BOOTHBAY — As she ran toward a hulking figure at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, 5-year-old Isla Nutt suddenly froze. She took two small, slow steps and turned to face her father.
“It just looked at me,” she said of the giant, a wooden troll named Roskva who greeted Isla and other visitors during the Gardens Aglow preview Thursday evening.
“He hasn’t moved since last year,” said her father, 35-year-old Jasper Nutt. They stepped closer.
Indeed, the troll had not changed. But parts of the surrounding scene — 14 acres covered with shimmering strings of light, projected animations and glowing sculptures — had.
Now in its 11th year, the gardens’ signature winter program includes new soundscapes, 3D-printed critters and a greater focus on education related to this year’s theme: “Nature in Motion.”
“We’re leaning into trying to help people understand what’s going on at the gardens the rest of the year, when it’s not dark and cold, and in the summer, when things are light,” said Gretchen Ostherr, president and CEO of the botanical gardens.
To that end, the gardens are dotted with sculptures of wildlife that live in Maine throughout the year, from crawling caterpillars to flying waterfowl, and signs that explain their place in the state’s landscape.
Ostherr said she expects more than 110,000 attendees this year, including newcomers and families who have made their annual visit a tradition. She said the light show offers an increasingly rare chance to get outside during the winter months.
“It’s a dark time of year. And we all, I think, crave light, and beauty and connection,” she said in an interview. “Now more than ever, we need that. I mean, we always need it this time of year when you live in Maine.”
Ostherr spoke next to the Great Lawn. Just down the path, visitors peered into miniature schoolhouses and bakeries in the Fairy House Village.
BJ Dobson, a longtime volunteer and resident of Boothbay Harbor, crouched down to get a closer look at a miniature flower shop, filled with tiny bouquets.
“Each one is better than the one before,” she said with a laugh. “It’s so detailed, each one is. And yet they’re all completely different.”
A sustainable show
Laid end to end, the lights would stretch from Boothbay to South Portland, according to the gardens.
The dazzling display is powered by more than 750,000 LED lights, which are about 15 times more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs, spokesperson Katie Hey said.
All told, the lights cost about $100 a day to run, with 100% of the power sourced from renewable sources, mostly wind, Hey said.
To avoid damaging delicate trees like paper birches, the show increasingly relies on spotlights, which can illuminate trunks and branches without needing to wrap them in ropes of light, Hey said.
Last year, more than 117,000 visitors strolled through the lights, the gardens said in a release. That included people from all 50 states, though the vast majority of attendees came from New England.
Gardens Aglow opens Saturday and runs through Jan. 3. Tickets are sold for specific entry times.
For the general public, adult tickets cost $23, senior and veteran tickets are $20, and children’s tickets are $13. Regular tickets are available Thursdays through Sundays from Nov. 28 to Dec. 21 and Fridays through Tuesdays from Dec. 22 to Jan. 3.
Tickets are cheaper before Thanksgiving: $19 for adults, $17 for seniors and veterans, and $10 for children. Those “early bird” shows run Nov. 15-16, 20-23 and 26.
All ticket prices are 20% lower for members.
Parking is available onsite. The Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce will also offer shuttles between the gardens and the Boothbay Harbor Town Office on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Shuttles begin at 3:45 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and at 4:15 p.m. Fridays; the last ride from the gardens is at 9 p.m.
