Christmas Garden Berlin 2021: dazzling lights and photo tour
Join our Christmas Garden Berlin 2021 photo tour as the beloved light festival returns to the Berlin Botanical Garden with 30 sparkling installations, immersive music, lakeside projections, and a cozy glühwein stop along the winter trail.
Every year since 2016, Berlin's Botanical Garden has been transformed into a magical, illuminated Christmas journey that delights and enchants locals and tourists alike. Closed in 2020 due to the pandemic, Christmas Garden Berlin reopened in 2021 for its annual festival of lights, which runs through early January. The frequent gasps of joy at seeing sparkling Christmas lights and spectacular illuminations were proof of how much happiness the Christmas Garden brings. We felt it too, immediately upon entering, as we walked down the blue "snowfalls" illumination with a quiet Christmas melody playing in the background. It is impossible not to smile and feel a sense of peace and, dare I say, romance in this winter garden oasis.
30 light installations at the Christmas Garden
Even though this is an annual event at the Botanical Gardens in Berlin, the light installations change each year to keep it fresh and interesting. Some clear crowd favorites were back this year, like "Ice World" with its foggy mist and laser beams, and "Glockenspiel," with illuminated chains of lights and Christmas bells you walk through.
But many others are new, fascinating, wonderful, and quite splendid. The "Field of Lights" was particularly enchanting. My favorite was "A Water Fairy Tale" with a 3-minute story of a ship at sea, getting caught in a storm, sinking, and then becoming part of a magical and colorful ocean world projected onto the water spray of a fountain in the middle of a lake and reflected wonderfully in the water. Though I will admit I'm still trying to determine how, exactly, this relates to Christmas.
It takes, on average, about 90-minutes to enjoy the entire loop – more if you make a mandatory stop for warming gluhwein and perhaps a snack. Even more if you are taking photos, as we were. Of course, all Christmas Gardens are outdoors, so dress warmly and come prepared for any kind of weather. Annual Christmas Garden events are usually open from just after sunset til late in the evening. For example, the 2021 Christmas Garden Berlin was scheduled to be open from 4:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. through Jan. 9, 2022.
A photo and video tour of Christmas Garden Berlin 2021
Travel with us as we take you on a short visual journey through our favorite bits of the Christmas Garden this year - be sure to watch the short video. We're already eagerly anticipating returning in 2022.
