It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Tucson, thanks to the annual Winterhaven’s Festival of Lights and this weekend’s Fourth Avenue Winter Street Fair.
And that means traffic will be affected.
Road closures and transit adjustments for the two major winter events have been announced by the Tucson Department of Transportation & Mobility and SunTran.
Starting Saturday Dec. 9 through Christmas Day, several streets will close nightly from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. for the for the Winterhaven Festival of Lights. Christmas Avenue, Kleindale Road, Treat Avenue, and Stewart Avenue/Greenlee Street will be affected. There will be additional travel restrictions on East Fort Lowell and East Prince roads.
Motorists are urged to reduce speeds to 25 mph in the event area, exercise caution and expect delays. Law enforcement officers will be on-site to direct traffic.
People are also reading…
The 54th Annual Winter Street Fair that begin today and runs through Sunday, Dec. 10 will lead to temporary route adjustments for the streetcar.
Two stops, Fourth Avenue/Fourth Street and Fourth Avenue/Sixth Street, will be out of service.
Special Event Sun Tran buses will provide alternative routes, with boarding locations marked by signs.
To bypass streetcar closures, riders can walk through the fair or board special event buses at designated stops, such as University Boulevard/Third Avenue, Fifth Avenue/Sixth Street, and Fourth Avenue/Ninth Street.
Sun Tran Routes 3 and 109X will also experience detours, using Stone Avenue instead of Fourth Avenue.
Riders can transfer to Sun Link at Fourth Avenue/Ninth Street or University Boulevard/Third Avenue.
Photos: Tucson's Winterhaven Festival of Lights through the years
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1964. Time exposure at Christmas Ave. and McKenzie St.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1964.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1964.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1964.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1966.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Time exposure of Luminaria Lane in the Winterhaven subdivision in Tucson in December, 1961. Residents along Greenlee Road and Stewart Avenue placed hundreds of traditional Mexican luminarias around their homes.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1966.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1966.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1966.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1968.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1971.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1971.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1971.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1971.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1971.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
A single vehicle drives through the Winterhaven neighborhood in Tucson on Christmas Eve, 1956.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Entrance to the Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1971.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in 1968.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1972.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1972.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1972.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1974.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1974.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1974.
Winterhaven Festival of Lights
Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson in December, 1964. Time exposure at Christmas Ave. and McKenzie St.
Eddie Celaya is a breaking news reporter and host of the “Here Weed Go!” podcast. He graduated from Pima Community College and the University of Arizona and has been with the Arizona Daily Star since May 2019.

