GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is bringing back its immersive nighttime art and light event for the holiday season.
It is called "Enlighten at Meijer Gardens." The outdoor exhibition features choreographed light, music and more. It will run on select evenings November 24th through January 3rd. Timed tickets for the botanical garden holiday lights display are on sale at meijergardens.org
Each Enlighten ticket includes admission to the University of Michigan Health-West indoor exhibition titled, "Christmas & Holiday Traditions." That features the Railway Garden and more than 40 trees and cultural displays from around the world.
Here are full details from the Meijer Garden news release:
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park invites guests to rediscover the wonder of winter with ENLIGHTEN at Meijer Gardens Presented by PNC Bank, an immersive nighttime art and light experience returning for its second season from Nov. 24, 2025, through Jan. 3, 2026. Timed tickets are on sale for this bespoke outdoor exhibition that reimagines Meijer Gardens after dark through choreographed light, music and surprise.
Following last year's inaugural success that welcomed tens of thousands of visitors, this year’s ENLIGHTEN is brighter, bolder, and more immersive—offering expanded installations, enhanced interactivity, and new culinary experiences in this holiday celebration of art, culture, and community.
“ENLIGHTEN was a blockbuster hit last year, and we are thrilled to bring it back at an even grander scale this year,” said Carol Kendra, Chief Operating Officer at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. “We look forward to welcoming visitors to this must-do holiday tradition in West Michigan.”
Designed by world-renowned creative teams Lightswitch and Upstaging, ENLIGHTEN transforms a milelong path in the Sculpture Park into a living canvas of color and wonder. Sculptures by artists like Nina Akamu, Alexander Liberman, Roxy Paine, and Mark di Suvero are illuminated and reinterpreted through more than 1,000 LED light sources, lasers, and immersive soundscapes.
“We don’t think of this as a light show—it’s an art experience,” said John Featherstone, Principal at Lightswitch. “Everything is site-specific. It’s something that can only happen at Meijer Gardens.”
New This Year
Expanded Amphitheater Spectacle: Headlining the season is a new location for Glacial Light by internationally renowned art studio HYBYCOZO. Towering geometric sculptures, cut with intricate laser patterns, cast crystalline shadows onto the stage and beyond—transforming the Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater into a luminous winter cathedral.
Expanded Culinary Experiences: From light-up cotton candy and gourmet s’mores cones to signature Atucún hot chocolate and a Fireball shot ski to warm up adventurous adults, the expanded food and beverage offerings are festive, delicious, and Instagram-ready.
Kringle Mingle: This 21-and-over ticketed dining experience pairs a chef-curated dinner and live music by Molly Bouwsma Schultz and Scott Schultz in the James & Shirley Balk Café with an appearance from Santa and a timed ENLIGHTEN stroll. Dates: Nov. 29, Dec. 13, and Dec. 20. Tickets available at MeijerGardens.org/events/kringle-mingle.
ENLIGHTEN + Christmas & Holiday Traditions – One Ticket, Two Experiences
Each ENLIGHTEN ticket also includes admission to the University of Michigan Health–West: Christmas & Holiday Traditions, the beloved indoor exhibition featuring the Railway Garden and more than 40 trees and cultural displays from around the world. Together, they create a rich, multisensory holiday experience.
ENLIGHTEN runs on select evenings from Nov. 24, 2025, through Jan. 3, 2026. Group rates and Member discounts are available. Members receive an additional 10% off ticket price. Timed tickets are required. For more information and to purchase timed tickets, visit MeijerGardens.org/ENLIGHTEN.
ENLIGHTEN at Meijer Gardens Presented by PNC Bank is made possible by PNC Bank, Consumers Energy, WOOD TV8, and Atucún Chocolate.
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About Lightswitch
Lightswitch is a leading design firm specializing in unforgettable visual experiences. With projects like the Morton Arboretum Holiday Light Show Illumination: Tree Lights and concert lighting production for performers including Hans Zimmer, Imagine Dragons, Lionel Richie, and Elton John, Lightswitch is at the forefront of lighting design and technology.
About Upstaging
Upstaging is a top-tier production company known for delivering high-quality, creative lighting and staging solutions for events around the globe for clients including Beyonce, Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones. Their expertise and commitment to excellence have earned them a trusted name in the industry.
About Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, one of the world’s most significant botanic and sculpture experiences, was named the Best Sculpture Park in the United States in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, and is regularly listed in the 100-most-visited museums in the world and 15-most-visited museums in the United States by The Art Newspaper, the leading global art news publication. The permanent collection highlights hundreds of sculptures from internationally acclaimed artists Magdalena Abakanowicz, El Anatsui, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero, Marshall Fredericks, Henry Moore, Beverly Pepper, Jaume Plensa, Auguste Rodin, Richard Serra, Yinka Shonibare CBE, and Ai Weiwei, among others. Indoor galleries with changing sculpture exhibitions have presented numerous solo shows, including artists Jonathan Borofsky, Edgar Degas, Jim Dine, Richard Hunt, Cristina Iglesias, Michele Oka Donor, George Segal, David Smith, and others. The 158-acre main campus features Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory; one of the country’s largest interactive children’s gardens; arid and Victorian gardens with bronze sculptures by Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin; a carnivorous plant house; outdoor gardens, including a replica 1930s-era farm garden; an 8-acre Japanese garden featuring contemporary sculpture; and a 1,900-seat outdoor amphitheater garden, showcasing an eclectic mix of world-renowned touring musicians each summer. Learning Engagement programs welcome 80,000 students and guests each year. Culinary Arts & Events offerings include weddings, corporate meetings, and award-winning catering.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park promotes the enjoyment, understanding, and appreciation of gardens, sculpture, the natural environment, and the arts.
Photo: Photos courtesy of: Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.