Enchanting Botanical Nights at the Berlin Botanical Gardens

Once a year, Berlin’s Botanical Nights transform the garden grounds into an enchanted world populated by elves, gnomes, fairies and maybe even a few witches (good ones of course). In between the bewitchery, there are comedy shows, musicians of all types, food trucks and beer gardens, aerial acrobatics, light and laser shows, and strolling spontaneous forest “inhabitants” ready to entertain.

Botanical Nights an annual event

In its 11^th year in 2019, Botanical Nights in the Botanical Garden Berlin attracted thousands on one mid-July weekend to the gardens in the southwest of the city when light lingers until 10 p.m. That means you have plenty of time to enjoy the performances with a little daylight, and even more time to enjoy spectacles after dark. The kids get to stay up late, too! (Kids, young and old).

In 2019, the theme was “Travels to Botania,” a make-believe kingdom made up of the Botanical Garden itself, which was originally constructed between 1897 and 1910. At the start of the evening, street performers entertained the crowd before the king entered and was officially crowned to great pomp and circumstance.

Then, the kingdom’s “citizens,” i.e. attendees, dispersed throughout the 106-acre garden to enjoy a relaxing evening with entertainment and surprises around every bend of the trail.

Night events in botanical gardens around the world

Berlin isn’t of course the only botanical garden around the globe to try to utilize garden space in the evenings or to experiment with special events that will attract a younger audience. Many put on summer evening concerts, game nights and movies, from the Botanical Garden San Antonio to the Botanical Garden Amsterdam.

Grander events, like Berlin’s Botanical Nights, are less frequent, although the Botanical Garden Paris, Jardin des Plantes, illuminated its grounds in winter 2018-19 for the first time with large, lit magical creatures and animals for a special illumination event called Festival des Lumières. In the United States, the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix has an annual event from October to May called “Electric Desert,” also with illuminations and music to make the cactus and desert gardens come alive.

Wherever you are traveling around the world, take a look at a local botanical garden’s calendar to find out if a special, magical event will take place while you are there – or even just a great evening of music or other entertainment.

The 2019 Botanical Nights “Travels to Botania” offered revelry and fun for all. Meaning the Berlin Botanical Gardens are so much more than plants with name tags these days!