Botanic Garden of Lights

We were so excited to go back to Tulsa Botanic Garden’s Botanic Garden of Lights this year! Preview night was Sunday, Nov. 23. It officially opens to the public just after Thanksgiving on Nov. 28, 2025. We’ve been just about every year over the past several years, and there’s always something new to see. That was especially true this year, thanks to the Jim and Cherry Bost Arboretum, which was open last year but I think was even more decked out this year! There were so many lights to see and areas to explore, I had trouble deciding which way to turn next!

Joss’s favorite part — he made a beeline there as soon as we entered the garden — is the snowball fight area. We all got a good workout running around and throwing the (cloth) snowballs! This year, there’s a cute gingerbread house entrance.

The Mabee Grange Event Center — know for the season as the Cocoa Cabin — was decorated with presents hanging from the tree and a truly incredible photo collage backdrop. Write a letter for Santa and stick it in the mailbox.

What’s particularly fun about the light displays is that every area has its own “personality.” The Tandy Floral Terraces are gorgeous in all their art-deco glory. While the Bumgarner Family Foundation Lotus Pool is adorned with whimsical mushrooms. The ice giants are back in the Driskill Children’s Discovery Garden – and this year, they have lighted globe heads, making them even more personable than ever.

We also were thrilled to see the new Caja de Agua fountain replica, which was a recent gift San Luis Potosí in Mexico, one of Tulsa’s sister cities.

Gift shop

You do have to enter and exit through the gift shop, but that’s a treat in and of itself, as it’s full of real pine wreaths and the whole Visitors Center smells just like the holiday season! I purchased an adorable advent calendar, which made my happy because it’s so much easier to find the chocolate ones, and this was all pictures in a cute woodland theme. There are also unique, nature-inspired ornaments, toys for kids, jewelry, and an array of very nice Tulsa Botanic Garden sweatshirts and other apparel.

And look who else was hanging out in the gift shop!

Additional entertainment:

• Santa will visit each night through Dec. 23, 5:30-8:30 p.m. in the Stanford Family Liberty Garden
• Tulsa Cloggers/Just Gotta Dance – Dec. 4, 6-7 p.m.
• Carolers – Dec. 11, 6-8 p.m.
• Sunday Jazz Nights presented by Osage Casino in Mabee Grange (aka the Cocoa Cabin) Sundays, 6-8 p.m.
• Character Visits – Anna and Elsa (Dec. 18); Snow Globe Ballerina (Dec. 26); Cindy Lou Who and the Grinch (Dec. 27); Buzz Lightyear and Woody (Dec. 28), 6-8 p.m.

Dates and Tickets

This year’s Botanic Garden of Lights dates are Nov. 28-30, Dec. 3-7, Dec. 10-14, Dec. 17-23, Dec. 26-28, 5- 9 p.m. It is highly recommended that you purchase tickets in advance, as some nights may sell out.

Tickets are $22 for ages 16+, $10 for ages 3-15. Ages 2 and under are free, but do reserve a ticket for them. Members receive discounts, and there are also discounts available for foster families and people who receive SNAP/WIC benefits, as part of the Museums for All program. See details at tulsabotanic.org/botanic-garden-of-lights