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Lights in Bloom at Selby Gardens 2026

Name: Lights in Bloom at Selby Gardens
Start: 2026-12-05T17:30:00
End: 2027-01-02
Location: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

When: Dec 5 – Jan 2, 2026 · 5:30pm
Where: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Cost: $$
Time needed: Evening
Crowds: high
Verdict: The prettiest holiday light walk on the Gulf coast.

December 5, 2026 through January 2, 2027. Early entry 5:30pm to 9pm; general entry 6:30pm to 9pm. Downtown Sarasota campus, 1534 Mound St.

Two million lights strung through a bayfront orchid collection — and a $5 early-entry upgrade buys you an hour before the crowd.

Selby's downtown bayfront campus goes under two million lights for four weeks, threading the display through the glasshouse orchid collection and the banyans.

Why it’s worth going

The setting does the work: light through a living orchid collection on Sarasota Bay is not a parking-lot display.

Confirm availability and booking terms with the ticket provider before paying.

Where it is

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

Sarasota, FL

→ Get directions Official site ↗selby.org

Who should skip it

You are coming late — the gardens close at 9pm sharp and the last hour is the busiest.

The move

The early-entry upgrade is the best-value ticket here: an hour of near-empty paths for a few dollars more.

Official site — confirm dates and tickets before you travel

Going? Send it to whoever you’d go with — they’ll get the dates, the hours and where to park.

Verified 2026-09-10 against the organiser’s own listing. Verification source. More in Florida Events.