Starting Dec. 20, the Lights in Bloom holiday lights display at the 15-acre Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota will help make spirits bright for the 15th year running. More than 1 million lights will illuminate trees, hedgerows and flowers over 15 select nights to mark the anniversary: Dec. 20 to 23, Dec. 26 to 30 and Jan. 1 to 6.
In addition to traditional holiday scenes like Santa's workshop, the displays will also showcase butterflies, dragonflies, flowers and other nature-themed arrangements.
To complete the event, the Gardens will sponsor live entertainment by bands SoulRCoaster and The Hydramatic, family activities and games and visits from Santa Claus every night through Dec. 23. Food from Michael's on East as well as hot cocoa, beer and wine will be available for purchase.
Admission for Lights in Bloom is $25 for general admission, $7 for children ages 5 to 12 ; kids under 5 get in free. There's a VIP package available as well ($125 for adults, $30 for kids ages 4 to 17) that includes reserved parking, early admission, open bar and buffet. Tickets can be purchased here (https://selby.org/events/event/lights-in-bloom-2/).