The Trans-Siberian Orchestra rocks Phoenix December 2nd, 2018 at Gila River Arena. Is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas show appropriate for kids? Totally.
Did you miss the Trans-Siberian Orchestra show in Phoenix this year? Read on to find out how you can see Trans-Siberian Orchestra in December, 2019 for free and you’ll be ready to jump on this deal in November, 2019!
We’re always looking for free things to do with teens and tweens in Phoenix. Last Christmas we hit the freebie jackpot with four free tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra show. This is hands down my most impressive free family fun find in Phoenix—and we scored free tickets again this year.
If you think you don’t know what the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is, you probably actually do—TSO songs are always on the Christmas radio stations and playlists at the malls and grocery stores during the holiday season.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is a band that plays arrangements of classic Christmas music woven with original songs—heavy metal style.
TSO puts on a fantastic show that delights kids of all ages. My kids love the fast paced music—Christmas songs played with electric guitars —and the supercool laser show and practical effects. Like fire.
[Tweet “Family travel tips for the #TSO Christmas show in Phoenix! #familytravel #myphx”]
The well known rock musicians (guitarist Al Pitrelli used to play with Phoenix’s own Alice Cooper) come together every Christmas season for a whirlwind US tour.
Click the video below to hear a quick clip of Joy To the World by Trans-Siberian Orchestra on my Instagram @carissahouston then read on for family travel tips and how to get those TSO tickets for FREE.
This post includes affiliate links.
Here’s what Phoenix families need to know about the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas show at Gila River Arena:
1. Is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra good for kids?
2. Family Travel Tips for visiting Gila River Arena in Glendale, AZ.
3. How to get FREE Trans-Siberian Orchestra tickets in Phoenix.
1. Is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra show good for kids?
My kids and husband are fantastic musicians so seeing a rock show is always a good idea for our family. However, I’m very picky about the venues, musicians, and crowds I immerse my kids in—there are plenty of musicians and bands my kids love that I don’t let them see live and in concert.
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra show is 100% family friendly. No swearing, no raunchy behavior—even the go-go dancers are G-rated; they wear leggings and full tops and they don’t do any suggestive dance moves. The TSO dancers aren’t background-beauty groupies; they’re the choir and female vocal soloists.
The sound at the TSO show is at a reasonable level. I’m the mom who insists on Earplugs All The Time to protect my little musicians’ ears, even at home when they play drums. (We buy these huge bins of earplugs super cheap on Amazon.) I am comfortable at the TSO show without earplugs, so I don’t make my kids wear earplugs. If we had seats on the floor near the stage, I would take earplugs for everyone.
When the show starts, Trans-Siberian Orchestra takes the stage. There is no opening act, which is great for families with kids—less waiting means less wiggling.
Family Travel Tips for visiting Gila River Arena in Glendale, AZ.
Parking costs $10. The Westgate restaurant loop is really a food court annex to the Cardinals stadium so most people only visit Westgate for events at the stadium or arena. On event dates, parking costs at least $10 (up to $25 if you want a premium parking spot). Westgate doesn’t staff enough parking attendants; expect to spend 10 minutes waiting to pay to park.
The Westgate center isn’t that big so don’t pay more than $10 to park; from the farthest parking spot it takes five minutes to walk to Gila River Arena. (We’ve parked in that spot!)
Get your ten bucks back: Spend $10 at a participating Westgate restaurant or shop and get $10 off your bill when you show your parking pass.
- Parking refund restaurants that are family friendly:
- Coldstone Creamery (ice cream)
- Fractured Prune (donuts)
- Johnny Rockets (super bad reviews; check Google and Yelp before you bother at this location)
- Razzleberriez (frozen yogurt)
- Which Wich (sandwich shop)
There is no show intermission. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra musicians have incredible stamina. The show plays straight through without an intermission (and in Phoenix they play two shows in one day). Exit to the lobby as needed to visit the restrooms or buy drinks. There are two family restrooms in Gila River Arena.
Drinks are ridiculously expensive at Gila River Arena. As in, $7-for-a-bottle-of-water expensive. A beer costs $14. We bought a round of drinks and sodas for the kids, thinking our tickets were free so why not splurge a little? $43 later…that was exactly the price of our full meal for four at Caveman Burger an hour before the show.
Family Travel Tip: The Archer concession stand next to section 119 has a shorter line, better beer and wine choices for the same price as the other stands, and soda that’s a buck cheaper than the regular concession stands.
When people complain about Disneyland food and drink prices we laugh, because drinks cost a lot more in Arizona at the county fair, movie theaters, and sporting events than at Disneyland. At Gila River Arena, soda costs 100% more and popcorn costs 30% more than at Disneyland. Read all All Day Mom Disneyland posts here.
