Which night of Holiday Wonders do you actually want? Memphis Botanic Garden doesn't run its 2026 light show as one long, interchangeable season. Some nights have Santa and one night allows dogs. Some nights stay open an hour later, and the adults-only night falls on a date when the public lights are off. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 6, at 10 a.m. Central, and they're sold by date and entry time.
The Garden's own ticketing notes say plainly that "entry times will sell out." So before Friday morning, decide which kind of night you want. The rest of December on Cherry Road, including the free and low-cost dates at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens, fits around that choice.
The lights are dark more often than the date range suggests
On paper, Holiday Wonders runs November 27 through December 30. In practice it's open on 24 evenings, with three stretches of dark nights in between.
| Stretch | Days | Status | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 27–28 | Fri–Sat | Open | 5–8:30 p.m. |
| Nov 29–Dec 3 | Sun–Thu | Public lights dark; 21+ Holi-Date Night on Dec 3 | Holi-Date 6:30–9 p.m. |
| Dec 4–6 | Fri–Sun | Open | 5–8:30 p.m. |
| Dec 7–9 | Mon–Wed | Dark | None |
| Dec 10–17 | Thu–Thu | Open | 5–8:30 p.m. |
| Dec 18–23 | Fri–Wed | Open, extended | 5–9:30 p.m. |
| Dec 24–25 | Thu–Fri | Dark | None |
| Dec 26–30 | Sat–Wed | Open | 5–8:30 p.m. |
The longest continuous run is December 10 through 23, fourteen nights straight. It also holds most of the theme nights and every extended-hours evening. If your December is already busy, December 4 through 6 is a short three-night window with its own draws, Cozy Campfires on Friday and the first Santa Sunday.
Santa is there five nights, and dogs only one
Here's where picking a night really matters. Santa comes to Holiday Wonders on opening night, November 27, at Paw-liday Wonders on December 10, and on the Santa Sundays: December 6, 13, and 20. That's five evenings out of 24. Guests can take their own photos with him.
Dogs come on one night only. Pets are welcome at Paw-liday Wonders on December 10 and not allowed on any other evening, though service animals are always welcome. The Garden asks for leashes and encourages holiday outfits. Since Santa is there that night too, December 10 is the only evening a family can get the dog into the Santa photo.
The rest of the theme calendar gives most weeknights their own identity:
- Opening Night with Santa, Friday, Nov 27: Santa's first appearance of the season, under the Northern Lights display.
- Cozy Campfires, Friday, Dec 4: Firepits, with s'mores kits for sale.
- Jingle Jammies, Friday, Dec 11: Pajamas encouraged, with storytime at 6 and 7 p.m.
- Snow Queens, Monday, Dec 14: Elsa and Anna appear as special guests.
- Happy Hula-Days, Tuesday, Dec 15: The Tropical Plant House opens, with an island-inspired holiday drink.
- Let It Glow, Wednesday, Dec 16: Glow sticks and light-up sweaters, plus an LED hoop performance.
- Friends & Family Night, Thursday, Dec 17: Group pricing for four to six people.
- Ugly Sweater Night, Friday, Dec 18: Timed to National Ugly Sweater Day, and the first night of extended hours.
- Holiday After Glow, Dec 26–30: Five final nights with firepits, marshmallows, and seasonal drinks.
There's something new on every night this year, wherever you land. Holiday Wonders expands into the Herb Garden for 2026, and Polar Passage returns in The Woodland. Polar Passage made its debut last season, according to Action News 5's 2025 preview, so this is the first year it comes back as a returning feature.
What Friday morning actually decides
Since tickets are sold by entry time, the purchase on Friday covers two choices: the night and the window. The Garden's rules make that easier than it sounds.
- Your entry time is when you arrive, not how long you can stay. Once you're inside, you can stay until closing. On most nights that means the Garden closes at 8:30 p.m. with last entry at 7:30. From December 18 through 23, last entry moves to 8:30 and closing to 9:30.
- The window is enforced. Because of capacity limits, the Garden says it may not be able to admit guests who show up outside their reserved time.
- Buying ahead saves money. Advance tickets cost $15 for members and $17 for nonmembers. Every same-day ticket costs $20, and children under 2 get in free. Members can buy up to six discounted tickets per membership.
