Lightscape needs to stop contracting with Fever for tickets. Infants are not free despite the website saying so and their customer service is not able to resolve issues. I was forced to buy a ticket for an infant because their website has an error, which they admitted (see attached photo). It is such an incredible event but the company that handles tickets is not capable of events at this scale. This is highly disappointing because Quail Botanical Gardens has always been so pleasant and easy to deal with when we were members. read more

Lightscape San Diego - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Encinitas, California

I loved this event at the botanic garden. I like coming in November, so there isn't a crowd. Make sure to choose a time slot that is well after sunset for best light viewing. I enjoyed how each garden had its own theme and theme music! read more

You buy tickets thinking it's going to be nice weather because San Diego has no weather. Well, if it turns out there is weather You better be prepared to weather the weather because they don't let you reschedule within 48 hours or give you refunds. Have fun in the rain looking at lights... read more

I have nothing but positive things to say about the lightscape San Diego. I have gone for 2 years now and it's been a great experience. The parking lot and trail can be confusing so make sure you remember where you parked and complete the loop according the instructions. They also have stroller friendly options for the loop which is a major bonus! I'll be back next year! read more

Beautiful experience for kids and adults! This is my 2nd year attending. Dress warm and be ready to walk. It's fun!

I wanted something to do while the family was together for the holidays so I bought tickets to Lightscape. For the amount of money I paid this was not worth it. Yes there are some areas that were dramatic with the lighting and decor but overall we were all a little disappointed. If you are going to put lights on trees make it dramatic and go all the way up the tree trunk, not up to a point where a person can reach with a step stool. I wish it was more professionally done. read more

Im a SDBG member so I really love the Botanic Garden and wanted to support the Lightscape event. It was a massive disappointment for the money--as a member I got a whopping $3 off and had to pay $52 for ticket plus parking. That is an insane amount of money for what is at most an hour and a half walk through the garden. You can barely see the plants so it's basically just the light displays which are cool but not $52 worth. And that's for someone who has a literal membership to this place. Fine, charge extra for events but this was absolutely not worth the money and I can't believe they only give members a tiny discount and charge so much for something so mediocre. read more

Been several times before and were very much looking forward to it this year. Compared to other years it was - meh. I sincerely hope they bring back the big wow installations - was really missing them this year. If you've never been still worth checking out, otherwise...next year? read more

Went a couple years ago and it was so much more full and detailed. This might be cool for young kids but it looks cheesy and sparse for $32 a ticket. If you have money to spare might as well see it but I thought it wasn't worth the money. read more

Have been going to Lightscape for years and have always enjoyed it but 2025 was quite disappointing. Besides being extremely overcrowded making it hard to navigate with too many people and the never ending posing for instagram or whatever - the lights this year were below average and in some cases just plain ugly. Interestingly we went to the San Francisco Botanical Garden holiday lights this year as well and they had a lot of the same good lighting from years past at San Diego Botanical Garden. Not sure if they rotate but please bring back the good lighting from years past. And limit the amount of ticket sales per time period so the people who go can actually enjoy the space instead of being shuffled around like cattle. read more

Don't bother with Lightscape or frankly anything FeverUp affiliated. This whole walk is grossly overpriced and not worth the money when attempting to enjoy your time slot. My issue with this walkthrough starts with the time slots you buy when coming to the event. My partner and I bought the 830pm tickets and per the website, should allow yourselves at least 90 minutes to enjoy the light botanical gardens. No where on the website does it state when the gardens close, yet by 915pm-930pm we are being followed and pressured to return to our vehicles because the gardens close. Why sell late night ticketed time slots if they close at that time? Even at that, there's a 845pm ticketed slot! Dont get me started with their poor support team. It takes two weeks to break through whatever AI customer service they have, then when they finally reply they offer some measly $15 coupon to return to their event. ILL PASS! The tickets are nearing $40 + a $15 required 'parking' pass. Now why would I want to come back to this subpar light experience? You're best off finding a neighborhood who enjoys the holiday experience of lights and walking around it for free. Greedy company. Also, teach your employees not to follow so closely behind women AT NIGHT and properly identify yourselves. It's creepy and so unsafe. read more

