Each year, Descanso Gardens’ nighttime experience masterfully mixes hands-on art installations with atmospheric, luminescent forests, all against a backdrop of uplit trees and shimmery sound effects.
This year’s event, which runs from November 16 through January 4, once again includes the garden’s whimsical model railroad, which will be lit up for the season and filled with miniature replicas of Enchanted’s most recognizable installations (last year it kept me absolutely mesmerized for about 20 minutes).
A few recent changes have carried over to this year’s edition, including a glowing area around the rose garden where you’ll find HYBYCOZO’s familiar 3-D light sculptures (including their dizzying, spinnable versions), as well as an assortment of food and drink options underneath a cozy pavilion. You’ll find a couple of other snack options by the main lawn, where sculptor Tom Fruin’s kaleidoscopic stained-glass–inspired houses sit flanked by smaller ones that let you push a button to control the lighting.
Elsewhere, Enchanted delightedly looks much like it has in the past: A field of faux tulips ripples with waves of twinkling color changes, while the mist-filled “Ancient Forest” still beckons visitors with its straight-out-of-E.T. setting. The event is just as intuitively immersive as ever, and, true to its botanical garden location, the installations’ use of light and shadow emphasize the natural beauty of Descanso’s flora. It’s this sort of refinement that continues to set it apart from most other light shows; Enchanted has a knack for a “less is more” approach while still harboring just enough “more is more” highlights.
Though some of the more recent additions around the rose garden feel a bit ordinary, Enchanted is otherwise mostly as magical as always—aside from the pricing on most nights. The $27 starting price is costly but common for these sorts of events now, but the $45 peak pricing (mostly on weekends and around holidays) is expensive—nearly triple the price of a daytime visit. On the plus side, there’s no extra charge for parking, an increasing rarity among light-up attractions.
You’ll want to wear comfy shoes, as it’s about a mile walk around Enchanted. The route is clearly marked and the grounds are mostly level, though some of the paths can get a little spongy if it’s rained recently. Make sure you bundle up before you go; lows in La Cañada Flintridge this time of year can hover around the mid-40s, and you’ll need at least an hour to explore all Enchanted has to offer.
