A Brighter SHINE: Columbus Botanical Garden Reimagines Its Holiday Light Experience for 2026
The holidays are about to get a little brighter in Columbus, Georgia!
From November 27 through December 27, the Columbus Botanical Garden will welcome visitors back for SHINE, its annual holiday light experience. This year, guests can look forward to a reimagined event featuring immersive displays, whimsical new installations, and festive gathering spaces designed to make the Garden one of Columbus' most memorable holiday destinations.
For Executive Director Andrew Ruhs and his team, this year's SHINE represents more than an expansion of the popular seasonal attraction. It's an important step in a larger vision for the future of the Garden and an opportunity to build upon a holiday tradition that has already captured the hearts of thousands of visitors.
A New Vision for SHINE
Following the tremendous success of last year's event, the Columbus Botanical Garden enlisted the expertise of holiday lighting consultant Emily Saccenti, who spent approximately a decade working with Atlanta's holiday light show before establishing her consulting career.
After touring SHINE, Saccenti developed a five-year plan to help the Garden elevate the experience while preserving the character that makes it unique.
Rather than simply adding more lights, the new approach emphasizes thoughtful design, visitor experience, and the natural beauty of the Garden itself.
Central to the plan is the idea that each individual garden should feel like its own distinct destination, complete with a recognizable theme and opportunities for guests to capture memorable photographs.
The result is a more cohesive experience that invites visitors to explore the Garden through a series of illuminated spaces, each offering a different interpretation of the holiday season.
A Walk Through a Winter Wonderland
This year's SHINE will introduce several newly themed areas throughout the Garden, transforming familiar landscapes into imaginative holiday settings.
Visitors will encounter Firefly Lane, where carefully placed projections will create the appearance of glowing fireflies dancing through the Garden's new fern garden. The installation is designed to create an enchanting atmosphere with a relatively simple lighting approach.
In the ginkgo garden, guests will discover the Gumdrop Forest, a colorful display featuring illuminated, gumdrop-inspired lanterns along a winding pathway. The installation will create an immersive corridor of light and one of the event's most distinctive new photo opportunities.
The nearby native garden will feature an impressive 40-foot Christmas tree, returning with a significantly expanded display of lights. According to Ruhs, the tree's design will increase from approximately 12 descending strands of lights to nearly 48, creating a fuller and more dramatic centerpiece.
The rose garden will take on a wintry appearance with blue lighting, moving snowflake projections, and a curtain of lights extending across the garden's trellis.
Elsewhere, the pollinator garden will celebrate its natural identity with illuminated butterflies and colorful lighting, while the camellia garden will continue its celestial theme with stars, white lights, and additional photo opportunities. Visitors can also look forward to the return of the Star Walk, in which illuminated stars can be sponsored in the honor or memory of a loved one.
Oversized candy canes will welcome guests along the walkway leading toward the Garden's new community gazebo, adding another playful element to the holiday experience.
Each themed space has been designed to complement the landscape while encouraging visitors to
slow down, explore, and enjoy the Garden from an entirely different perspective.
New Ways to Gather and Celebrate
Beyond the illuminated displays, SHINE offers plenty of opportunities for families and friends to celebrate the season together.
Guests can make their visit even more memorable by booking a special Cookies & Cocoa with Santa experience, adding a little extra Christmas magic to an evening at the Garden.
Another beloved SHINE tradition returns this year with an expanded gathering area featuring 10 fire pits, including five new additions made possible by the W.C. Bradley Company. Guests can purchase s'mores kits to roast marshmallows and enjoy a sweet treat while spending time together beneath the holiday lights.
According to Ruhs, the Garden went through approximately 3,000 s'mores kits during last year's event, a testament to the popularity of this simple holiday experience.
For those looking for a more private experience, the Garden is introducing six rentable holiday igloos in the upper meadow near the fire pits. Priced at $150, each igloo reservation includes admission for six guests and two s'mores packs, with enough ingredients to make eight s'mores. The cozy gathering spaces offer a festive setting for families and friends to enjoy the evening together. Each igloo rental lasts approximately 90 minutes and corresponds with one of SHINE's timed admission sessions.
A large tent in the upper meadow will provide space for concessions, a gift shop, crafts, and seating, while additional gathering areas will encourage visitors to linger and enjoy the evening.
The Garden is also preparing new spaces for refreshments and seating, including a greenhouse café area furnished with French bistro-style tables.
Together, these additions are intended to make SHINE more than a walk through a holiday light display. They're designed to create an experience where guests can gather with friends, enjoy seasonal treats, and make memories together.
Watch The Columbusite's promotional video for SHINE from last year...
Growing a Columbus Holiday Tradition
The ambitious changes to SHINE come as the event continues to experience remarkable growth.
In 2024, approximately 4,800 guests attended the holiday light experience. The following year, the Garden set a goal of welcoming 7,000 visitors, only to exceed expectations with attendance reaching approximately 12,000.
For 2026, the Garden has set its sights even higher, with a goal of welcoming 20,000 guests during the monthlong event.
The target reflects the Garden's confidence in SHINE's continued growth, as well as guidance from the Atlanta Botanical Garden, whose holiday lighting experience at its Gainesville location has provided a valuable model for Columbus.
With an expanded marketing effort, new attractions, and a growing audience of returning visitors, the Garden hopes to establish SHINE as an increasingly important part of the region's holiday season.
And while attendance numbers offer one measure of success, the larger vision is about creating an experience that visitors will want to return to year after year.
Experience SHINE at the Columbus Botanical Garden
SHINE returns to the Columbus Botanical Garden on select evenings from November 27 through December 27, 2026.
This year, the Garden will introduce timed admission, with two entry sessions at 6 PM and 7:30 PM on scheduled event nights. The new system is designed to help manage the flow of visitors and create a more enjoyable experience throughout the Garden.
With a renewed creative vision, imaginative new displays, and expanded opportunities to gather with loved ones, SHINE is poised to become an even brighter part of the holiday season in Columbus.
For longtime visitors, the event offers an opportunity to rediscover the Garden in a whole new light. For those experiencing SHINE for the first time, it promises an inviting introduction to one of the community's beloved and fastest growing holiday traditions. ◼️
If You Go:
SHINE at the Columbus Botanical Garden
Dates: November 27 – December 27, 2026 on select evenings
Timed Entry: 6 PM and 7:30 PM
Location: Columbus Botanical Garden, Columbus, Georgia
Special Experiences:
Cookies & Cocoa with Santa, available by separate booking
Holiday igloo rentals: $150, including six admission tickets and two s'mores packs (eight s'mores total)
S'mores kits available for purchase to enjoy around the fire pits
For admission pricing, specific operating dates, reservations, and additional information, visit the Columbus Botanical Garden's official Shine website.
