Nationally Recognized Holiday Light Display

When planning your travels this holiday season, put Wichita in your sights. Kansas’ largest city not only has a wide variety of holiday events and experiences, but it’s also home to Illuminations, which has made the top 10 “Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights” across the U.S. for the past three seasons, as ranked by USA Today’s readers, and is in the running for 2022 as well.

Illuminations is not only one of the best places to see spectacular Christmas light displays in Wichita, but the event is also one of the top holiday light destinations in the Midwest.

Held in the main gardens at Botanica Wichita from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. nightly now through Dec. 31, it includes more than 2 million lights incorporated into various astonishing displays. There are multiple light displays choreographed to music, a 240-foot-long walk-under tunnel of lights, a candy cane lane, and tree top forest in the Butterfly House, a funky tree that takes 80 hours to adorn with light sculptures, Santa's Village, and so much more!
 

New for 2022

The gardens’ staff and volunteers find new ways to add more lights and displays every year. Even though all the favorite features will still be viewable, new light displays keep the attraction fun and fresh for guests of any age.

This year, a 62-foot-tall MEGA Christmas Tree is set to make its grand debut. Guests can bask in the holiday glow under one of the largest branched trees displays in the Midwest region. The tree will be programmed with festive images and set to various holiday songs.

More than just lights

From more than 300 lighted trees to more than 8,000 holiday luminaries and snow (machine made for predictability), Botanica’s garden areas are transformed into a winter wonderland. But there is more to Illuminations than just pretty lights. Visitors can see Santa nightly through Dec. 23. Kids are encouraged to bring a letter to Santa to drop off in his mailbox.

Enjoy creative holiday treats and dinner served by local food trucks. Warm up with hot coffee, cocoa or other specialty drinks. Snack on candy or popcorn and check out the merchandise for sale. All vendors accept credit/debit cards only.

How to purchase tickets

As Botanica’s biggest fundraiser of the year, buying Illuminations tickets supports maintaining and growing the gardens.

Tickets must be pre-purchased online from Botanica’s website and are $13 for adults, $9 for members and children younger than 12, and free for ages 2 and younger. Note that Botanica and Illuminations are closed on Nov. 23-24 and Dec. 24-25 but open on Dec. 31. See this guide for more details on purchasing tickets, parking, and more.

Looking for more holiday cheer? Visit our calendar for other events to check out while exploring Kansas during the holiday season.