The parking lot between the Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Botanic Garden is getting a roof. The city's Department of Citywide Administrative Services is building a solar carport over the lot as part of a $48 million energy retrofit of the Brooklyn Museum. It was announced June 2, 2026, and completion is expected in mid-2027. The panels will generate power and shade the parking spaces under them. In the meantime, BBG's directions page says lot capacity is reduced and asks visitors to come by public transit or rideshare.
That construction runs straight through the sixth season of Lightscape, the Garden's holiday light trail, which opens Nov. 20 and runs through Jan. 3, 2027. The 2026 show has been redesigned with fewer installations, Value and Peak tickets cost the same as last year, and the trail starts and ends at the Visitor Center at 990 Washington Avenue, the side of the Garden facing the lot. If you live within a subway ride, this year's Lightscape is best planned as an evening in the neighborhood, with the trail in the middle of it.
A tighter show, built around new pieces
In 2025, Brooklyn Paper described nearly 20 illuminated installations along a one-mile trail. This year's lineup has 16, according to Brooklyn Paper's 2026 preview, and BBG calls it "a spectacular new trail."
New for 2026:
- Winter Wonder, a new work on the Cherry Esplanade
- A fire garden across the Plant Family Lawn
- "Moon & Stars," described as luminescent and glittering
- "I Love Brooklyn," by Culture Creative and ArtAV
Returning:
- Winter Cathedral, the towering favorite
- "Bluebonnets" by Mandylights, with 3,000 glowing flowers lining both sides of the path near Oak Circle
- A reimagined fountain show by Sense Effects in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden
Returning visitors may recognize the fire theme in that part of the Garden. Last year, "Fluxit" used hundreds of LED tubes to imitate firelight in the Plant Family Collection. In 2026 a fire garden takes over the Plant Family Lawn.
Only the trail is open in the evenings, and the Garden closes to daytime visitors at 3:30 p.m. every day of the run. A daytime visit can't roll into a Lightscape night.
Last year's Value and Peak prices, and when membership actually saves money
In 2025, tickets started at $29 for adults and $15 for children on Value nights, and typical Peak tickets were $44 and $28. The 2026 Value and Peak prices are the same, and BBG says every price includes all fees.
| Ticket | Value Nights | Off-Peak | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | $29 | $39 | $44 |
| Member adult | $29 | $33 | $37 |
| Child, 3–11 | $15 | $22 | $28 |
| Member child, 3–11 | $15 | $17 | $20 |
| Baby, 0–2 | Free | Free | Free |
| Anytime Entry | $59 | $59 | $59 |
Membership doesn't lower the price on Value nights. The discount only applies on Off-Peak and Peak nights. For two adults and two children on a Peak night, standard tickets total $144 and member tickets total $114, a $30 difference. On an Off-Peak night, the same group pays $122 at standard prices or $100 as members. On a Value night, both pay $88. Members sign in on the ticketing site to see member pricing, and they can buy full-price tickets for guests beyond what their membership level covers. Free general admission to the Garden doesn't include Lightscape, which is ticketed separately.
Prices vary by date, and the tier for each night appears on the Lightscape calendar. Check it before deciding whether membership pays off for your group.
A few nights are set aside for specific audiences:
- Sensory-Friendly Early Entry, Thursday, Dec. 3 and Friday, Dec. 18, at 4 p.m., with limited capacity, for adults and children with disabilities or sensory sensitivities. Tickets are $29 for adults and $15 for children.
- 21+ Nights, Thursdays, Dec. 10 and 17, at $39 for adults. No one under 21 is admitted.
- Lightscape Family Benefit, Tuesday, Dec. 8, a fundraiser for BBG supporters.
Getting there while the lot is under construction
The attended lot at 900 Washington Avenue is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and BBG notes that special-event rates apply on busy days. With part of the lot taken up by carport construction, driving in on a December weekend is less reliable than in past years.
Transit gets you right to the trail entrance. BBG lists the Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum station for the 990 Washington Avenue entrance. Franklin Avenue station also serves that entrance but has no elevator, so anyone using a wheelchair or a stroller is better off at Eastern Parkway. The B43 and B45 stop at Washington Avenue, and the B48 stops at Eastern Parkway. The trail paths are wheelchair accessible. Some lighting sequences flash, but none use strobes, and disposable earplugs are available at the box office on request.
Tickets come with a 15-minute entry window. The $59 Anytime Entry ticket lets you arrive any time that evening, and it's priced the same on every tier. On Value nights that's double the $29 adult price, so it mostly pays off if your night is likely to run late. Tickets can't be refunded. Exchanges go through Leap, the ticket provider, at 866-220-4001 or by chat, for $10 per order. The show runs in all weather. If BBG cancels a night for safety, it notifies ticket holders by email or text before 2 p.m. that day.
Timing dinner inside the Garden
Outside food and drink aren't allowed on the trail, so the meal is either part of the ticketed evening or happens before or after it.
Inside, Lightscape Lodge at Yellow Magnolia Café serves a $75 prix-fixe dinner, not including drinks, tax or gratuity. Members get 10% off by showing their member ID at the table. Everyone in the party needs a Lightscape ticket and a dinner reservation, and walk-ins are taken only as space allows.
The restaurant is about three-quarters of the way along the route, so plan in this order:
- Pick the dinner reservation time you want.
- Book a Lightscape entry window at least 45 minutes earlier.
- Walk the first three-quarters of the trail before dinner and finish it afterward, ending back at the Visitor Center on Washington Avenue.
For something lighter, Lightscape Bars in the Visitor Center Atrium and the Palm House serve snacks, hot drinks, wine, beer and cocktails, and a kiosk at Oak Circle sits along the trail near the "Bluebonnets."
Eating on Vanderbilt Avenue before or after
If you'd rather eat outside the Garden, Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights has three relatively new spots worth knowing about. Hours change by season, so check before you go.
Gertie, 602 Vanderbilt. Time Out reported in December 2025 that Gertie had moved from Williamsburg and reopened in Prospect Heights as a counter-service New York bagel shop and deli. The menu includes hand-rolled bagels, latkes, deli favorites, homemade baked goods and specialty drinks. It fits best before an early entry window.
The Vaux Social, 570 Vanderbilt. BKReader reported in April 2026 that this British- and American-style pub opened in February, serving martinis, comfort food and pastries made in-house. At the time it listed Thursday through Sunday hours and weekend brunch.
Grimm Tavern, 659 Vanderbilt. Brooklyn Magazine reviewed it in August 2026, about a month after it opened, and listed Tuesday through Sunday hours.
Coming by subway also makes these stops easy, since you're not walking back to a car in the lot at 900 Washington Avenue. With carport work expected to run into mid-2027, parking will be tight for this whole Lightscape season.
If you live near the Garden and the Vanderbilt corridor, you already know how much these blocks change from one year to the next. If you're wondering what that means for your home's value, Marty Vandenburg and the Elevated Experience Team can walk you through it. Get your free home valuation.
