The Garden d’Lights Guide.
Half a million lights, hand-sculpted into flowers, creatures, and waterfalls across the Bellevue Botanical Garden — the Eastside’s most magical (and most affordable) holiday tradition. Dates, tickets, and the tricks for a crowd-free visit.
Garden d’Lights is what happens when a botanical garden decides to compete in the holiday-lights arms race and wins on artistry instead of wattage. Every winter, volunteers transform the Bellevue Botanical Garden’s beds and borders into a glowing landscape — more than half a million lights shaped into blooming flowers, spiders in webs, herons, snakes, and a shimmering waterfall. Now in its 32nd year, it remains one of the best ten-dollar evenings in the Northwest.
The 2026 display runs Saturday, November 28 through Sunday, January 3, 2027 — the first time it has run past New Year’s Eve — closed Christmas Day but open Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. First entry is 4:30 p.m., last entry 9 p.m., lights out at 9:30 (last entry 8 p.m. on $5 nights). Tickets are sold online only in 30-minute entry windows and popular nights sell out, so book ahead at bellevuebotanical.org.
The Display
Not strings of lights on trees — sculptures made of light, built by hand.
Half a Million Lights, Sculpted
Volunteers spend months bundling and shaping lights into botanical and animal forms — glowing gardens within the garden, not draped over it.
Creatures & Blooms
Look for the signature pieces returning visitors hunt every year: the light-built waterfall, oversized blossoms, and a menagerie of glowing garden wildlife.
A Garden Loop
The display follows the garden’s paths as a walking loop — plan 30 to 45 minutes for the 3/4-mile loop, longer on busy nights or with photo stops.
Ten Dollars, Kids Free
General admission is $10 for ages 11 and up, children 10 and under free — and $5 nights (Nov 30–Dec 3 and Dec 7–10, Monday–Thursday) cut it in half.
The Calm Alternative
Where Snowflake Lane is drums and crowds, Garden d’Lights is a slow, quiet glow — the date-night half of Bellevue’s holiday double feature.
32 Years Running
A volunteer-powered Bellevue institution since the 1990s, and still the Eastside’s most distinctive light display by a wide margin.
Plan Your Visit
Timed tickets changed the game — a little planning now beats a long line later.
Tickets
Online only, in 30-minute entry windows at bellevuebotanical.org — and December weekends genuinely sell out. Book the slot before you promise the kids. The $5 nights (Nov 30–Dec 3 and Dec 7–10) are the best value in Bellevue’s whole holiday calendar, and Tuesday, December 8 is Sensory Friendly Night.
When to Go
- $5 nights, Nov 30–Dec 3 and Dec 7–10: thinnest crowds, half-price tickets, last entry 8 p.m.
- The 4:30–5:30 window catches dusk falling over the lights
- Between Christmas and New Year’s is busier than you’d guess — and with the run now extended through Jan 3, New Year’s weekend is open too. Book ahead
Getting There
The garden is at 12001 Main St in Wilburton, about five minutes east of the downtown core. Parking in the garden lot is $5 per vehicle (cash or card, first-come) and it fills early on peak nights; free parking is at Wilburton Hill Park, a quarter mile east on Main St. Disability-permit holders park free in the garden lot. Arrive at your ticket time, not early, to keep the lot moving.
Make It a Night
The local double feature: Garden d’Lights at 5, dinner downtown at 6:30, Snowflake Lane at 7 is tight — so pick two of the three. Our restaurant guide handles the dinner leg.
Garden d’Lights FAQ
When is Garden d’Lights 2026?
Garden d’Lights 2026 runs Saturday, November 28, 2026 through Sunday, January 3, 2027, closed Christmas Day (open Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day). First entry is 4:30 p.m. and last entry 9 p.m., with lights out at 9:30; on $5 nights last entry is 8 p.m. It’s the first year the display has run past New Year’s Eve.
How much are tickets?
General admission is $10 for ages 11 and up; children 10 and under are free. $5 nights run Nov 30–Dec 3 and Dec 7–10 (Monday–Thursday), and Tuesday, December 8 is Sensory Friendly Night. Tickets are sold online only at bellevuebotanical.org in 30-minute entry windows — peak nights sell out in advance.
Where is it, and is there parking?
At the Bellevue Botanical Garden, 12001 Main St, in the Wilburton neighborhood about five minutes east of downtown Bellevue. The garden lot is $5 per vehicle (cash or card, first-come) and fills early on peak nights; disability-permit holders park free. Free parking is available at Wilburton Hill Park, a quarter mile east on Main St. Arrive at your ticketed time rather than early.
How long does a visit take?
The display is a walking loop through the garden — plan on 30 to 45 minutes for the 3/4-mile loop, longer on busy nights or if the photographers in your group get going. Paths are outdoors, so dress for the weather.
Garden d’Lights or Snowflake Lane — which should I do?
Different animals: Snowflake Lane is a loud, free, high-energy street show downtown; Garden d’Lights is a quiet, ticketed, sculptural light walk five minutes east. Families with young kids usually start with Snowflake Lane; date nights and photographers lean Garden d’Lights. Ambitious evenings do both — they’re 5 minutes apart.