are past the whole meeting Santa thing so we didn't do that, but it is included in the price of admission. The lines were a little long for it, but the bonus was they took you into a small room where Santa was so it was more of a personal experience rather than just a photo with Santa. There was also a separate area to write letters to Santa that was well done. We didn't stop by it until about two and a half hours after we arrived & there were still plenty of post cards and pens to use so I think the staff was making sure it was stocked.

It was lovely seeing Rawhide completely decked out with lights! This is our personal experience, but I know everyone's varies however I think they did a good job with...

This year’s attraction at Rawhide is FAR superior to last year in Mesa.

Here’s the real tea on Rawhide Christmas. Of course because it is their first year in this location they are working through kinks daily and improving on the spot. For example, on opening night (that’s when we were there) the crowds surpassed expectations, they recognized the train line was extremely long & ended up using their two classic cars to drive guests through the lights so everyone could experience the magic. (Yes, it took a bit to figure out a solution but they did it immediately that night & didn’t wait till the next day.) I was so impressed & it feels like Pratt Brothers Entertainment & their crew genuinely care about the guest experience.

Things that are included with the $30 General Admission tickets are as follows: the Dare to Dream museum, Letters to Santa, pictures with their mascots Gingy &/or Jolly, the stunt show (there are 2 performances which do sellout so I recommend lining up early), the gingerbread light show (happens periodically throughout the night), rides up & down town in one of two classic cars as long as they can drive through all the crowds (just flag them down for a ride), the train through lights, the rawhide jail with wanted posters of classic Christmas “villains”, the parade (8pm), & the snow show (happens multiple times throughout the night). (Here’s a tip…the train line does lighten up as the night goes on…)

Of course there are awesome add ons like s’mores making by fire pits & cookie decorating, too. We were lucky enough to enjoy the Santa experience. He was so sweet & kind. I mean he’s Santa!! He didn’t make us feel rushed & it seemed like we were the only ones he was there to see.

Ivy & Sage has a fabulous gift shop & a separate dreamy sweet shop. Both are blissfully dangerous! There is a vendor with some toys like bubble guns for sale, too. Don’t miss the hot chocolate which was delicious & perfect when it got chilly. There’s funnel cake, fry bread, tri-tip, & other food trucks there as well.

Parking/ticketing has been challenging but rumor has it they are opening more lots sooner & staffing it to help guests get into town to enjoy the sights, sounds, & smells as quickly as possible.

It really was a fun night! We took a ton of pictures & created memories to last a lifetime. We can’t wait to return (& hopefully experience an even better or more seamless evening.) Truly worth it just bring your Christmas spirit & some patience & remember Disney (& other corporate Holiday or every day park/extravaganzas) weren’t flawless out...