Garden Glow is scheduled to open at the Missouri Botanical Garden on November 14, 2026. KSDK reports that the season is set to end January 4, 2027; an earlier First Alert 4 report listed January 2 as the closing date. First Alert 4 reported ticket prices of $6 to $25.
New features this season include an illuminated poppy installation that visitors can change at kiosks and an interactive Arctic Circle floor that responds to movement with light effects, according to KSDK. The station also reports that Spruce and Spirits, a bar, will be set inside a decorated, illuminated tree.
Garden Glow is nominated for USA TODAY’s 2026 10Best Readers’ Choice award for Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights. A panel selected the nominees, and public voting will determine the top 10, KSDK reports. Voting is open once daily through November 30 at 11 a.m., with winners scheduled to be announced December 3.
The USA TODAY 10Best listing says the display features more than 2 million lights and includes a holiday flower and train show. It also lists optional paid extras such as fire-pit rentals and a meal package. On select evenings, guests can take photos with Santa or the Winter Sisters, KSDK reports.
Garden Glow finished in the top 10 in the 2024 contest, according to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Lewis Ginter’s Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights won that year and in 2023. The earlier finish provides context for Garden Glow’s 2026 nomination but does not determine this year’s result.
The Garden’s beginnings
The Missouri Botanical Garden’s history dates to 1859, when Henry Shaw founded it, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden.
