We at Stuff in LA had a chance to make it out to Lightscape in the 626, and we’ve got to say that it was quite an experience.
In this article, we’ll step you through it all: what it is, what to expect, how much it is, how to get tickets, and more.
What is it
Lightscape is an extravaganza of light, to put it simply.
You’re going to see tons of light displays, art, and even synchronized music here all plotted out amongst the usual arboretum grounds. That means that you’ll be immersed in nature in a safe nighttime setting as you take in the artfully placed lights from station to station.
The trail is quite extensive, and you can easily spend a few hours here if you want, especially if you’re snapping photos and videos along the way. The trails are mostly paved or at the very least lined with temporary walkways, so you won’t be slogging around in dirt roads or anything like that.
This event is also family-friendly, solo-friendly, friend-friendly (that’s a thing), and couples-friendly. It’s just friendly all around, and in our experience, all the staff was surprisingly nice and helpful, which isn’t always a given at places.
Where is it
Lightscape is at the Los Angeles Arboretum which is in the greater Los Angeles area in Arcadia, California right by a Westfield shopping mall, which may be a good place to visit before or after you make your way out to Lightscape.
The exact address is:
301 N Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007
What to expect
First of all, expect to walk!
The trail is a bit over a mile (400 meters) long, and it’ll take about an hour and a half to complete on average. You could certainly spend as much time as you want to do so, though, and honestly, we kind of recommend that since you’re paying your hard-earned money here!
The trail is pretty lowly lit in a purposeful effort to really let the light installations take center stage. It isn’t scary at all and instead is a pretty cool display as you move from area to area.
One of the most epic displays there was this really long field with lights that change color and light up to create a really awesome animated effect. It all culminates in this epic ring structure that shoots up beams directly into the sky that you can see from a good distance away. Pictures probably do this the best justice, so let’s drop a few in.
Pretty sick, right?
As you walk along the trail, you’ll notice that the trees and bushes all around are lit up with a nice gradient of colors to really make you feel like you’re part of some surreal experience. It’s quite lovely.
One of the coolest areas was this part of the trail with a disco ball that reflected the light everywhere and made for a truly psychedelic experience. Photos, again, do this some justice, but it’s better in real life.
Another stunning display is these rainbow balls with a bit of an oil slick effect hung in the sky. The colors aren’t even static, too–rather, they are able to shift colors with varying degrees of blue, pink, and green. It’s really quite a sight to see.
Another really awesome display here is a field of red flowers lit up amongst the night. This one is pretty amazing when you realize that every single one is its own light. It’s pretty stunning to see in person.
At some points, there are actually places where you can pick up some food and refreshments.
For example, we saw a few cafes to get some things like street corn chicken tacos and loaded nachos or more sweet things like churros and cookies. Of course, there are also opportunities of nice cups of hot cocoa and coffee to warm you up during the winter night.
To really prep you, we even took a picture of the menu that we saw.
We also saw a few bar tents where you can grab beer, wine, champagne, and even some specialty cocktails.
These two people pictured bought some drinks that had this light inside that made the entire drink flash with lights which seemed appropriate for the event. Again, we took a picture of the bar menu to help you out here.
Another very neat thing they have at Lightscape is this s’mores station.
You can purchase a prepared bag of Hershey’s chocolate, a big ol’ marshmallow, graham crackers, some wipes, and a stick, and then you can head over to three fire pits filled with burning charcoal.
You’re able to literally make s’mores on the spot which is a pretty neat experience during the holiday season.
The other thing that you really should know at Lightscape is that there are specifically designed structures for photo taking.
There are literally lines for each of these with staff stationed at each one to help your party take pictures. The lines move pretty fast since the staff limits photos to one or two, which is nice.
When is it?
Lightscape will be going on from November 11, 2022 to January 8, 2023.
Notably, it’ll be closed on November 28th and 29th along with December 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 25th (Christmas!), and January 3rd and 4th. Definitely make sure you check that you’re not planning to go on these specific days.
How much is it?
Tickets are $39 per adult on peak days and $37 on non-peak days.
Kids 3 through 12 are $20 on peak days and $18 on non-peak days.
Infants 0 through 2 are totally free.
Note that there actually is a $3 service fee per ticket, too.
If you’re a LA Arboretum member, then your tickets will be slightly cheaper. Adults will be $36 on peak days and $34 on non-peak days in that case, and kids will be $17 on peak days and $15 on non-peak days. That $3 service fee still applies in this case too.
There’s also something called flextime tickets. These are $80 for non-members and $75 for members. This includes exclusive parking in the Arboretum’s depot parking lot and non-general ticket entrance at the box office. This also allows you to enter any time during the early or late windows designated on your ticketed date. It’s basically a little more VIP and more flexible.
Lastly, note that there is a parking fee. On-site preferred parking is $20, and on-site valet parking is $40.
What are the hours?
You can visit Lightscape any time from 5:30pm to 8:45pm in 15-minute intervals. Crucially, note that the last entry is at 9pm because the event itself actually closes at 10pm.
Buy tickets
Hopefully we prepared you enough with what to expect, and now that’s all there is left to do is to buy some tickets.
To do so, click this link to reserve your time slot and day!