What does a Tuesday at Blossoms of Light cost compared with a Saturday? Until this year, almost the same. For the 2026–27 season, Denver Botanic Gardens has changed how it prices its York Street light show. The ticket price now depends on the date and entry time you choose, and the Gardens labels the system "New this year!" on its event page. If you live a few blocks from the Gardens, the cheapest way in is now also the quietest, and you don't need a parking space for it.
The show runs Nov. 20 through Jan. 10, nightly from 4:30 to 9 p.m., and the grounds are cleared by 9:45. It is closed Nov. 26 and Dec. 25.
How the Price Now Moves
Here is how the Gardens describes its plan-ahead pricing:
"Prices vary by date and time and are based on anticipated demand. Popular dates and times may cost more, while less busy evenings may cost less. Saturdays and dates around the holidays are typically in high demand."
That wording is on the Blossoms of Light page. The FAQ makes the same point more directly: "The further ahead you plan, the more you save."
Last season's range was much narrower. A Do303 listing for the 2025 run put public tickets at $24 to $29 and member tickets at $20 to $25.
| Ticket type | 2025 season, per Do303 | 2026–27 season, per the Gardens |
|---|---|---|
| General admission | $24 to $29 | $19 to $45 |
| Member | $20 to $25 | $16 to $38 |
| Children 2 and younger | Free |
Both ends of the range moved. The lowest public ticket this year is $5 less than last year's lowest, and the highest is $16 more than last year's highest. A $5 spread between the cheapest and most expensive public ticket has become a $26 spread. For a household of four adults, a Saturday near Christmas and a quiet early-week evening could differ by roughly a hundred dollars at the far ends of the range.
The Gardens' FAQ answers the question of the best night to visit with: "The display is beautiful every night." It also suggests coming after a fresh snowfall for the photographs. Snow, unlike Saturdays, can't be priced in advance.
Where the Sale Stands This Thursday
Tickets are released in tiers, and by publication day the first tier is already on sale. According to the Gardens' winter events information page, the schedule runs as follows:
- Wednesday, Nov. 4, 10 a.m. President's Circle, Garden Leader, Director's Circle, Four Seasons, Patron, Supporter and Gardens Plus members.
- Thursday, Nov. 5, 10 a.m. Friends & Family members.
- Friday, Nov. 6, 10 a.m. Dual Plus and Individual Plus members.
- Monday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m. The general public.
Each release uses an online queue. You can join it starting at 9:30 a.m. At 10 a.m., everyone already in line is given a random place, and anyone who arrives after 10 is served in the order they joined. Logging in at 9:31 gives you the same chance as logging in at 9:59.
Under demand pricing, buying early is about more than getting tickets. If the early buyers on Nov. 4 cluster on the Saturdays in December, those nights are the ones the pricing will push up. Membership improves your price and your place in line but doesn't guarantee a ticket. The Gardens states that "membership does not guarantee ticket to Blossoms of Light." Group pricing isn't offered for public events.
Changing Your Night Only Works One Way
Under the new system, the exchange policy matters more than it used to, because a change of date usually means a change of price. The FAQ sets out these terms:
- Exchanges have to be made at least 72 hours before the entry time on the ticket, and only into a date or time that hasn't sold out.
- Each exchange costs $5, and the fee is waived for members.
- If you move to a more expensive night, you pay the fee plus the price difference.
- If you move to a cheaper night, you still pay the fee and get no refund or credit for the difference.
Moving up costs you the difference, and moving down returns nothing. That makes the first booking more important than before. A household that books a busy Saturday "just in case" can't later trade it for a Tuesday and get money back. Exchanges go through the Resource Center at 720-865-3500, which is staffed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Being late doesn't cost anything extra. The Gardens asks visitors to arrive within 30 minutes after the time on their ticket and says you don't need to change your ticket time if you are running late. Since a ticket is valid only for the date printed on it, the 30-minute window is the only built-in flexibility.
The Short Walk Over
Less busy evenings cost less, and near York Street, parking is the hardest part of the night. A visitor who books a quieter evening early and arrives on foot avoids both problems.
The Gardens says its garage parking is free but "limited and fills quickly." Some nearby streets have restrictions, and on posted dates every parked vehicle on those streets must display a current residential parking permit. The Gardens is not responsible for tickets or towing. The Gardens asks visitors to check street signs, and its FAQ also links the City and County of Denver's Curbside Area Management plans, which it says are changing permit eligibility for addresses around the Gardens in response to resident and City Council feedback.
Neighbors have raised this issue themselves. Congress Park Neighbors' 2026 parking survey, which ran from Feb. 22 to March 11, recorded concerns about event-related parking and restrictions.
Without a car, getting there is easy. The Gardens points visitors to RTD route 24 on York and Josephine streets and route 10 on 12th Avenue, and it has bike racks at the York Street main entrance. For anyone within walking distance, a 4:30 entry on a weeknight avoids both the peak price and the hunt for parking.
What the Evening Includes Once You Are Inside
Several things on the calendar give certain nights a reason to choose them beyond price.
The sensory-friendly night is Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m., and the grounds are cleared at 9. Capacity is limited for a quieter visit for guests with sensory sensitivities and their families. It continues a program first added for the 2025 anniversary season.
The holiday bar runs on select evenings from Dec. 20 through Jan. 4, except Dec. 25. Bars along the path serve specialty cocktails, beer, wine and mocktails, with alcohol supplied by partner Alliance Française. The Gardens has posted the 2026 bar menu. Those dates overlap the stretch of the season the Gardens calls high-demand.
Warm drinks and food are sold at Offshoots Café and the Hive Garden Bistro throughout the event.
The Shop at the Gardens stays open during Blossoms with holiday décor and gifts. It no longer provides bags, so bring your own or buy one there.
Mordecai Children's Garden closed for the season on Nov. 1 and won't reopen until spring. It is outside the Blossoms route and stays closed during the event.
The Daytime Gardens This Winter
Neighbors who go during the day will find two gallery exhibitions in the Freyer–Newman Center running alongside the lights. Curious Companions: Fungi, Parasites and Carnivores is in the Ladd Family Gallery through Jan. 31, 2027, and is included with general admission. Realm of Wonder: Izumi Yokoyama is in the Bonfils–Stanton Gallery through Feb. 7, 2027. Both stay up for weeks after the lights come down on Jan. 10, so a winter visit doesn't have to fit inside the seven-week show.
For anyone comparing light shows, the Gardens' Littleton site, Chatfield Farms, runs Trail of Lights from Nov. 21 to Jan. 3, 5 to 8:30 p.m., with closures on Nov. 26, Nov. 30, Dec. 1, Dec. 7, Dec. 8 and Dec. 25. For Congress Park, York Street is the one within walking distance, and this year that also means it can be the cheapest.
The Gardens calls its own website the only official website for Blossoms tickets and says it can't support tickets bought from third-party sellers. Public sales open Monday, Nov. 9, at 10 a.m.
If you are planning holidays around York Street this winter, whether you're hosting family or thinking about where you want to live next, Trish & Maggie Team would be glad to compare notes on the blocks around the Gardens. Let's Connect.
