The Botanic Gardens Put On A Show for Enlighten 2017

Walking through an eerie fog filled rainforest to the haunting sounds of a choir above you sounds like an exotic experience found somewhere far away from Canberra. But for four nights during Canberra’s Enlighten festival, you can experience it in our very own backyard.

As part of Enlighten 2017’s program, the Australian National Botanic Gardens hosted the third edition of Luminous Botanicus. An after dark viewing of the gardens with light installations and music.

The first portion of the night involves a walk through the rainforest. With mist jets and select ferns illuminated by green lights the walk feels like the start of a thriller movie – where everything feels just too good to be true, like you’re waiting for someone to jump out behind you and scare you.

Beyond this is a stroll towards the eucalyptus lawns, taking us through sections of the gardens that were illuminated with bright punchy colours. The paths lit up with orange blue bell flowers, the most appropriate type of lighting for a walk through the gardens.

While the theme of the night was obviously light, every section of the 1.4km loop had a different feel to it. The rainforest was eerie, the waterfall was serene, and the rock garden lawn was joyful.

Nestled in amongst the light displays, towards the final portion of the walk, was a UV paint wall, which appeared to bring out the inner kid in those painting and waiting to paint.

The entire night was about exploration, with the major source of light being the exhibitions, the gardens became a mystery. Around every turn was a new source of entertainment

While Luminous Botanicus is not confirmed for the 2018 Enlighten program, the success of this year’s event suggests it will be a program staple.