By Koy Flores
WKTV Contributor
Are you looking for a local event the kids, a group of friends, or even your parents can enjoy this holiday season?
Starting Nov. 24 and running until Jan. 3, 2026, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park (FMG) is bringing back the renowned light show event ENLIGHTEN from the year prior, which promises to appeal to all ages.
Art, culture and nature
FMG is known for its special dynamic of being both an art museum and botanical garden. Covering 158 acres, FMG features Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory and one of the country’s largest interactive children’s gardens.
“What makes FMG especially unique is the combination of art, culture and nature in one experience,” said Carol Kendra, FMG Chief Operations Officer, in a WKTV email interview.
In spirit of the Garden’s outdoor trek already imbued with creativity, ENLIGHTEN will be an outdoor, holiday-centric light show that will take place in the early winter evenings between 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. The event stretches over a mile-long trail and will enhance specific artworks with light installations, music and interactive elements. (FMG press release)
Last year, ENLIGHTEN was named one of the must-see Christmas light displays in the Midwest by Midwest Living.
“80,000 tickets were sold in the first year, and 39% of the attendees were outside of Kent County,” stated Charles Burke, President and CEO of FMG.
The lighting production will be installed by Lightswitch, an international collective of visual designers known for installing lights for theme parks and performance events of artists such as Hans Zimmer, Imagine Dragons, Lionel Richie and Elton John. Upstaging will also assist with installation, and are known for delivering event lighting to Beyonce, Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones.
New and interactive sculptures
The park is continually expanding its impressive collection of over 300 pieces, but this year guests can look forward to two new sculptures featured in the ENLIGHTEN show: Bronze Bowl with Lace by Ursula von Rydingsvard is currently available to view, and Amalgam (Origin) by internationally celebrated artist Nick Cave is scheduled to be unveiled Oct. 3.
When informed, guests expressed interest and even shared their hopes for what the creative talent could do with ENLIGHTEN this year.
“I’d like to see how they incorporate lights with that monstrous horse I saw!” said Mike Kolb of Palm Bay, FL.
Kolb was not the only one who traveled to see FMG this past weekend. Chet Hearn and his partner also visited from the outskirts of Detroit.
When asked who he would take with him to ENLIGHTEN, Hearn answered, “Probably just the two of us. We definitely want more satisfying experiences made for adults; I feel like holiday events are more geared towards children. We’re looking for something that appeals to adults, but still has that playfulness and is almost nostalgic.”
Unlike the guests mentioned above, Michael Prokopchuk is a resident of Grand Rapids. Prokopchuk was also intrigued about the potential duality of having moving parts in addition to illumination.
“Anything moving would be a fun interplay,” Prokopchuk said. “We would want to see some light and movement, it would be interesting to see…it would add to the interaction and change the contextualization of the art piece.”
When asked, Kendra said her favorite sculpture was the interactive Neuron (2008) by Roxy Paine.
“The piece is a visual ‘WOW’ during ENLIGHTEN with its sprawling tree-like branches brilliantly color-controlled by the visitor with our custom, hand-held interactives,” Kendra stated.
How to experience ENLIGHTEN
Ticket sales for FMG range from: $11/children aged 3-13, $16/students with ID, $17/seniors and $22/adults aged 14-64. Admission is free for FMG members and children aged 2 and under. Discounts are provided to SNAP cardholders.
ENLIGHTEN timed tickets are on sale now and range from $10 – $20 for members, and $12 – $24 for nonmembers based on date. Groups of ten or more receive special pricing. Public ticket sales are also available.
More ticket information and purchasing options can be found here.