Family Travel Tip: Stash candy in your purse—not too much (no outside food allowed) but I had no problem going through security with two bags of m&ms.
There are cup holders on the backs of the stadium seats to help keep kids from spilling those $8 Cokes.
Gila River Arena isn’t huge so don’t fear the cheap seats. Since we didn’t pay for our tickets, we can’t complain about our seats. We could see most show details even though we sat quite far from the main stage—my son could tell who each guitar player was.
If you have seats at the back of the arena, you’ll get a treat: Trans-Siberian Orchestra musicians pop up on a mini stage close to the back of the arena throughout the show. This year TSO added more tricks and segments to the back end stage—added value for those in the back balcony seats.
The restaurant choices at Westgate stink for families with kids. Westgate is a middle aged hipster hangout, so there are at least three times as many bars as restaurants. You’ll have to walk your kids through a lot of cigarette smoke to get to the Gila River Arena. Here are your best bets if you want to have dinner or dessert at Westgate with your family before the Trans-Siberian Orchestra show.
Fast food and inexpensive family friendly restaurants at Westgate/Gila River Arena:
- Chipotle
- Which Wich Superior Sandwiches
- Johnny Rockets (terrible reviews; check Google/Yelp)
- Shane’s Rib Shack
- Carl’s Jr (in Tanger outlets across the street from Westgate)
- Subway (in Tanger outlets across the street from Westgate)
Family friendly restaurants for ice cream and dessert at Westgate/Gila River Arena:
- Fractured Prune Donuts
- Coldstone Creamery
- RazzleberrieZ Frozen Yogurt
Family Travel Tip: Plan ahead and buy restaurant gift cards during a Fry’s 4X Fuel Points promotion to save money if you’re headed to one of the chain restaurants. We use the American Express Blue Cash Preferred for 6% cashback at grocery stores on top of Fry’s Fuel Points deals. Amex Blue Cash Preferred $250 bonus offer here.
How to get FREE Trans-Siberian Orchestra tickets in Phoenix:
This is the second year our family has scored free tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas show in Phoenix. It’s a pretty straightforward frugal hack, but a lot of people are scared off by the $600 buy-in. Here’s how I spend $300 to get a ton of Christmas shopping done plus earn free Trans-Siberian Orchestra tickets.
Here’s the deal: Spend $300 in one day at Desert Ridge Marketplace to earn two FREE tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas show in early December, 2019.
We have a family of four, so we need to do this deal twice. That means we need to spend $600, but the rules of this deal include gift card purchases in the spending threshold, so you can cut your buy-in in half.
There are tons of shops in Desert Ridge, but I think this is the easiest way to get the free tickets:
1. Buy $300 in Target gift cards from Albertson’s.
2. Go to the Desert Ridge office and claim your two free vouchers to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas show in Phoenix. They typically give vouchers for the 7:30 p.m. Sunday night show.
3. Take the $300 in Target gift cards and spend them at the Desert Ridge Target in one day.
- You can have multiple receipts, but they all need to be spent at the Desert Ridge Target in one day.
4. Send your husband (or anyone else who isn’t doing this deal) to the Desert Ridge office to claim two free vouchers to the TSO show. (Two per person; you’ll need your driver’s license.)
5. Take all four vouchers to the Gila River Arena box office to redeem for real tickets.
- Note that it’s a 30-minute drive without traffic from Desert Ridge Marketplace to Gila River Arena.
- Ask the box office agent for four seats together.
- It’s best to redeem the vouchers ASAP because multi-seat options can sell out—we waited until the second week in November this year and there were only two sets of four seats left.
That’s it! I always need stuff from Target anyway—especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas time. Plus, I took advantage of all the “Target gift card with purchase” deals and walked away with $60 in Target gift card freebies.
Found Money Totals:
Total money spent: nothing over my budget (I would have spent $300 at Target for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and household items anyway during November and December.)
Total value of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Tickets: $240. You’ll pay an extra $23 in junk fees for each $37 ticket if you buy tickets directly from Gila River Arena. (Stub Hub adds on $18 in junk fees per ticket if you’re comparing ticket prices.)
Do you know about a fun Christmas activity for teens and tweens in Phoenix? Share it in the comments below!
Get my free printable Christmas budget workbook and have a Cheap, Fun, Organized Christmas!
More Christmas fun from All Day Mom:
Great Books to read to your kids over Christmas vacation!
Paleo Chicken Nuggets Recipe—fast food in your freezer for busy nights!
How to have a Merry Christmas without spending a dime!