Love quail gardens but Lightscape has gone completely downhill. As a local who attends annually, 3 years ago it was beautiful and very creative, last year it was downgraded with some repetition and this year was a total disappointment with repetition, obnoxious music and zero creativity. I don't know if the company or management running this has changed but the quality of the event has diminished. We really looked forward to this event when it was good but now I don't think we will be returning. Neighborhood light displays are much better than Lightscape now....sadly. read more

This year's event was absolutely incredible! For those negative comments that it isn't "holiday" themed - I say they are the ones that can't see the holiday season unless it's got a religious twist, or silly Santa, or red and green lights assaulting the senses. I'm completely shocked by some of the negative reviews. Not sure why anyone would think you couldn't enjoy this event with your family - there were tons of families there when I went and they were having a blast. Yes, are there folks that are all about "getting a photo" vs. enjoying the experience...but where doesn't that happen? Parking is a bit pricey but they do have a lot of folks that need to be paid and I think it's fair. If folks are looking for "Christmas" stuff there are a million other options; this year event is an eclectic and inclusive art installation vs. a one denominational holiday event tailored to children. The event isn't titled "Christmas" anything...it's holiday themed...if you see the beauty in the season you'll have a great time. If you want "Christmas in a can" go elsewhere. read more

See all

This was such a unique experience! One of my most favorite date nights of all time. I suggest buying tickets a week or so in advance as they sell out. Parking is $20. They sell craft cocktails, beer, wine and a variety of snacks. All of which is very good! Music plays throughout the entire experience with captivating lights in the shapes of plants and flowers. I can't wait to go back! Don't forget to dress warm, it does get quite chilly. Two adult tickets under $60, not bad for the best date night ever. read more

See all

So disappointed to see what has happened to one of our favorite annual traditions. Have come every year since 2022. There are 1/4th of the lights, minimal artistic direction, and generally feels sterile and stripped back. Rather than a lightscape, it feels like a regular front lawn of a house. I hope they rectify whatever decisions they have made this year because this experience is not worth repeating as it stands. read more

Too much empty space. Each year the number of major displays becomes fewer and fewer even though the prices go up. There are way to many areas where the only decoration was plain "mood" lighting. It is also very crowded, in spite of the way they stagger the entrance times. Our first visit in 2023 was amazing, 2024 was really good but definitely a step down. This year will have been our last visit. $250 for a family of five including parking. Just not a good entertainment value for an hour of mostly walking. read more

This was so lame. Totally not worth it. We also purchased several tickets and had 3 family members that couldn't make it and they refused to refund or exchange or do anything about the tickets. Never again read more

I cannot agree more with the reviews about this feeling like a cheap, souless, sterile commercial venture. For so many years, we brought our family to the warm, nostalgic and charming Garden of Lights. It truly felt (and surely was) a big labor of love - and it was a true *community* event that felt personal and inspiring. Santa, pile of snow for sledding, crafts, bonfires, music and local performances (holiday themed) every night... Even with our kids grown, hubby and I would love to be able to attend the former BEAUTIFUL and inspired event. Please bring the REAL Christmas event back! Lightscape is a shallow selfie opportunity, for people who didn't ever experience the heart and artistry of the former Garden of Lights tradition. read more

I couldn't agree more with Navaz K.'s review. This is our third year in a row. 2023 was incredible. 2024 was pretty good. This year was a major disappointment. Did they replace all the artist with a cheap lighs company? There was a section that was beautifully decorated in the past (a field of dandelion lights) and this year it only had cheap store bought flower lights wrapped around some trees/posts. I was shocked at how poorly executed it was this year. I don't think we will be back again next year which is sad since this was becoming a tradition for us. Bring back the artistry please! read more

Tonight was the first time Ive gone to Lightscape. My neices & I wanted to see Christmas lights, but settled on this spot. Although I found the displays and lights extremely cool, it was definitely not worth the $39/per person admission and the $25/ vehicle to park. It shouldnt cost $150 for 3 adults (my neices are teenagers) to attend a light show at the botanic gardens. I understand the cost of overhead, but whats presented is by no means worth the cost. Tonight is my first amd only time I will go to Lightscape. I will definitely NOT recommend anyone to attend. We should have gone to WinterfestOC. More bang for your buck. read more

