Lightscape 2026 at Brooklyn Botanic Garden: dates, new installations and ticket prices
The holiday light trail's sixth season opens Nov. 20 and closes Jan. 3, 2027. Adult tickets start at $29, with 21+ and sensory-friendly dates in December.
More than a million lights will fill Brooklyn Botanic Garden again when Lightscape, its holiday light trail, comes back on Nov. 20 for a sixth season. The trail stays open until Jan. 3, 2027.
This year’s route has a new design. Visitors begin and end at the Visitor Center, 990 Washington Ave., and follow a winding path past glowing sculptures and lit trees, buildings and water features, each spot with its own music and sound.
What is new at Lightscape this year
The lineup counts 16 installations. “Bluebonnets” by Mandylights is back, planting 3,000 lit flowers along both sides of the path near Oak Circle, and so is the towering Winter Cathedral. In the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, Sense Effects has reimagined its fountain show.
Among the first-time pieces are “Moon & Stars,” a glittering work; “I Love Brooklyn” from Culture Creative and ArtAV; a fire garden on the Plant Family Lawn; and Winter Wonder, set on the Cherry Esplanade.
Bringing your own food or drinks is not allowed. Concessions along the route sell hot drinks and snacks, and the indoor Lightscape Bar serves seasonal craft cocktails, specialty hot chocolate and sweet and savory bites. Anyone who wants a proper meal can book a table later this fall: the garden will start taking dinner bookings for Lightscape Lodge, which is set up inside the Yellow Magnolia Café.
Lightscape ticket prices and special nights
Tickets are sold on the garden’s website, with staggered entry times. Prices depend on the night:
- Value Nights: adults $29, children $15
- Off-Peak Entry (select dates): adults $39, children $22
- Peak Entry: adults $44, children $28
- Anytime Entry: $59 for every level
- 21+ Nights, Dec. 10 and 17: $39 per adult
For visitors with disabilities or sensory sensitivity, the garden offers a calmer, limited-capacity early entry at 4 p.m. on two December dates, the 3rd and the 18th. Those sessions cost the same as Value Nights: adults $29, kids $15. Garden members pay reduced prices whenever they choose a Peak or Off-Peak night, and the Lightscape Family Benefit fundraiser takes place Tuesday, Dec. 8. Planning more of the season? See our guide to NYC holiday markets.
Quick answers
When is Lightscape at Brooklyn Botanic Garden?
It opens Nov. 20, 2026, and runs until Jan. 3, 2027.
How much are Lightscape tickets?
Adults pay $29 on Value Nights, $39 Off-Peak, $44 Peak and $59 for Anytime Entry. Children pay $15, $22 and $28 on the first three.
Are there adults-only or sensory-friendly nights?
Yes. Adults-only 21+ Nights fall on Dec. 10 and 17 ($39). A sensory-friendly early entry starts at 4 p.m. on Dec. 3 and on Dec. 18.
