Garvan Woodland Gardens will be presenting an all-new daytime Winter Garden Festival in 2020. According to executive director Bob Bledsoe, “In light of the pandemic of 2020 and the need to provide an experience that allows for social distancing, it became obvious that the creation of a new daytime Winter Garden Festival would meet our goals of providing an event in which families could celebrate the winter holiday season with us just as in past years, yet in much safer circumstances.”
Drawing inspiration from the wildly-popular annual Holiday Lights show, the new winter festival will celebrate the outdoor winter garden with stunning displays featuring light and sound that will delight visitors of all ages.
Favorite features such as the 50 ft. Rose Tree, a Holiday Train Garden, kid-favorite James the Train, and the frozen light world will be reimagined as daytime exhibits. An added treat for visitors includes light art installations created by interior design students from the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas that will capture the beauty of the dusk in the Gardens.
Since the festival is during daytime hours, areas that were previously inaccessible during Holiday Lights will now be open, such as the Evans Children’s Adventure Garden, the Evans Tree House, the Hixson Nature Preserve, and the Perry Wildflower Overlook.
The Winter Garden Festival will begin on Saturday, November 21 and run through Thursday, December 31 (Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas days). Daily opening hours are yet to be determined, but the show will end by 6 p.m. each evening.
Tickets may be purchased on site with exact cash or credit card: $15 adults, $5 ages 4-12, and free ages 3 and younger. Dogs on a short leash are allowed at the Winter Garden Festival for $5 each. As always, admission is free to garden members.
