Magic Christmas in Lights at Bellingrath Gardens and Home

It’s one of the nation’s best holiday light shows, and it’s right here in south Alabama! Bellingrath Gardens and Home presents the 23rd season of Magic Christmas in Lights in 2018. The dazzling nighttime display features more than 1,100 set pieces, 3 million lights and 15 scenes, set out in a walking tour throughout the 65-acre Garden estate.

Opening Night is Friday, Nov. 23. The show will continue nightly from 5 to 9 p.m. through Dec. 31, 2018.

Magic Christmas in Lights has become a must-see tradition for visitors from the Gulf Coast region and beyond. Attendance has nearly doubled since 2000, rising from 35,309 that year to 69,000 in 2017. Families enjoy strolling along the paths together, taking holiday photos, drinking cocoa on Live Oak Plaza and visiting Santa Claus in the Magnolia Café.

Many of our guests do not realize that Magic Christmas in Lights is a made-in-Alabama attraction. Each year, the set pieces for the holiday lights are designed and handmade on site by members of Bellingrath’s staff. Four of our employees work full-time all year on the light display.

In 2014, Magic Christmas in Lights was ranked sixth in USA Today’s list of “10 Best Public Light Displays in America,” which was compiled with readers’ online votes. Click here for the link: http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-public-lights-display/

Magic Christmas in Lights also includes nightly choral performances on the South Terrace of the historic Bellingrath Home, which will be decorated in full holiday finery and open for guided tours each night until 8 p.m. The Home, built in 1936, features the Bellingraths’ original antique furniture and collections.

Military Mondays are back! Active duty military and their families will receive a 15% discount on each Monday of the Magic Christmas in Lights season. The dates are Nov. 26 and Dec. 3, 10 and 17.

Shoppers are sure to find that perfect holiday gift in our fully stocked Gift Shop. Guests may also have their photos taken with Santa Claus in the Magnolia Café each night through Dec. 23. The Magnolia Café will also have extended hours, 4 to 8 p.m., during the season; menus are posted on our website, bellingrath.org. (The Gardens will be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Days.)

For details about Magic Christmas in Lights, or to order tickets, visit our website, bellingrath.org. Online ticket sales begin on Nov. 1, 2018.