25th Season Adds New Light Display to Celebrate the Milestone
A beloved Mobile-area holiday tradition reached a milestone in 2020 as Bellingrath Gardens and Home celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Magic Christmas in Lights display. The gardens opened their gates Friday evening to kick off the landmark season, with representatives announcing that a brand-new section of lights had been added to mark the silver anniversary.
The Magic Christmas in Lights display first launched in 1995 and has since grown into one of the Gulf Coast’s most popular holiday attractions. Each year, hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights transform the 65-acre garden estate in Theodore into a walking-tour wonderland of brightly lit scenes, all designed and built on the grounds by Bellingrath staff.
The display typically features more than 1,100 individual set pieces, three million lights and a variety of themed scenes that wind through the garden paths, past Reflection Lake, and through the rose garden and Asian garden areas. Evening hours have consistently stretched from early December through New Year’s Eve, giving families ample time to take in the spectacle at their own pace.
Over its quarter-century history, Magic Christmas in Lights has earned national recognition from organizations including USA Today, the Southeast Tourism Society and the American Bus Association. The Theodore attraction has also been credited with drawing significant visitor traffic to southern Mobile County each holiday season, supporting local businesses and the regional tourism economy.
Bellingrath Gardens and Home itself dates back to the 1930s, when Mobile industrialist Walter Bellingrath and his wife Bessie developed the property as a public garden. The historic home on the grounds, built in 1935, is open for seasonal tours and showcases the family’s original antique furniture and personal collections. The gardens have remained a popular year-round destination, but the holiday lights season consistently ranks as their busiest period.