The holiday season at the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas is off to a bright start.

Lightscape — an illuminated 1-mile trail featuring 1 million lights — debuts tonight, glimmering at the garden on select nights through Sunday, Jan. 8. ✨

We took the trek to see the vibrant installations created by international artists. If you look + listen closely, many displays are perfectly synced to festive music. 🎶

Tickets are available, with entry times every 15 minutes, 5-8 p.m. It takes about an hour to finish the trail (but there’s no time limit) and it closes at 10 p.m.

💡 Pro tips:

Wear comfortable shoes — the terrain includes hills + dirt pathways.
Dress warm — it’s getting chilly at the coast.
Grab hot cocoa + seasonal treats at kiosks along the trail.
Check out the markers featuring QR codes that tell you more about the installations.
Take a photo inside the Winter Cathedral — absolutely frame-worthy.

The colorful installations glow at every turn. | Photo via Monica Garske + SDtoday

Did you know? Similar Lightscape trails are produced in other cities across the world, including San Antonio, Edinburgh, and Melbourne, but we’ve got a soft spot for this local edition.