- Groups have their own night. On December 17, four advance tickets cost $48 for members or $60 for nonmembers, and up to two more cost $12 or $15 each. For four nonmembers, that's $60, compared with $68 at the regular advance price and $80 on the day. The Friends & Family discount is advance-only. Groups of 20 or more get $2 off per person but need to book at least a week ahead through the Box Office at 901-636-4107.
Parking is free, and both parking and entry go through the Visitors Center. The Garden says it will add overflow parking with a shuttle when needed. For anyone choosing between a Sunday with Santa and a quieter weeknight, the light displays sit along the main accessible pathways within about a quarter mile of the Visitors Center. Some activities are on grass that can be soft or muddy. Strollers and wagons are welcome.
The weather can override any plan. If a night is canceled, the Garden makes the call that day, posts it on social media, and lets ticket holders reschedule to another available night.
Dinner comes from the trucks
Eating on-site affects which entry window works for you. Food trucks rotate through every night, with a lineup that includes Good Groceries Mobile Diner, Snowbirds Sweets & Treats, Hot-n-Heavy Dogs, Let's Be Frank, and Halinka's Polish Eatery. The bars and concessions serve beer, wine, specialty cocktails, hot chocolate, and hot apple cider, and they're cashless, so bring a card.
The Gifts of Green Pop-Up Shop is open during Holiday Wonders hours, selling gifts and plants. For a 5 p.m. arrival on a weeknight, that adds up to dinner, a gift stop, and the lights without leaving the Garden.
The adults-only night lands in the quiet week
Holi-Date Night is the one Garden evening on its own ticket, and it's easy to get the date wrong. The SimpleTix ticket page lists it for Thursday, December 3, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets cost $35 for members and $45 for nonmembers. Admission includes small bites with s'mores, two signature cocktails, and a living-ornament activity. The event is 21+, and advance registration is required.
December 3 falls in the five-night stretch when the public lights are dark. Between November 28 and December 4, it's the only evening event on the Garden's calendar, and it's for ticketed guests 21 and older. Lower on the Garden's Holiday Wonders page, an older section still lists December 4 and links to a 2025 ticket. The 2026 ticket page and the top of the Garden's page both say December 3.
The Dixon fills the days and the dark nights
The Dixon Gallery & Gardens works on a different clock, and its December dates line up neatly with the Garden's gaps. General admission is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, and until 8 p.m. on third Thursdays. The museum is closed Mondays.
The first date comes the morning after tickets go on sale. The Daffodil and Amaryllis Bulb Sale, held with the Mid-South Daffodil Society, runs Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It offers more than 30 daffodil cultivars and 20 jumbo amaryllis varieties, along with planting advice. On Thursday, November 12, the Dixon holds a Rare Plant and Garden Ornament Auction from 5 to 8 p.m.
December brings two dates that pair well with Holiday Wonders weekends:
- Sunday, Dec 6: The Dixon's Holiday Open House runs from 1 to 5 p.m., free for Dixon members. The open house ends at 5, and that evening is the first Santa Sunday at the Garden, where the lights come on at 5.
- Saturday, Dec 12: The free ¡Christmas Fiesta! runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre and Opera Memphis, celebrating holiday traditions from Latin America and the Caribbean. Holiday Wonders is open that night, and a Santa Sunday follows the next evening.
Three exhibitions run through the whole season. "An Investment in Pleasure: Fifty Years of the Dixon Gallery and Gardens Collection" and "Making an Impression" both run through January 10, 2027. "Mallory/Wurtzburger: 80 Exhibitions, 18 Years" closes January 3, 2027. That gives the dark nights of December 7 through 9 a daytime alternative. The Dixon is closed Monday the 7th but open its regular hours on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The two venues share one closure. The Dixon closes on Thanksgiving Day, at 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas Day. Holiday Wonders is dark on December 24 and 25 as well, then reopens December 26 for the five After Glow nights.
Whether you're planning the December 10 Santa photo with the dog or a quiet After Glow night with visiting family, the neighborhood-focused agents at Ware Jones are glad to talk through December on Cherry Road with you. Connect with a Memphis neighborhood expert.
