Thursday November 12th 2026
Last year's Christmas at the Botanics
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Christmas at the Botanics has revealed some of its most popular installations from the past decade, as the illuminated trail prepares to mark its 10th anniversary this winter.
With one week to go until the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is transformed for the festive season, visitors have been voting for their favourite displays from previous years.
Through a series of polls on the Garden’s Instagram account, the public were invited to choose from a selection of installations from each year of the trail, with the winners now revealed.
Among the most popular was 2022’s Floraison by Pitaya, which received the highest number of votes across the nine annual polls. The display of glowing red poppies narrowly beat 2019’s projection show on the Palm Houses.
Other favourites included the pink glowing flowers of Cyclamens from 2020 and Sparkly Water from 2021.
The winning installations from each year were:
2017 – Choir of Trees
Created by ITHACA STUDIO
Strings of colourful bulbs wrapped around tree trunks illuminated the Garden’s pathway, with the lights reacting to music.
2018 – Feast of Light
Created by Squidsoup
This interactive installation featured dangling strands of colour-changing bulbs, creating a walkway through which visitors could move.
2019 – Palm Houses Show
Created by Lightworks
A festive projection lit up the Garden’s Grade A-listed Palm Houses. The installation has particular significance this year, following the reopening of the buildings in October after a major five-year restoration as part of the Edinburgh Biomes initiative.
2020 – Cyclamens
Created by The Lantern Company
Glowing pink flowers brought the Garden’s plant life into the winter trail.
2021 – Sparkly Water
Created by Lightworks
Blue and golden lights reflected off the water, transforming the Garden’s cascading stream.
2022 – Floraison
Created by Pitaya
Suspended red poppies created an overhead display, bathing visitors in a warm glow.
2023 – White Roses
Created by Culture Creative
A display of glowing white flowers stood out against a deep blue backlight.
2024 – Mycelium Network
Created by Stevie Thompson
Multicoloured lights spread across the Garden floor to represent an intricate network of roots.
2025 – Water Lilies
Created by The Lantern Company
Glowing white flowers floated across the Garden’s pond, creating a tranquil scene.
Christmas at the Botanics returns
Christmas at the Botanics runs from November 19 to December 30, with this year’s trail marking the event’s 10th anniversary.
The programme will include a projection across Inverleith House by creative studio NOVAK, using historic botanical illustrations from the Garden’s archives. Ten trees will also be highlighted along the route to mark the anniversary.
New installations include the UK premiere of Lumycena by Pitaya, alongside returning displays such as the Christmas Cathedral.
Tickets are on sale through the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh website.
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