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Alke Stilwell
For more than 25 years, we have welcomed guests from near and far to explore the magnificent light displays and enjoy the botanic beauty of the Garden. With both walking and driving experiences, Galaxy offers guests of all ages the chance to share in the beloved tradition and make memories together.
Proceeds from Galaxy of Lights directly support the mission-driven activities of the Garden. Whether you volunteer at the event, sponsor a light display, or buy a ticket, you are helping us serve our community as a resource for plant conservation, education, and botanic beauty all year long. #GalaxyofLights
The 3k Fun Run is not a timed race but will be full of great light displays, holiday music, and prizes from our generous sponsors. Sponsors will provide refreshments for participants and spectators beginning at 5:30 p.m. near the Grisham Pavilion. Bring the whole family out to enjoy the fun and cheer you on!
The famous holiday lights on the River Walk will turn on this year on November 24, 2023, and remain on from dusk to dawn nightly through January 7, 2024 (at dawn). The official televised lighting ceremony in the Arneson River Theatre will take place on Friday, November 24, 2023, to kick off the holidays at the annual Ford Holiday River Parade.
Visiting the River Walk to enjoy the spectacular holiday lights is free. The River Walk is a public park and is open every day of the year, 24 hours a day. Holiday lights are on the downtown portion of the River Walk. Our friends at the San Antonio River Authority have added lights North of Downtown on the river in the Pearl District.
Get your glow on in Schiff Family Great Hall with LED swings, interactive floor projections, ocean-themed interactive light panels that create patterns that mimic ocean life, and a jellyfish celebration in lights.
Holiday Lights includes enhanced light shows that provide perfect photo ops for friends and family. On Astor Court, a towering holiday tree features synchronized musical light performances. And the walk-through Light Tunnel will dazzle you with animal-themed light shows.
Brighten your nights and explore your holiday spirit through a dazzling world of over 650,000 lights at Illuminights Winter Walk of Lights. Travel down our half-mile wooded path while taking in the sights and sounds of the season. Visitors will experience 50,000 new lights, new displays, trail enhancements and family activities.
Lumi is the new animated mascot of Illumininghts Winter Walk of Lights! He is joined by 650,000 of his light friends at Explore Park during the 33-night event! You will see Lumi in our promotional videos and you might see him during your visit to Illuminights! Click here to watch a short video about Illuminights!
llluminights is offering a reduced sensory experience on Sunday, December 3rd from 4 PM to 6 PM for community members that may be sensitive to light and/or sound stimuli! Explore your holiday spirit through a unique experience on our half-mile wooded path featuring over 650,000 lights. Call (540) 772-7529 ext. 2 for more information and to register for Sensory Night at Illuminights!
This year, we have added a new experience called Whimsical Woods. Guests will see an entirely new immersive musical experience during Walking Nights and a larger-than-life drive-through experience that features lighting technology only feet away from guests cars! This location features 200 10-foot light poles, animated wrapped tree technology, and new beam lighting technology all mixed together with traditional lighting technologies. Guests will walk under our popular Snowflake archway and through an entire pathway of light.
Featured only within Walking Nights is a new feature called the Aurora Canopy. Located at the Trading Post, the Aurora Canopy will add over 6000 programmable lights over our guests as they walk through an Aurora-like light experience.
Yes, our paths are a mix of paved roads and brick hardscape, and they are wide enough to accommodate strollers, wagons, and wheelchairs. Please note that the Walking Nights path can be dark in some areas, so we recommend bringing a flashlight to help you navigate wheels along the path.
Driving Nights tickets vary in price depending on when you purchase your tickets and whether or not you are a Garden member. All ticket prices are listed below. Reduced-rate 5-packs of tickets can be purchased at the front desk during regular business hours. (Holiday Tip: Driving Nights tickets make great holiday gifts for friends and neighbors!) On Mondays during Driving Nights, a military discount is available at the gate to all active and retired military personnel with military ID. On any night, you may also make a donation of canned food or lightly used clothing at the ticket booth to receive $1 off the gate ticket price ($1 total discount, not per item). All Driving Nights tickets are redeemable for one vehicle (limit of 10 passengers). An additional charge of $3.00 per person will apply for all passengers over a count of 10. No additional charge is applied for bus drivers.
