The Garden of Lights outdoor winter exhibit returns to Brookside Gardens in Wheaton this weekend.
The annual walk-through experience opens Friday and features over 1.5 million twinkling LED lights along a one-half mile path, with displays of animals, insects, and plants created from lights, including a lighted Loch Ness Monster, larger-than-life flowers, and more.
The displays are the result of months of work by Montgomery Parks staff.
“Each year, we start planning Garden of Lights almost immediately after the previous year’s show is taken down,” said Brookside Gardens landscape supervisor Jeff Patterson. “We incorporate the newest technology in lighting with the goal of putting on a display to awe our visitors and bring them back year after year.”
In addition to the outdoor displays, Garden of Lights visitors can enjoy warm beverages and food from on-site vendors, and shop for nature-inspired gifts in the Brookside Gardens gift shop.
The Garden of Lights opens on Friday, November 21, and runs through January 4, with closures on November 24 -27, December 24-25, and January 1. Advance tickets are required and are available for purchase online at montgomeryparks.org.
Additionally, the Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade will kick off in downtown Silver Spring at 10 a.m. on Saturday and will feature more units than ever before.
WJLA meteorologists Brian van de Graaff and Eileen Whelan will host the parade, announcing participants from the grandstand located at the intersection of Fenton Street and Ellsworth Drive.
The parade will feature live performances by the Akhmedova Ballet and the Maryland Youth Ballet, cultural dance groups, and the rhythmic sounds of award-winning marching bands, including the Roaring Bengals from Blake High School and the Spirit of Clarksburg High School.
Diverse cultural performers, including Bolivia’s Caporales San Simón, Mexico’s Fundación Elena Ballet Folklorico, and Bangladesh’s Monjuri Nrittalaya, will bring a global flair to the celebration through dance, costume, and music.
Adding to the visual spectacle will be floats, inflatables, vintage car clubs, dog parades, honor guards, roller derby skaters, toy soldiers, giant turkeys, and Santa and Mrs. Claus, and a new feature of this year’s parade will be a farmers’ harvest unit celebrating Montgomery County’s agricultural roots and the farmers who grow the crops that make Thanksgiving traditions possible.
This year’s parade also serves as the kick-off to Montgomery County’s 250th Birthday Commemoration, which will be held in September 2026.
“This parade brings out the best of who we are as a community,” County Executive Marc Elrich said in a press release. “It is a chance for people from across Montgomery County to come together, see the talent of our young people, and enjoy traditions that we’ve built over generations. As we head toward our County’s 250th birthday in 2026, I hope residents take a moment to appreciate how far we’ve come from our agricultural beginnings to a community known for its diversity, creativity, and compassion. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in Silver Spring as we start the celebration of this milestone together.”
The Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade will be held rain or shine at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 22, at the intersection of Fenton Street and Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring. More information is available online at silverspringdowntown.com.
Photo: Tony Ventouris / Montgomery Parks
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