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Garden Glow is the Missouri Botanical Garden’s holiday light show: a ticketed evening walk past more than two million lights on the Garden’s grounds at 4344 Shaw Boulevard in south St. Louis. The 2026 season opens to the public on Saturday, November 14 and runs on select nights through Saturday, January 2, 2027. Every date, price and time below comes from the Garden’s official Garden Glow page and its 2026 pricing calendar.
How a daytime garden started a night show
In 2012 the Garden ran a three-month Lantern Festival marking 25 years of its work on the Flora of China project, and the evening crowds settled a question visitors had been asking for years. St. Louis Magazine reported in July 2013 that planning for a holiday light display began that December, after months of studying other gardens’ light shows. The first Garden Glow opened on November 23, 2013, with the Climatron dome lit and the Kaeser Memorial Maze turned into a channel of lights. A Garden events manager told the magazine the Garden was “usually only open in the daytime,” and called the night show a culture change.
Recent seasons
The Garden called 2025 Garden Glow’s 13th year. That edition ran November 15, 2025 to January 3, 2026 and added kiosks in the Gladney Rose Garden where guests could run their own light show. It also introduced an adults-only Jingle and Mingle night and a calmer Sensory Night. Both are back for 2026, and the Garden says Jingle and Mingle sold out quickly last year.
Dates and closed nights
- Member Preview: Friday, November 13, 5–9:30 p.m., Garden members only.
- Public opening: Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15, 5–9:30 p.m.
- Closed: November 16–19, November 26 (Thanksgiving), and December 24–25.
- Hours: 5–9:30 p.m. through most of November and early December. From December 12 most nights run 4:30–10 p.m.; New Year’s Eve is 5–9:30.
- Last entry: 8:15 p.m. on 9:30 nights, 8:45 p.m. on 10 p.m. nights.
Ticket tiers
Prices depend on the night. Premium Evenings (every Saturday, plus December 21–23 and 27) are $25 for adults and $12 for children 12 and under, or $20 and $10 for members. General Admission nights are $24 and $12, or $19 and $10 for members. On Family Nights (November 23, 24 and 30, December 1–3) children’s tickets drop to $6 and adults pay $22, or $17 for members. Adult and member tickets bought at or after 4:30 p.m. for that same night cost $2 more.
Special nights
- Jingle and Mingle, Friday, November 20: 21 and over, with a complimentary drink, fire pits and photos with “The Mean One.” The event page lists 7–9:30 p.m. (last entry 8:15) and 21+ only after 6 p.m., while the Garden’s July announcement said adult programming starts at 5:45 p.m. Check the page before you go.
- Sensory Night, Monday, November 30: 5–9:30 p.m., with sensory maps, show modifications and quiet areas.
- Santa: Mondays and Tuesdays, November 23 to December 8, 5–9 p.m., included with admission.
- The Winter Sisters: the Ice Queen and Snow Princess, Wednesdays December 2–16 and December 30, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Which night to pick
This is VisitingSTL’s read of the posted calendar, not the Garden’s advice. The Garden warns that tickets sell out well ahead from mid-December through January 1, so a weeknight in late November or the first days of December is the easier booking. With kids, November 23 or 24 is hard to beat: $6 children’s tickets and Santa on the same night. On a 9:30 night, give yourself time to get in before the 8:15 cutoff; the Garden puts the one-mile path at 45 minutes to an hour.
Once you’re inside
S’mores kits are sold on the grounds for the fire pits at the Central Axis and Linnean Plaza, so expect some wood smoke. Sassafras, the restaurant in the visitor center, sells a Dine and Glow package (an entrée, two sides and a soft drink) for $20 per adult and $9 per child in advance, or $22 and $11 on site, with last orders at 8 p.m. The Holiday Flower and Train Show is included.
No pets, though service animals are welcome. Glow runs in rain or snow; if the Garden cancels a night, tickets work on any remaining date.
Parking and getting there
Parking is free in the Garden’s two lots at Shaw and Vandeventer, one block west of the Garden, with a nonstop shuttle to the entrance every Glow night. There is more at the Commerce Bank Center for Science Education, 4651 Shaw Blvd. Limited accessible parking and drop-off are at the main entrance. For the Garden by day, see the Missouri Botanical Garden guide, and for the neighborhood next door, the Tower Grove guide.
Plan the trip
Pick a base for Glow night
VisitingSTL features three real stays around the city, in Soulard, the Central West End and the Forest Park area. See them all and choose the one that fits your trip.
See Places to Stay →Quick answers
When is Garden Glow 2026?
November 14, 2026 to January 2, 2027, on select nights. It is closed November 16–19, November 26 and December 24–25. Members get a preview on November 13.
How much are Garden Glow tickets?
Nonmember adult tickets are $22 to $25 depending on the night, and children's tickets are $6 to $12. Adult and member tickets bought at or after 4:30 p.m. for the same night cost $2 more.
Where do I park for Garden Glow?
Free in the Garden's two lots at Shaw and Vandeventer, with a nonstop shuttle to the entrance. There is also parking at the Commerce Bank Center for Science Education, 4651 Shaw Blvd.
When did Garden Glow start?
The first Garden Glow opened on November 23, 2013. The Garden called the 2025 season its 13th year.
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