Published November 28 2017
Garden d’Lights, one of Bellevue’s signature events, is back at the Bellevue Botanical Garden, and will run nightly through Dec. 31, 4:30-9 p.m., including holidays.
Tickets, good for any night, are $5 per person, with advanced online purchase recommended. There is no charge for children 10 and under, and the event is free for everyone on Nov. 29 and 30 and Dec. 4, 5, 6 and 7.
A vast array of display gardens and woodland, the Botanical Garden is transformed in winter with plants, animals and other objects — including waterfalls, ponds and a fire-breathing dragon — fashioned out of colored lights. In most cases, the plants are botanically correct. More than 80,000 people experienced the dazzling holiday display last year.
Coffee, tea, hot chocolate and snacks are available for purchase in the Aaron Education Center. Live music, once a regular Garden d’Lights feature, has returned, with youth symphonies and choirs among the groups performing at either the Gathering Place or the Aaron Education Center many of the nights.
Approximately 130 volunteers donate 9,000 hours over an 11-month period to create the display, using 500,000 incandescent and energy-saving LED lights, zip ties and rebar. Bellevue TV’s video “Garden d’Lights 2017“ captures the transformation with time-lapse photography and a narrative from Botanical Garden manager Nancy Kartes.
Parking in the garden's lot is available for $5 per car (cash only), or free with a disability parking permit. Free parking is available at Wilburton Hill Park, east of the Botanical Garden.
The 23rd annual event is made possible through a partnership of the Parks & Community Services Department and the nonprofit Bellevue Botanical Garden Society.