Montgomery Parks’ popular winter tradition, Garden of Lights, will return to Brookside Gardens on Friday, November 21, 2025. The annual event transforms the Wheaton gardens into a brightly lit winter landscape, featuring more than one million lights displayed along a half-mile walking path.
Visitors will encounter glowing animals, insects, plants, and several signature installations, including a lighted Loch Ness Monster and larger-than-life illuminated flowers. The displays are created by Montgomery Parks staff, who begin preparing almost immediately after the previous year’s event concludes. “Each year, we start planning Garden of Lights almost immediately after the previous year’s show is taken down,” said Jeff Patterson, landscape supervisor for Brookside Gardens. “We incorporate the newest technology in lighting with the goal of putting on a display to awe our visitors and bring them back year after year.”
Garden of Lights will be open daily from 5 to 9 p.m., with Brookside Gardens closing at 4 p.m. and reopening exclusively for ticket holders. Tickets must be purchased online in advance and cost $13.99 Sunday through Thursday and $16.99 on Fridays and Saturdays, with children 5 and under admitted free. Tickets are non-refundable, though date changes may be made based on availability. Visitors can enjoy warm beverages, food from on-site vendors, and holiday shopping at the Brookside Gardens gift shop. The event will run through January 4, 2026, with closures on November 24–27, December 24–25, and January 1.
In addition to the light display, the free Garden Railway exhibit will return to the Conservatory from November 29, 2025, through January 4, 2026. The exhibit, open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. except on December 25 and January 1, features G-scale model trains traveling through miniature recreations of Montgomery County landmarks. The Garden Railway exhibit will not be open during Garden of Lights evening hours.