I'm not sure how to review Lightscapes, hence the incredibly late review (5 months after I first went). I've been to the San Diego Botanic Gardens during the holidays and I remember thinking it was beautiful. Lightscape is ... different. I'd describe it as a more modern take of lights during the holiday? I was hoping more lights decorated, and what they did light up was beautiful and unique. I think part of it is just the expectation of more of a saturation of lights (think Disney's Small World during the holidays) vs the light sculpture displays. Also the use of a lot of straight solid led lights vs string lights, the former feeling more modern and less holiday. I personally had a nice time walking the gardens looking at all the lights. I think it would have been better had there been more lights throughout the paths. I do like how you could start your tour at the place you parked and that everyone didn't have to all start at the same place. It made it a lot more flexible and avoid a lot of crowding. I'm not sure the crowd problems other people had in the other reviews but we did not run into any issues. There were some people who took a long time taking photos in front of us, but I would not say it was huge amount of people. I liked the very clear markings on whether or not you were continuing with the path or leaving the path all throughout. Just remember where you initially parked! People that were standing at these points were always very friendly and always with a smile. There were a few places along the way you could buy drinks or some food if you wanted to eat. I will say the last time we came when the San Diego Botanic Gardens had their own holiday event they were selling mulled wine - but unfortunately none this year! I will say that I'm not sure given the price it was worth it - it was a nice date night activity, and I do prefer more holiday traditional lights than the kinds of lights they used for this event, and more traditional snowman/deer/animals dressed up in winter clothing type lighting event. This definitely was more of a light exhibit than a holiday light event, but that is my preference. If you can find tickets on discount then it might be worth checking it out. I'm not sure I'd go again unless I were able to find tickets on discount. That's not to say I didn't enjoy myself, I did, just that it isn't quite worth the price. I did come away with a few pretty pictures though :) read more

See all

Limited time event at the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas. Reservations only, get your parking and entry tickets online in advance. Parking is in a dirt lot (blue lot), and you're walking on a dirt path half the time. There are multiple entrances, so if you're meeting people, make sure you plan to go to the same lot. It's a one-mile one-way loop. It gets pretty crowded and congested since everyone is on one trail and slowly strolling or stopping to enjoy the lights. The displays are pretty nice though. I'd recommend trying to come early and during a weekday to beat the crowds. read more

See all

I had a wonderful time at this event, It had culturally, diverse music and plenty of "bars" and bathroom placed throughout the walk. As soon as I got there parking lot orange, which I think is the best parking lot. I turned off my phone and slipped it away. I just wanted to be there just watch what nature, and the artists had put together be embraced by nature and sound so my mind would wonder. It is a visual picture book a natures library, this botanical garden. What it does to the human is reset your mind and reminds you that your not done growing. It's a nod to: eat well, get some sun, touch the rain , breathe fresh air, keep looking up and forward to the next thing live has for you. I enjoyed meandering, sharing the planet with people from all over the world and from my San Diego backyard. At a snails pace it can be done in about 45min, There are bathrooms throughout,. The staff is very kind rebooting for each person. Its stroller friendly. A really nice touch to the holiday season. SS, thank you for taking me to this. read more

Wear comfy shoes. And bundle up. Come with a full tummy. There are two kiosks selling a hotdog cookies and pricey wine. Of course hot chocolate! Walk slowly and take it all in. There is no place to "hang out" like doing arts and crafts, visiting Santa, or chillin around a fire pit... you walk the trail and it leads you back to parking lot and the exit. It's well planned out and an amazing light show. Many "ohs and ahs". read more

See all

It was a beautiful night and it was fun to do a nice hour walk through these lights. A great family experience read more

This was the perfect holiday date! Walking around the garden with super interesting lights while sipping hot cocoa! It was delightful! Definitely something to try once! Idk if I would go again next year... unless they change the light exhibits each year??? Then heck yes. read more

See all

So I'm a little late on this review, but this was our second time attending Lightscape at the San Diego Botanical Gardens. Each year I hope they continue to improve and add more lights and art installations because there are a lot of missed opportunities. Walking through the lighted gardens is a nice little date night that takes about an hour to complete. Tickets are about $30 bucks each and parking is $10 and must be prepaid when you buy the tickets online. They have snack bars scattered around if you need a snack or drink and there are restrooms at the beginning of the main entrance and in the middle at the little building. We will probably go next year to see what's new but if you really want to be impressed, then check out Descanso Botanical Gardens in La Canada-Flintridge. They have an enchanted garden lightscape that is awe inspiring. read more

