Edinburgh: Nighttime at the Botanic Garden

Night in the Garden

As if trying to prove to us that ever-earlier darkness isn’t such a bad thing, Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden is putting on a special nighttime event this month.

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After dark (when the botanics are usually closed), visitors can now follow a kilometer-long trail of light installations through the gardens. The trail starts at the Victorian glasshouses, which pulse with ever-changing colors.

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Tickets are timed entry, so we were with a large group at the beginning, but we soon realized the benefits of losing the crowd by lingering over the first part of route.

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We were glad to have shown up armed with camera, tripod, and long underwear. (Do Brits call long underwear “long pants”?) It was a chilly but dry evening, and the nearly-full moon was interacting playfully with some moody clouds to enhance the whole scene.

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The pond was a highlight, with a spooky soundscape to accompany the lights.

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By the time we climbed the hill to ogle the Edinburgh skyline, we were a bit chilly. Luckily the cafe at the top was open and serving some tasty mulled wine to warm us back up. (First glühwein of the season!)

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If you don’t get enough alone-time at the glasshouses at the beginning of the loop, you can sneak back over for another look at the end.

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Night in the Garden runs through 23 November and costs around £15 per adult (once you add in the compulsory fees). Tickets seem to mostly be sold out already for weekends, but if you can snag some for a non-rainy weeknight, we recommend a visit. Bundle up.

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6 thoughts on “Edinburgh: Nighttime at the Botanic Garden”

  1. Wow – that is super cool! I’m usually skeptical about light shows but this looks awesome.

    A belated thank you also for all of your Oktoberfest posts. We finally went for the first time this year and your advice was invaluable!

  2. I share your light-show skepticism. I went to one at a zoo in the US years ago, and it was less than inspired. Luckily the botanic garden did a lovely job of creating things with lights that were actually interesting to look at.

    Glad our Oktoberfest posts could be of use!

  3. Great pictures – Aberdeen had a similar event “The enchanted Castle”at Crathes castle where the gardens were lit up and there were sound effects to boot. was inspired to go after reading your post – we thoroughly enjoyed it and it felt as though we were in the middle of a Harry Potter movie!

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