SARASOTA, Fla., December 17, 2021 – Lights in Bloom®: An Open-air Holiday Light Show is a winner in the 2021 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice contest for Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights.
USA TODAY announced that Selby Gardens’ Lights in Bloom® earned eighth place out of 20 botanical garden light shows across the country that were nominated. The national nominations were selected by an expert editorial panel in November, and the public then voted to yield the top 10 winners.
“Lights in Bloom® gets more spectacular every year,” said Jennifer Rominiecki, president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. “To be recognized on a national level as one of the best holiday light shows is a true honor. I must thank our incredible partner Affairs in the Air for transforming the Gardens for this breathtaking event, as well as everyone who voted for us in this competition.”
Lights in Bloom® features more than two million lights illuminating the gardens and walkways throughout Selby Gardens’ 15-acre Downtown Sarasota campus. Highlights of this year’s show include a massive “rain banyan” streaming colorful lights from its soaring canopy, a “wishing tree” on which visitors tie colored ribbons representing their personal hopes, and several herds of “Florida reindeer”—larger-than-life pink flamingos with whimsical lighted antlers.
In addition to the colorful lights, guests may enjoy a range of family friendly activities plus food and beverages available for purchase, all in Selby Gardens’ world-class bayfront setting.
Lights in Bloom® continues on select nights through January 2. Tickets start at $20 for members and $25 for others for general admission, with added-value options available. Many nights already have sold out, so Selby Gardens strongly advises purchasing tickets in advance at www.selby.org.
Photographs and video:
High-resolution photos and B-roll video of the 2021 Lights in Bloom® show available here:
About Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens provides 45 acres of bayfront sanctuaries connecting people with air plants of the world, native nature, and our regional history. Established by forward-thinking women of their time, Selby Gardens is composed of the 15-acre Downtown Sarasota campus and the 30-acre Historic Spanish Point campus in the Osprey area of Sarasota County, Florida. The Downtown Campus on Sarasota Bay is the only botanical garden in the world dedicated to the display and study of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads and ferns, and other tropical plants. There is a significant focus on botany, horticulture, education, historical preservation, and the environment. The Historic Spanish Point Campus is located less than 10 miles south along Little Sarasota Bay. One of the largest preserves showcasing native Florida plants that is interpreted for and open to the public, it celebrates an archaeological record that encompasses approximately 5,000 years of Florida history. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a Smithsonian Affiliate and is also accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. For more information visit www.selby.org.