Thousands see the festive lights at the Botanics

More than 90,000 people attended a spectacular seasonal lights event at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE).

The garden was transformed into “an immersive world of light, colour, and festive cheer” on 36 nights towards the end of the year.

The “Christmas at the Botanics” event, which finished this week, saw the capital attraction brought to life after dark with a one-mile trail using the garden’s natural landscape and historic buildings as a backdrop for stunning visual effects.

Highlights included a 39-metre long “Christmas Cathedral” featuring thousands of “twinkling lights”; a “Meadow of Light” made with over 10,000 fibre optic blades; “Night Birds”, with neon-lit feathers hovering above the trees; and the world premiere of “Papillons”, with blue, white and amber butterflies appearing to whirl from tree to tree.

Simon Milne, Regius Keeper, hailed the success of the event, which he said helped build lasting relationships with families and generate vital revenue for the conservation of plants in Scotland and around the world.

He said: “The beautiful and unique landscape of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh holds a special place in the heart of untold numbers of people, locally, nationally and internationally.

“Over the last nine years, we have added a wonderfully festive element to the way we welcome our winter visitors with the annual treat that is Christmas at the Botanics.

“This remarkable event has become one of the most popular and significant features of Scotland’s festive calendar.

“It is also a major resource for us as an organisation, attracting more than 90,000 evening visitors during the final weeks of the year.

“At a time when 40 per cent of the world’s plants are threatened with extinction, our engagement with communities at all levels has never been more important.

“Events such as Christmas at the Botanics help build lasting relationships. The event also generates revenue that enables us to continue with our core work in pioneering plant science, conservation horticulture, and education. Its outstanding continuing success is clear evidence of the close working relationship we have developed with our partners at RG Live, a division of Sony Music, and the team at Culture Creative.

“Thank you to everyone involved in the 2025 event – visitors, supporters and all the teams who work to make this the most exceptional experience. It has been another wonderful and positive close to the year at the Botanics.”

The trail is carefully designed with sustainability in mind, with installations low in energy usage and over 98% of lights used LED, lit by the garden’s main power supply to remove the need for generators.

Audience area lighting is only used where necessary for public safety, while food and drink offerings are all either recyclable or compostable.