Are you looking for a quick and romantic date night idea? My boyfriend, Marc, and I were in need of a quick date to go on in between our midterms, so we decided to go to the Gardens of Light at the Botanical Garden. It really did make for the perfect date night!
The Botanical Garden is part of Montréal’s Space for Life, which also includes Montreal’s Biodome, Insectarium and Planétarium. The Botanical Garden of Montreal is recognized as one of the world’s greatest botanical gardens. It offers many events, exhibitions and activities all year long. It is essentially a beautiful living museum of plants. One of the many events that they offer is the Gardens of Light, which sets all three cultural gardens, Chinese, Aboriginal, and Japanese, glowing with lights and lanterns.
The Gardens of Light takes place every autumn during the months of September and October. The location of it is very practical as it is located right next to Pie IX metro station, near the Olympic Stadium. They also have a big parking lot, which saved us lots of time rather than having to look for parking. The tickets are only $12 for students, or $16 for adults, which is super affordable and worth it for the experience. We bought our tickets online beforehand, so we went in right away when we arrived and there were absolutely no lines we had to wait in, which is always great!
The experience lasted about an hour, which was excellent for us, having a time constraint. Truly anyone, children or adults, would enjoy it. Not to mention, you simply need to be able to stroll along a cement path, so it really is accessible for everybody. Also, if you’re worried about walking for an hour straight, there are benches, where you can sit and simply enjoy the scenery, all over the gardens. There is also a café right at the beginning if you want to get a hot beverage before starting your journey since autumn in Montreal isn’t exactly warm.
The Gardens of Light is exactly what the name implies…it is multiple gardens filled with lights and lanterns. Who wouldn’t find that beautiful?
First, there was a Chinese Garden, where they pay tribute to those Chinese families who live by the water, as well as those who are rural. They have lights floating on the water, lanterns hung up, and a lit up temple-like structure. Taking the words right out of my mouth, Marc said:
“The Chinese garden was by far my favourite one. It was completely filled with lights and the space was totally maximized, creating a breathtaking scenery.”
Next, there was the First Nations Garden, which if I’m being honest, was not as enchanting. There was a light show that was projected onto a tree, which created an enlightening experience as it represents the circle of life. There is then a path surrounded by trees, where light was reflected off hidden disco balls and onto the trees creating a magical experience. It really felt like there were bright stars around us. Although it was still absolutely beautiful, as Marc described, “the path was very long to only have these white lights. It felt like a lot of wasted space.”
Lastly, the Japanese Garden was very peaceful. It was mostly filled with soft lights on the plants and trees creating a relaxing atmosphere. In this garden, you are also able to experience the kotatsu (heating table), which can be really nice since walking outside for an hour in Montreal’s autumn weather can leave you freezing. The Japanese garden also has a little stand where they sell some typical Japanese sweets, which are heavenly!
“We tried the matcha cookies and as someone who has never tried matcha before, I really enjoyed them and would go back even just for those!”
– Marc
Shockingly, this beautiful event does not have any organized social media presence. However, if you check out the hashtags #jardindelumiere and #gardensoflight on Instagram, you will see pictures that others have taken that will truly take your breath away.
Speaking for both myself and Marc, we definitely recommend you go next year. It is truly so worth it, especially for the price of it. If you have been before, leave a comment letting me know how your experience was and what your favourite part of it was. I would love to hear how you enjoyed it. If you haven’t already been, I highly suggest you already put it in your calendar for next September!
Montreal & More 