"The gated entrances will not be opened to the public for viewing of holiday decorations." That sentence closes Section 3.16 of the Sun City Mesquite Design Guidelines. It is the reason the season in Roaring Creek feels the way it does. Lights on a Sun City home are for the people who live here and the guests they bring in. Nobody puts them on a public drive-by route. Most of the shared celebrating happens in a few other places: the Event Center on Flat Top Mesa Drive, Mesquite Boulevard on the first Thursday of December, and a garden in St. George.
That matters more in Roaring Creek than in older parts of Sun City. Roaring Creek Subdivision, Unit 21B of the Anthem at Mesquite PUD, appeared on a City of Mesquite agenda in April 2022 as a tentative map for 81 single-family lots on 12.6 acres. On a street that new, this may be the first or second December some owners decorate under Sun City's rules.
The rule runs on windows, not a season
Here is the full text of Section 3.16:
Holiday decorations will not require approval if installed no earlier than 30 days before a holiday and removed no later than 30 days after a holiday. Any variation from these time periods will require approval of the ARC. The ARC reserves the right to request reasonable modifications to holiday decorations if deemed appropriate.
The guidelines say "a holiday," not "the holiday season." Each window is measured from a specific date. Count 30 days back from Christmas Day and you land on Wednesday, November 25. Count 30 days forward and you reach Sunday, January 24. Anything outside those times goes to the Architectural Review Committee. The copy posted on the HOA site is marked "Approved April 20, 2021," and the guidelines also list holiday decorations, subject to Section 3.16, among the items that skip the regular application process.
The section sets timing. It doesn't list approved styles, lighting hours or display sizes. It leaves those calls to the ARC's "reasonable modifications" language. The Association posted its November 2026 newsletter on November 1, and owners can find it on the member site.
The fence line opens up for the holidays
The lighting section gives a better sense of how unusual a December display is here. Section 3.21 says no outside light beyond indirect lighting and the builder's decorative fixtures may go on a home without the ARC's prior written consent. Decorative fixtures on the house are capped at 60 watts or the LED equivalent. Festoon lighting has to be a neutral, non-flickering Edison-style bulb of 15 watts or less, installed within a structure.
Rope lighting gets the clearest exception. Section 3.21.4 says rope lighting "will not be considered for install on a fence on a property boundary except for holiday lighting per section 3.16." For most of the year, light in Sun City is kept low, neutral and pointed at the immediate space. During the holiday window, the boundary fence becomes a place where color can go.
Put that next to the closing line of Section 3.16 and you have the shape of the season here. Rules for the rest of the year are lifted for a set window, and the gates stay closed to people driving through to look. The audience is the neighbors.
This is general information about the Association's posted guidelines, not legal advice. Before you hang anything outside these dates, please confirm the details for your own home with the ARC.
Where the shared season happens instead
With no public drive-through, the gatherings move indoors to the Event Center at 1350 Flat Top Mesa Drive, and then out into town. The two Christmas window rows are counted from Christmas Day using the 30-day rule.
| Date | What | Where | Cost or note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 18 | Apple Cider Day, 9 to 10 a.m. in 15-minute increments | Sun City Event Center, 1350 Flat Top Mesa Dr. | Free |
| Nov. 18 to 21 | Virgin Valley FFA Tree Gala, Nutcracker theme | Holiday Inn Resort–Red Barn, 333 N. Sandhill Blvd. | Open to the public; auction supports FFA programs |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | Earliest no-approval date for Christmas decorations under Section 3.16 | Your own home | Counted 30 days back from Dec. 25 |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | Community Thanksgiving Dinner, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Mesquite Senior Center, 102 W. Old Mill Rd. | Complimentary |
| Nov. 25 to Dec. 31 | Holiday lights, nightly 5 to 10 p.m. | Red Hills Desert Garden, 375 E. Red Hills Pkwy., St. George | Free |
| Nov. 27 to 28 | "LIGHTS ON! A Hollywood Christmas Variety Show," 7 p.m. start on Nov. 27 | Mesquite Community Theatre, 150 N. Yucca St., Suite 22 | Stage show |
| Mon., Nov. 30 | St. George Kickoff to Christmas, 6 to 8 p.m. | St. George | Free |
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Christmas in Dixie tree lighting, 6 to 8 p.m. | Veterans Park, 75 E. Telegraph St., Washington City | Free |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Parade of Lights, 5:30 to 7 p.m., theme "Home for the Holidays" | Mesquite Blvd. between Arrowhead and Willow | Entry applications at City Hall lobby |
| Tue., Dec. 8 | Sounds Holiday Concert, 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. | Sun City Event Center | $5 or guest pass; bring a non-perishable food item |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Holiday Hoe Down, cocktails 4 p.m., dinner 5 p.m., music by Rick Wall | Sun City Event Center | $32 per person |
| Sun., Jan. 24 | Latest no-approval removal date for Christmas decorations | Your own home | Counted 30 days forward from Dec. 25 |
Inside the gates first
Sun City's own events come first, and two of them are small and cheap. Apple Cider Day on November 18 runs in 15-minute slots, so it fits in a short stop at the Event Center. The Sounds Holiday Concert on December 8 has two performances, and guests can attend for $5 or with a guest pass. That makes it one of the few Sun City holiday events built with visitors in mind. Attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item. Two days later, the Holiday Hoe Down is the season's sit-down evening: cocktails at 4, dinner at 5 and Rick Wall on music, for $32 a person.
Then out into Mesquite
The 2026 Parade of Lights runs Thursday, December 3, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. along Mesquite Boulevard between Arrowhead and Willow, with the theme "Home for the Holidays." At the October 13 city council meeting, the parade organizer said entry applications were in the City Hall lobby. If a Roaring Creek street or Sun City club wants a float on the theme, that's where to pick up the form.
The weeks before the parade bring two more town events. The Virgin Valley FFA Tree Gala fills the Holiday Inn Resort–Red Barn from November 18 to 21 with donated decorated trees, and auction proceeds support FFA student programs. Mesquite Community Theatre stages its Hollywood Christmas variety show on Thanksgiving weekend.
And the light display nobody has to string themselves
For a big outdoor display, the closest one is Red Hills Desert Garden in St. George, lit nightly from 5 to 10 p.m. from November 25 through December 31, with free admission. Opening night falls on the first day of the Christmas window under Section 3.16. Five days later, on November 30, St. George holds its Kickoff to Christmas from 6 to 8 p.m. with Santa, live entertainment and extended hours at the Children's Museum. Washington City holds its Christmas in Dixie tree lighting at Veterans Park the same evening.
The window and the calendar line up
The day the HOA's no-approval window opens for Christmas decorations, November 25, is also the day of Mesquite's Community Thanksgiving Dinner and the first night of the Red Hills lights. The Parade of Lights, the Sounds concert and the Hoe Down all fall in the next two weeks. On a Roaring Creek street, the lights on the fence and the events around town run on almost the same calendar. The gates stay closed to outside viewers the whole time.
If you're new to Roaring Creek and want help reading the design guidelines or finding the right person at the ARC, I'm glad to walk through it with you. You can reach me through Stephanie Cannon. Let's Connect.
