Garden of Lights Turns 30 This December. Which Night Is Yours?

Garden of Lights is a one-mile path at Green Bay Botanical Garden on Larsen Road, lit from 4:30 to 9 p.m. on 23 nights between Nov. 27 and Dec. 30. On most evenings horse-drawn wagons share the path with walkers. On three Thursdays there are no wagons and adult tickets cost less. Every Sunday has a theme and a shorter official program. The 2026 calendar works like three overlapping events, and the type of night you book shapes the visit more than any new display.

This year is also the Garden's 30th, and the season is built around that. The last Sunday theme night of the season, Dec. 27, is a birthday party called Glowin' Since '96.

Thirty years of one fundraiser

According to the Garden's own history, Director of Horticulture Jerry Landwehr created the first Garden of Lights in 1996, the same year the Garden opened to the public. The event has grown into the Garden's largest annual fundraiser. Its September–December 2026 newsletter says the money supports operations, education programs and future growth.

The same newsletter counts 41,988 Garden of Lights guests for its May 1, 2025, to April 30, 2026, reporting year. That figure covers last December's season, not this one. The work starts long before opening night. The newsletter says setup was well underway by the end of September. It also notes that the volunteer Garden of Lights Set-Up Team was named Large Group Runner Up at the Volunteer Center of Brown County Awards. In 2021, NBC26 reported that Events Director Eileen Metzler described a setup lasting about two months, with 5 to 25 volunteers on site each day.

All that labor goes into a calendar with gaps in it. The way those gaps fall decides your options.

The calendar, by type of night

The season opens Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving. It runs through that weekend and then settles into Thursday-through-Sunday blocks on Dec. 3–6 and Dec. 10–13. It opens every night from Dec. 17 to 23, closes for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and finishes with Dec. 26–30. Last entry is 8:30 p.m. every night.

That gives three Thursdays, Dec. 3, 10 and 17, and the Garden runs them as Walking Only Thursdays. Here is how the three kinds of nights compare at general-public prices:

Children 2 and under are free on every night. Members pay less: $14 per adult to walk, $20 for an adult wagon ticket and $12 per adult on Thursdays. Child prices for members match the general-public prices.

Thursday's discount is smaller than it looks

The Thursday discount applies only to adults. Child tickets cost $10 on every night of the season. For two adults and two children, a Saturday walk costs $54 in tickets and a Thursday walk costs $50. Each order also carries the same $5 service fee.

Thursday also changes what's on the path. The Garden calls it "a more relaxed way to experience Garden of Lights," with no horse-drawn wagons on the paths. The accessible golf cart tour doesn't run on Thursdays either. So a calmer walk for one household is an unavailable night for another. A group that includes someone who'd rather ride than cover a mile outdoors in December needs a different night. On any other night, the golf cart tour requires a reservation at least 24 hours ahead, made online or by calling 920.490.9457.

Wagon tickets are the limited item all season. A wagon ticket includes admission plus a ride through part of the Garden, and the Garden lists them in limited quantities. For two adults and two children, a wagon night costs $76 in tickets before the fee, compared with $54 to walk. The Garden says buying in advance gives the best availability for wagon tickets in particular. Walk-up tickets, wagons included, are sold first come, first served in limited numbers each night.

Sundays run on a shorter clock

The Sunday program runs 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. After it ends, guests can stay on the path until the lights go off at 9. Theme activities come with regular admission, and the Garden lists Heritage Coffee and Nothing Bundt Cakes as Sunday vendors. Heritage Coffee will sell lattes, hot cocoa, smoothies and Italian soda, and Nothing Bundt Cakes will sell individual Bundtlets.

Each Sunday has its own theme:

1. Nov. 29, Snowy Movie Magic. A family movie night among the lights. It's also the best-priced night of the season for small families. With the code KIDSFREE, one adult walking ticket comes with two free child walking tickets for ages 12 and under, valid that night only. One adult and two children pay $17 instead of $37.
2. Dec. 6, Meet Winter Princesses. Photos with princesses, with royal costumes encouraged.
3. Dec. 13, Color with Mrs. Claus. A coloring contest with a small prize.
4. Dec. 20, Reindeer Rendezvous. Real reindeer, with antlers or seasonal sweaters encouraged.
5. Dec. 27, Glowin' Since '96 Party. The 30th-year birthday celebration, with festive activities and glowing displays.

Dec. 27 falls in the post-Christmas stretch, when the Garden is open every night from Saturday, Dec. 26, through Wednesday, Dec. 30.

What's new on the mile

The Garden is adding a new display called Skybound Oak and reworking two favorites, Aurora in Bloom and Lake of Lights, with new music and visuals. These changes are the same on every night, so they don't favor one ticket over another. The other extras listed for the season include Photos with Santa from 5 to 8 p.m., Story Time with Mrs. Claus, Letters to Santa and the WPS Trellis Gift Shop. A Garden of Lights mobile app maps the displays, concessions and restrooms along the route.

Rules to know before a cold night

Every ticket has a timed entry. Guests can arrive up to 30 minutes after their selected time. If you're later than that, staff will try to fit you into the next open time slot based on capacity. Tickets can't be refunded. You can move to another available night for a $5 rescheduling fee per order, subject to availability. If the Garden cancels a night, ticket holders get rescheduling options.

• Parking: Free on site, first come, first served. Overflow parking is across and down the street, within walking distance.
• Shuttles: None.
• Accessible parking: In the main lot, with a walk from the lot to the Visitor Center entrance.
• Footwear: The route is a one-mile outdoor walk, so the Garden recommends dressing for the weather and wearing comfortable, weather-appropriate shoes.
• Questions: The Guest Experience Team answers at 920.490.9457, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Member sales opened Oct. 26 and general-public sales opened Nov. 2, so by the time you read this, every night is on sale at the Garden's ticket portal.

Matching the night to the group

Put together, the calendar points different households to different nights. A parent bringing two young kids on their own gets the lowest price of the season on Nov. 29. Walkers who'd like the path without wagons have three Thursdays to choose from. A group that wants a wagon ride, or needs the golf cart tour, should book a Friday, Saturday or one of the weeknights between Dec. 17 and 30, and book early, because wagon seats are limited. Out-of-town guests who arrive after Christmas can walk on the Dec. 27 anniversary party night, or on the Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday that close out the season.

At Batterman Integrity Group, we love the traditions that make December in Green Bay feel like home, and Garden of Lights at 30 is one of the best of them. If friends or family visiting for the holidays start asking what life here is like year-round, we're glad to talk it through over coffee, no pressure. Schedule a Free Consultation & Home Valuation whenever you're ready.