For over three decades, the Spanish Fork Festival of Lights has dazzled visitors with its drive-thru Christmas light show.

The event is back for its 32nd year, opening to the public Thanksgiving Day and open every night from 6-10 p.m. until New Years Day, displaying a variety of decorations and light structures.

Spanish Fork kicked off the event Monday evening by displaying the lights to city officials and invited guests. State Sen. Mike McKell, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson plus Utah County Commissioner Brandon Gordon and their families were among the people in attendance.

“We just want to thank the Parks and Rec Department for doing this,” Spanish Fork City Council member Stacy Beck told the attendees. “This is a lot of work; they’ve been working on it for months. It’s a family tradition that my family has been doing since the ’90s.”

There is one major change to the festival this season for people to know before checking it out. The event has moved to an online ticketing system, meaning visitors can pay and reserve a time to drive through the lights beforehand on the city’s ticketing website.

Reservation times will be in half-hour increments during open times, and the website shows which times are sold out or filling up quickly. If you don’t buy a ticket ahead of time, prices at the booth are higher and you risk not getting entry, the city’s website warns.

Emily Harryman, Spanish Fork’s special events supervisor, said the change was made to keep up with the popularity of the festival.

“The idea is to provide a better experience for patrons, including the time that it takes just to be in line for tickets,” she said. “So by having an advanced reservation, it will help alleviate all the vehicles coming at once. They will then be spread out for their time of the reservation.”

Director of Parks and Recreation Dale Robinson added that the goal is to shorten lines by breaking attendance up into sessions so “you don’t have to wait for two hours.”

Harryman said an average of 20,000 cars make their way to the festival at Canyon View Park in a given year, many coming locally and some just passing through as they head north or south along U.S. Highway 6. There also are tour buses and senior facilities that drive through.

For single-family vehicles, the price of admission is $10 if made online, or $15 at the gate. The cost increases for commercial vans or buses.

“We keep the Festival of Lights very affordable for families to come,” Harryman said. “It’s a family favorite, and it’s a tradition. A lot of people love coming just because it’s something to look forward to each year, and it’s a drive display so you can stay in your warm vehicle the whole time.”

Preparation for the festival begins in September, when maintenance workers make rope light repairs while weather is still warm. The park closes in October, and the city begins setting up the structures. From there, constant adjustments are made leading up to the event, such as replacing light bulbs.

The festival does not have a specific theme from year to year, but there often are new additions, which are kept secret beforehand.

“We don’t promote what the new structures are ahead of time, as a lot of families make it a game with their kids to look around the park to see what’s new,” Harryman said. “That’s something we do every single year, if we add new features.”