As winter sets in again, here at the Garden, we’re welcoming the holidays with open arms. In fact, since it’s almost time for WPS Garden of Lights, it’s starting to look quite festive around here! But, before you join us for our 27th season, there’s a few important things that you might want to know. Read on to get the full scoop, so that you’ll be ready for a fantastic night at WPS Garden of Lights!
Don’t Miss Out
Believe it or not, one of the most important things about attending WPS Garden of Lights is making sure you have tickets! Unfortunately, you won’t get very far without them. We recommend buying tickets well in advance. The holidays are a busy time, and coordinating schedules can be difficult. Purchasing tickets long before the rush ensures that there are plenty of days and timeslots for you and your party to chose from.
Wondering how to purchase tickets? The easiest way is to buy them online directly from our website. If you’d prefer, you can also call our Guest Experience Team at 920.490.9457 or stop by the Garden.
An Event for Everyone
One of the things that makes Garden of Lights so magical is that it’s an event that everyone can enjoy. It’s important to know that while we salt and shovel the paved paths in the upper Garden for your personal mobility aids, we don’t provide motorized scooters and wheelchairs.
If you or a member of your party has difficulties getting around, we’d love to give you an Accessible Golf Cart Tour! You’ll get to see the full light show from the comfort of a golf cart that’s able to accommodate one wheelchair user and two guests at a time. Just be sure to inform us no less than 72 hours ahead of time, so that we are able to prepare for your arrival. You can contact our Events Team at events@gbbg.org or 920.593.5682.
It’s Finally Here!
So, it’s the big day, and you’re getting ready to join us for WPS Garden of Lights. When you’re preparing, it’s important to remember that the full light show is outdoors. While we understand that a full winter getup may not be ideal for your family photo op, to fully enjoy the light show, it’s important that you dress for the weather.
We recommend donning a winter coat, gloves, hat, and shoes with plenty of traction. If you’re anything like me, you may also want to add snow pants and hand warmers to the list. I may be a wimp, but Wisconsin winters are no joke!
Once you’re all geared up, we recommend arriving 10 minutes ahead of time. This will allow you to find parking, and corral your party to the Visitor’s Center. We also recommend carpooling to ensure your group is together and to help ensure all guests can safely park when they arrive!
The entry periods are 30-minute windows, and we have hundreds of guests to welcome each evening. While we certainly do our best, early and late arrivals are not guaranteed entry, so it’s important that you’re on time. Thankfully, we have free parking on site! While the Garden lot is first come, first serve, we also have additional overflow parking clearly marked down the street.
If you need accessible parking, please let our Parking Team know when you arrive.
Enjoying the Show
What should you expect while you’re here? Well, obviously, the 40 fabulous displays composed of 350,000 shimmering lights is a given, but there are plenty of other fun activities too! During your stay, stop by the Cellcom Lounge for Story Time with Mrs. Claus or for Photos with Santa in the lower level of the Schneider Education Center on select nights. Don’t forget to see the holiday train display courtesy of the Green Bay Area Model Railroaders Club too.
Also, in the Visitor Center is the WPS Trellis Gift Shop! It’s the perfect place to stock up on all of your holiday essentials and maybe a few last-minute gifts while you’re at it too.
If all that exploring starts making you feel a bit peckish, don’t worry! The Concessions Building on the WPS Foundation Plaza is stocked with some small snacks and hot drinks for purchase.
Continuing the Magic
This holiday season, we’re grateful for you. As a nonprofit, we rely on community support to keep our doors open, and WPS Garden of Lights is our biggest fundraiser of the year. By allowing us to be a part of your holiday tradition, you’re also helping us to sustain our year-round mission of connecting more people with plants.
If you’re looking for more ways to get involved, we would love for you to be a part of the magic and volunteer with us this season. Whether it’s in parking, concessions, admissions, or another area, our volunteers are a huge component in bringing the light show to life each year. If you’re interested, don’t hesitate to reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator, Kate Martin, at volunteer@gbbg.org or 920.593.5686.
Well, that’s that, you’re officially ready for a stellar night at WPS Garden of Lights. We can hardly wait to welcome you this season!
