Blossoms of Light at Denver Botanic Gardens Is a Magical Annual Tradition That Gets Better Every Year

I hate to say it - but in general, I am not really a huge fan of the Christmas holiday and season. I'm not a holiday-season-hater like some people - I’m certainly not the bah-humbug type - but I’m also not super into it like many seem to be. I enjoy getting gifts for the people I love and I like getting together with others to celebrate, but in general, when it comes to the holiday season - I could kind of take it or leave it.

There’s one annual event, though, that truly gets me in the spirit without fail every year, and attending it annually has become a tradition that I enjoy and have come to anticipate. At this single Denver event, I turn into a great big Christmas enthusiast - if only for a brief time. That event is Blossoms of Light at Denver Botanic Gardens.

First and foremost, I must say that I absolutely adore Denver Botanic Gardens. This 23-acre urban botanical garden is wonderful at any time of the year. It was first created in 1951 and has been a wonderful part of The Mile High City ever since.

I visited it for the first time soon after I moved to Denver in March of 2013, and I’ve returned countless times since. This garden may be far smaller than many other botanic gardens I’ve visited around the nation and the world, but it sure packs a punch. There are dozens of small, focused gardens within this garden space, and there’s always something new and beautiful there to see and experience. Whether you’re in the mood to explore an English herb garden, a Japanese garden, or a tall grass prairie, you’ll find one at Denver Botanic Gardens.

Further, this garden has friendly and helpful staff, two places to dine, spectacular children’s gardens, a botanical library, and fantastic public programs and classes. It may be small, but it’s mighty! And, even though this walled garden is in the middle of Denver, there are lots of nooks and crannies in the garden where you can find a quiet and secluded place to relax with a good book and where you can feel that you are miles and miles from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Blossoms of Light is one of Denver Botanic Gardens’ biggest events and fundraisers each year, and it has been happening there since 1985. During this event, the entire garden is decorated with over one million LED holiday lights. It’s quite overwhelming! Entire trees are covered with lights from top to bottom - and some of these trees are absolutely gigantic. Bushes and low-to-the-ground brush are lit with spotlights in a wide variety of colors. Water features throughout the gardens are lit with stationary and floating objects as well. Visitors pass through two different tunnels made of lights, and a forested area - near the rear Cheeseman Park entrance - becomes a winter wonderland full of lights that mimic falling snow.

Under normal circumstances, visitors to Denver Botanic Gardens can wander freely in the gardens. For this event, though, Blossoms of Light participants must follow a designated path through the holiday attraction, and that keeps things flowing smoothly. At about the halfway point, hot chocolate and other holiday treats are for sale at Hive Garden Bistro, one of two cafes within the gardens (if you're not hungry or thirsty until the end, you can also get treats at Offshoots, the gardens' other cafe near the York Street entrance). That’s an added bonus that enhances the experience even more - especially on colder days.

Due to the popularity of this event, it’s crucial that interested parties make reservations if they wish to attend - according to official figures, over 195,000 people attended this event in 2023! Blossoms of Light sells out quickly after going on sale, so you don’t want to delay in reserving and purchasing tickets. This can mean that the day you purchase in advance is freezing cold or unseasonably warm. Fortunately for me, the past few times I’ve attended have been of the latter variety, but the lights surely look absolutely beautiful in the snow, too.

My favorite part of Blossoms of Light is the grand finale at the end. I don’t want to give way too much - as it’s fun to be surprised - but the display of lights in the pit area that’s used for concerts in the summertime is most impressive of all. Just when you think you’ve been wowed enough by Blossoms of Light, you’ll come to the end of the path and you’ll be mesmerized by lights that have been programmed in sync with holiday music. Plan on spending quite a bit of time watching the lights dance before exiting the gardens to head home.

I think this event gets better every year - at least for me! Although much of it is the same each time around, there are always some new and different displays to enjoy and new things to notice along the way. The prescribed path is generally the same, but it's sometimes a little different, allowing visitors to view things from angles different from the previous year. Plus, the designers of this event make an effort to change the color palettes in many of the gardens each year to help keep the whole thing fresh and new for annual visitors like me.

Every year I look forward to this tradition and every year I enjoy it a little more. Blossoms of Light is one of the best holiday light displays in the entire nation, according to the people and organizations that rate those sorts of things, and once you experience it for yourself, you won’t be surprised at all to hear that. It’s truly amazing and striking, and I’m so glad that it’s right here in Denver. I love this holiday adventure and wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Blossoms of Light at Denver Botanic Gardens begins just before Thanksgiving each year and runs through the second week of January. If you haven't had the opportunity to attend this event in the past, make sure you make plans to do so in the future. It's sure to become a tradition for you and your friends or family - and it's sure to turn even the Scrooge-iest members of your group into holiday enthusiasts - at least for an hour or so. Happy holidays, everyone!