Wear a raincoat or bring an umbrella! L.A. Zoo Lights: Animals Aglow is a rain-or-shine special event. No rain checks will be issued for this event. NOTE: The light displays pose no danger when exposed to water. In case of severe weather, some attractions may be closed.
No, the lights are primarily placed in areas separate from the animal exhibits. Our animal care staff is involved with route planning and approves the placement of all displays. Most animals will be in their night quarters during the event and will not be impacted. Those animals that will be exposed to some amount of light will have at least seven full hours of darkness starting when the light displays are turned off for the evening, with no negative effects.
The beauty of light and the whimsy of nature intertwine harmoniously at the Boar's Head Resort Winter Wander Trail of Lights. Experience the nature of our rolling landscape during this illuminated lakeside stroll as an extraordinary palette of colorful illuminations blanket the natural surroundings for a magical show of lights like no other.
Guests who book the overnight Winter Wander stay package will receive luxurious accommodations, tickets for each night to the Winter Wander trail of lights and an exclusive Winter Wander keepsake. An overnight stay also comes with premium VIP access to Winter Wander! Unlike daily ticket holders, overnight package guests receive unlimited access to the event and are not restricted to a single entrance time. VIP overnight guests are also granted the exclusive ability to bypass the ticket lines and can enter and leave the show at their convenience.
Guests who book this package will receive luxurious accommodations, tickets for each night to the Winter Wander trail of lights and an exclusive Winter Wander keepsake. An overnight stay also comes with premium access to Winter Wander! Unlike daily ticket holders, overnight package guests receive unlimited access to the event and are not narrowed to a single entrance time. Ask about our premium rooms when booking that allow guests to view the entire light show from the cozy comfort of their own balcony.
Luminaria at Thanksgiving Point is an amazing light display This is a walk through light show through the Ashton Gardens, and it also has some interactive activities for families to enjoy. We are sharing our tips for visiting Luminaria, and a little bit of what this experience is like in our post. This has become our favorite Christmas adventure splurge.
Luminaria begins with a look over the timed lights that are one of the main features. 1000s of lights are set in the grass and they make patterns including stars, trees, Santa, and more. Later in the walk, you get to walk right through these lights, too. It is fun to stand int the middle of the lights as they make their patterns. And you will be able to see them at the end, too.
After visiting the gingerbread houses, you will continue your walk through the gardens. The path is full of different colors and types of lights. There are purple and pink trees, a beautiful photo spot in the gazebo, and even a Christmas tree that you can walk through. The kids loved being able to walk under the lights. There is also one area with large stepping lights. So as you step on the lights they change color. It is a big hit with the kids.
We also loved the tulip lights in the spot that is normally full of tulips during the Tulip Festival. There are no rivers or streams right now because of the cold weather. Instead, each streambed is filled with blue lights to look like water. It is beautiful!
Another unique thing about Luminaria is that there are scents along the lighted path, too. In 2023, you could smell the flower smell at the tulip area, and as you walk into Luminaria it smelled like gingerbread outside by the lights. Some years we have smelled peppermint. So make sure to use all of our senses while walking through.
The path continues and you are at the other end of the timed light display. It was fun to see it from the other side. Then you walk past the carousel all light up before heading to a junction. At the junction, you can head up the path to continue with Luminaria, or you can take a quick side break to walk through Light of the World (which we highly recommend).
The Light of the World statues are the next stop. This area has life size statues of the Savior, Jesus Christ. There are soft Christmas lights throughout the area, and you can feel the reverence as everyone quietly walks through the statues. This is a great spot to contemplate the real meaning of Christmas. We talked with our boys about the different stories that the statues represent.
The cost for Luminaria is a little daunting, but after going though, we felt it was worth the cost. This is the one event we splurge on every year. The thing we enjoyed most is the uniqueness of the Luminaria. There are plenty of drive-thru Christmas lights, but Luminaria is the only walking show around. There was so much going on, and it was such a great way to see Christmas lights, we felt the cost was worth it.
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