Encinitas, California: The San Diego Botanic Garden comes to life at night with Lightscape, a holiday event that invites visitors to see the Garden in a whole new light. Artistic installations illuminate the one-mile trail through the garden with color and sound, creating a festive atmosphere for all ages.
Watch the video below and experience the awe of artistry in motion with 15 fantastical installations.
Whether you are planning a trip to see the San Diego Botanical Garden Lightscape or are just interested in seeing it from afar, this post will take you along the garden path past fantastical lighted art installations. Based on my experience, I’ve included 7 Tips for Ensuring an Enjoyable Lightscape Evening at the end of the post.
Liquid Sky
Laser beams brighten the path in the Liquid Sky. The fog thickens, and images appear in the sky for a moment and disappear into the night.
Super Lily
Some of the installations are high energy, while others manifest peace.
The single Super Lily rests in a mirror-like pond. Its subtle color changes echo on the water.
The Fire Festoons sit like flowers in water backlit by a vibrant tropical forest; the only perceptible movement was the flickering flames creating an otherworldly quality.
The lightscape-illuminated trails have graced cities worldwide. Each Lightscape event is custom-designed for the location.
An international group of artists created Flow to represent the feel and energy of a space. Through surging points of light and patterns, Flow accentuates the landscape where it is placed.
This forest of flowers tours worldwide. The gigantic multi-colored blooms set amongst the colorful trees change the scale of everything around it.
Neon Trees
Some of the artists used wild colors like these Neon Trees. The branches and trunks of the botanic garden’s cork trees are outlined in strips of multi-colored lights, creating a neon forest.
The bright orange poppies appear to be floating away into the night sky.
Winter Cathedral
Other installations dazzle with a single color, like the Winter Cathedral wrapped in tens of thousands of white LED lights. Church windows inspired the arched shape, and if viewed from a distance, the cathedral appears to be solid shape.
Fiber Optic Flower Garden
750 glowing fiber optic flowers cover the rare fruit garden in shimmering white light.
Thousands upon thousands of tiny white lights lit the tree and branches of the garden’s iconic Mysore Fig tree. In the daylight, this tree is magnificent but lit at night, it is a whole new level of spectacular.
Pealight Tree
Candy Lane
The Garden turns playful with Candy Lane. Reminiscent of the favorite childhood board game, Candy Land, the path is formed by colorful squares surrounded by giant gum drops and sweets.
Rainbow Road
Along the Rainbow Road, the colors of the rainbow guide you further into a garden transformed.
Shadow Dance
Lightscape visitors get the first glimpse of the upgrades underway in the San Diego Botanic Garden’s Bamboo forest.
Find a bench and try to track the Shadow Dance lights swirling and darting through the bamboo as magical swarms of energy.
Night Birds
These oversized neon feathered Night Birds take flight leading the way out of the forest.
Lightscape Music
Sony Music partners with Lightscape to provide coordinated music, further elevating the Lightscape garden experience. For copyright reasons, I used other permitted music in my video. If you would like a sample of the Sony music at the San Diego Botanic Garden Lightscape, click on the play button.
Other Lightscape Botanical Gardens
Lightscape is a production of Culture Creative, a creative project and production management company based in the United Kingdom. Partnering with botanic gardens, they illuminate garden paths worldwide. Other participating public gardens in the United States include Chicago, Brooklyn, San Antonio, Fort Worth, and Los Angeles County Botanic Gardens.
Lightscape Botanic Garden Tickets
The San Diego Botanic Garden Lightscape runs through the holidays. Tickets are available at https://sdbg.org/lightscape/.
Daytime San Diego Botanic Garden Tour
During the day, the San Diego Botanical Garden is a tapestry of 29 unique themed gardens. Explore this 37-acre sanctuary with sunlight illuminating the garden’s treasures.
7 Tips for Ensuring an Enjoyable Lightscape Evening
Based on my experience at Lightscape, here are seven tips for an enjoyable visit to see the botanical gardens San Diego Christmas lights.
- You’ll need an advance-timed ticket. You can purchase tickets online at the San Diego Botanical Website. Purchase your parking at the same time to receive a discount. My visit cost $29 + $3 service fee + $10 parking, for a total of $42. Members, military personnel, and children receive discounted admission. I know it may seem pricy, but it is a professional production and, in my opinion, worth it.
- The holiday lights are from 5-10. To avoid the crowds later is better.
- I arrived early for the first time slot, and there was a line. Lightscape is a family event, and the earlier times are favored by those with young children. The crowds keep growing once you are on the grounds as visitors can make unlimited rounds of the Lightscape circuit. By mid-evening, the Garden is bustling despite the timed tickets. I’d recommend taking one of the last time slots to see the garden as the crowds start to thin.
- Regardless of when you go, Lightscape is a popular event, and there will be many more people than you usually see in the Garden during daytime hours. Be prepared to slow down and enjoy the festive atmosphere.
- Accessibility: If you are concerned about navigating the paths at night, the good news is that most of the trails are paved. There is a moderate incline and some stairs. Staff can direct visitors to alternate pathways if they need help with the stairs or the dirt trails. Strollers and wheelchairs are allowed. For those with sensory issues, be aware of flashing light displays.
- Lightscape Parking: There are three parking lots. The road to the San Diego Botanic Garden is dark. Look for the red-tipped flashlights waving you in. It was very organized and easy to navigate. I arrived at 4:30 and parked at the main entrance by the conservatory. However, I discovered it has the longest walk to the holiday light installations. Next time, I would park in the yellow or blue lot to be closer to the action.
- This is important: Remember the color name of your parking lot. The Lightscape route goes in a continuous oneway circle; each parking lot has its own path back. I heard more than one conversion of forgotten lots. If you plan to meet someone at the Gardens, make it easier by meeting offsite and driving together.
- Plan to take a break at one of the refreshment stands along the way. A cup of hot cocoa or a glass of champagne adds to the festivities. The stand by the Kaleido installation has an expanded menu of warm entrees and adult beverages. Outside food and/or beverages are not allowed.
- Let’s talk pictures. The holiday lights event is for making memories. Be patient. I loved watching the fun being captured in photos. Overall, people were respectful when taking pictures and then moved out of the way. Tripods or professional photos are not allowed.
To light up your holidays, get outside and explore the San Diego Botanical Garden transformed into a wonderland.
Happy Holidays.
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