Christmas is the season of lights. But even if you don’t feel like going full Clark Griswald and covering your home from roof to foundation, you can still enjoy the fruits of other people’s labor. And few do lights quite like Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs. The holidays come alive in their immersive light experience, which runs from the Saturday before Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve. Garvan held its first holiday lights in 2002 to draw a larger audience to the botanical gardens during their slow season. In the first year, they had around 500 visitors; these days, they draw between 70,000 and 80,000 patrons—a third of their total annual visitors.

   It takes over seven million lights to turn the gardens into a winter wonderland. Such an undertaking isn’t done on the fly; they begin work each year in February, meeting weekly for a few hours. Minnie Hahn, Senior Manager of Design and Display; Bryce Manning, Holiday Lights Lead Supervisor; and Becca Ohman, Interim Executive Director, head up the design team for the holiday lights. 

   Hahn oversees organizational logistics in a graphic format and design of things such as light color, fabric selection and more. During her six-year tenure on the team, they have worked to refine the designs to keep things fresh so people have a different experience each year. They analyzed the show’s circulation to organize their spaces into coherent and cohesive galleries, based on different themes. They incorporate flowers such as mums into the installations when possible, by timing some of their horticulture and living displays to overlap with the holiday light season.  

   “We have to be creative about what we’re doing, what materials we’re using,” Hahn said. “We have to think outside the box and meet the needs of our budget. And some of the stuff that we come up with, we all think, ‘Oh, I don’t know if that’s really gonna work, but let’s test it.’ And we test it, and it’s gorgeous—it looks better than we ever would’ve thought possible. So that is very much in the artistic realm.”

   The design process lasts until mid-August, when Manning and his team began installing things. He said,  “We have a high drive for excellence, for providing the absolute best that we can…Much of our display doesn’t come from a box from some manufacturer in another city. The vast majority of our display comes out of the minds of people that work here, and we’ve created the plan, and we’ve fabricated it here.”

   Garvan aims to create an immersive light experience. Popular displays include the 40-foot sea serpent—animated with intelligent lighting utilizing RGB fixtures, which, through programming, are capable of producing 16.7 million different shades of color. It can also create patterns, giving the illusion the serpent is moving. The Aquarium features various aquatic life like a hammerhead shark, a swordfish and a turtle and is filled with Japanese lanterns—a nod to Hot Springs’s sister city, Hanamaki, Japan.

   James the Train is an interactive experience for children and adults. Riders walk up ramps into the train cab. You can ring the bell and operate the train controls. There are many selfie and family photo spots through the installation of holiday lights. The most popular stop is in the Rose Garden area —a 55-foot animated Christmas tree, which features its own eight-and-a-half-minute soundtrack. The tree is also dressed in over 15,000 RGB lights and can be programmed with text or designs.

   Marketing Director Kristin Mangham says the holiday lights have become a tradition for families throughout the region.

   “We see people that were coming to see holiday lights whenever they were children are now married with their own children and coming back—and that’s what we love,” she said. “We want to provide a place where families can get together, enjoy the holiday season, see some beautiful lights while they’re here, and experience the garden itself. We have 210 acres of beautiful lake property where people can reconnect with nature, and the lights provide an extra layer for that, too. It’s really magical.”

(Photo by Julia Mann)

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