See all

Beautiful place . The lights and generators are not good for the plants and I suppose they need money to maintain , at the expense of the plant kingdom .... read more

Having never been to the "old" lights event at the SD Botanic Garden, I thought Lightscape was very cool with many light installations that had a holiday feel. As others said, definitely buy your tickets and parking in advance and either carpool or drive in together with your group so you have the same starting point. And yes of course the food and alcoholic drinks are expensive, but I'm hoping a good amount of the proceeds go to the garden. Dress warmly and let the crowds pass you or get ahead of them and it's not bad! My group had a great time, I'd come back in the future as long as the installations are different every year. Don't look at my photos if you don't want spoilers! read more

See all

THIS year's show felt more (disappointingly) "K-Pop" and a whole lot LESS "Christmasy" compared to last year's so I'm only giving it "3-stars".... LAST year's show was a far better fully "5-star" experience than this year's , and was so much more creative, wondrous, and magical throughout the entire path, in all sections. THIS year's felt "cheaper", like y'all were skimping-out w/ far fewer lights - replaced w/ [cop-out] neon tubes everywhere instead... :-/ We DID like the chandeliers section at the Orange entrance, but were immediately disappointed to find our favorite interactive hanging "light-curtain" section from last year replaced by a "meh" triangle tunnel instead, and many other magical & creative, photo-friendly areas from last year were gone -- replaced w/ flat, one-dimensional "k-pop" tubes everywhere instead... and the cool field of colored "dancing" spheres from last year were replaced with [yet another] addt'l "food court" concessions area instead - taking away from what could have been a more immersive experience, instead of dodging / walking thru added kids play areas everywhere... Aside from the "fairy lights" section this year in the Bamboo Forest - (which was the ONLY section we did truly LOVE and wanted to stay immersed-in this year!) - ALL the other sections felt more sparse, and very sub-par. We did not feel we got our $$'s worth as much this year.... Overall, it IS still a fun outing, and has become a new annual tradition with my group of friends -- we do love coming here -- but please do better next year, and bring back more of the immersive "magical" lights and creativity -- let go of all the neon "k-pop" cut-outs and sparse, commercialized, cop-out vibes.... :-/ meh.. read more

I was happy that they extended the dates until the 7th of 2024. I unfortunately picked a Friday and it was super busy. I don't mind busy but people have no situational awareness and would block views even if you were there first. They'd also just stop in the middle of the walkways as if no one else was behind them. We definitely pulled over to let crowds go ahead of us so we were somewhat alone. It was pretty to look at the lights. Took us almost an hour to walk the whole thing. The employees were super nice and parking was easy. read more

See all

Hello fellow San Diegans! Here is my suggestion, if you haven't purchased tickets to date - DO NOT! Please know Lightscape is NOT worth the $29 price tag. Oh my goodness we went on 12/29 and it was SO VERY DISAPPOINTING. My husband and I bundled up our 18mo twins and arrived about 10-15mins early as suggested. We read on the website they would stagger people into avoid a crowd - they didn't. We had to weave our way through, which we did successfully. The entrance was huge static disco balls with ground light shining on them. Oh boy, the giant lilies were staged DIY contractions with a big light right in the middle. Then for the next 20min all we saw were static one-colored lights shining on foliage & trees. No kidding! One weird looking tree had (I believe) one half purple and the other half green - awful! At one point I jumped in front of our dual stroller and started dancing and singing with fthe Christmas music to entertain our babies. *Sigh* So we make it to the tunnel of static white lights...we'll that was ok - pretty. Then we see the fire display - ‍ not even worth commenting on. Oh my goodness we FINALLY get to some flickering lights poles, they looked nice and displayed different colors. Unfortunately, it was short-lived and some of the poles were malfunctioning or simply off. *More sighing* Hence, I become the entertainment AGAIN. My husband, an engineer said, "this is the WORST light display I've ever seen!" Of course, the twins didn't hear us but they were getting restless but we couldn't take them out of the stroller due to the path terrain. Thank goodness we came to the end of this waste of money. They had a huge glittery star - nice but then what looked like large huge dream catchers with a front light shining on them. Here's the deal I did take pics and they are nice but very misleading and that's how we were fleeced. I'll post some below. I promise they will NEVER get our money again, including the ridiculous parking charge! PLEASE go to Poway Candy Cane Courts or even the residential light display not far from Lightscape on Marisa Ln in Encinitas. Shame on you San Diego Botanical Gardens! read more

See all

If you're looking for a soulless, vapid experience geared towards aspiring Instagram influencers - look no further - this is your event. Long gone is the community centered holiday event that you could enjoy with your entire family. Our group came in separate cars & landed in different parking lots, which meant we spent much of our time circling each other around the 1-mile hamster loop. My elderly father struggled over the uneven path, at times extremely poorly lit. Unaware of the 1-mile circle from hell - there is no easy out. You just have keep trudging onward until you arrive back at your parking lot. No gathering place - all designed around taking photos at each installation (posting it to the gram) and then going to the next, and the next and the next. On and on seemingly forever. Hellish experience - no Santa in the gazebo, no local entertainment, no model train, no snow sledding, no fire pits. Completely lacking in everything that made it a special experience with family. Lame to the nth degree. We went Dec '22. read more

Fun and festive activity for the whole family. Our first visit was in 2022, and the fire display and bamboo forest lasers were EPIC. In 2023, there were a few cool moments but not the "knock my socks off" experience from before. Regardless, we will go again since this is more an art exhibit than anything. We expect it to be different every year and love that it changes. We do hope that more Christmas-focused cheer is reincorporated into the event as well as some new and creative additions. We gave lots of ideas! read more

See all

Creating new tradition means disrupting what was......this new event is comprised of light installations around the garden highlighting the plants from around the world. Its beautiful with artists from all over the globe. Its a great date night opportunity with cocktails and wonderful music. For those who had traditions based in the smaller community event, I understand the disappointment and change can be difficult. Bravo to the garden for trying new things to bring in new people! read more

Lightscape San Diego - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Encinitas, California

I love the San Diego Botanical Gardens - however their new "Lightscape Holiday display "is an Embarrasment Don't waste your Money ! "Lightscapes "- San Diego Botanical Garden Display went from a spectacular must see Christmas Display with festive lights all over with Santa , nativity & more - with a wonderful feeling of the Joy of the season - To. --A Boring Anti Christmas thrown together arrangement of concert like lights with bizarre music It's shameful and embarrassing read more

Lightscape San Diego - No Christmas lights - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Encinitas, California

I've gone to San Diego Botanic Garden in the holiday season more than once. This was a new event, but to be completely honest I was very confused about what was different walking through the first portion of the garden. It turns out there are multiple places where you can actually enter the event and start walking so initial impressions are going to vary from party to party. Once we got to the area with a sculpture made of metal cans with fire inside of them I things started to look up. Some of the lights were underwhelming, but the highlights for me were the bamboo forest that was filled with dancing green lights that also had an area filled with disco balls, the (awesome) tree covered in long colored LED strips, and the "singing" tree. The light tunnel was actually smaller than I expected. Overall I thought the event was "nice" but definitely not something I would call "great". It was absolutely packed when we went and when some of the paths back up you will be elbow to elbow with people. I'm glad I did it but probably wouldn't pay to do it again, especially with the crowds making it hard to get in and move around. read more

See all

We had hoped Lightscape San Diego would be like the lights we saw at Descanso Gardens, but it paled in comparison. We paid $95.12 for two adult tickets, one child ticket, parking and their convenience fee. Parking was pretty easy; you just have to remember your lot color. At time of ticket purchase, we had to choose a time slot for entrance however, this didn't matter as they didn't check the time. It would have benefited them to stick to entrance times though since the garden was packed. It felt like we were being herded like cattle at some parts. Some walkways were narrow and there was no shortage of strollers, kids running in every which direction or people stopping mid walk to take photos or selfies. It made for a less enjoyable experience. The alcoholic beverages we purchased ($36 with tip) at their snack bar didn't even help. The drinks weren't great either. As far as the lights, there were a couple of areas that was impressive but otherwise, lights were sparse. Overall, it was a decent first new experience, but I wouldn't recommend it nor would I do it again. read more

See all

So fun to see the lights at Lightscape. Not the same Christmas light wall you can see anywhere! Super fun!

Very sad. Waste of time and money. Last year was better. There's nothing for the kids. There's so much potential to make something spectacular but it just looks amateurish and thrown together. Parking is not included in the ticket price and is way overpriced. Very damaging for SDBG's reputation for quality events. read more