Light displays in Warsaw: festive illuminations, lights festivals, Christmas decorations in Warsaw during the 2024/2025 season
- Jump to “The Royal Garden of Light” – illuminations festival in Wilanów Palace Garden
- Jump to a light display in the Botanical Garden in Powsin, new decorations in the 2024/2025 season: Alice in Wonderland
- Jump to a light display in the Botanical Garden in the center of Warsaw: “Magical Botanical”
- Jump to holiday illuminations, a Christmas tree, and festive lights on Warsaw’s streets
- Jump to winter illuminations in Łazienki Royal Garden
- Jump to winter illuminations at Warsaw Multimedia Fountain Park
“The Royal Garden of Light” – illuminations festival in Wilanów Palace Garden
October 19, 2024 – February 28, 2025
“The Royal Garden of Light” (Królewski Ogród Światła) is Warsaw’s must-see sight in autumn and winter evenings, and both adults and children will love it. It’s located in the gardens of a baroque royal palace called the “Polish Versailles” in the Wilanów district of Warsaw. The Wilanów festival is a unique open-air exhibition with thousands of diodes forming tunnels, trees, installations, and sculptures. The illuminations are accompanied by classical music and mappings on the palace façade (3D shows featuring sounds, images, and lights).
- Read our tips about the Illuminations Festival in Wilanów (ticket info, opening hours, how to get there, parking lots, etc.).
Photo source: Muzeum Pałacu Króla Jana III w Wilanowie
A light display in the Botanical Garden in Powsin, new decorations in the 2024/2025 season: “Alice in Wonderland”
October 25, 2024 – March 2, 2025
It’s the fourth season with an outdoor exhibition of illumination in the Botanical Garden in Powsin, a few kilometers south of Warsaw. The central theme of the fairy-tale light display in the 2024/2025 season is “Alice in Wonderland” (Alicja w Krainie Czarów in Polish). The previous seasons were “The Smurfs”, “Snow White”, and “Peter Pan”.
- Location: Botanical Garden in Powsin, Prawdziwka 2 Street, 02-973 Powsin (location on Google map). The Forest Gate will be closed, and the only entrance to the Garden will be from Prawdziwka 2 Street. 700 paid parking spaces are available at 12 PLN (regardless of the length of your visit).
- Opening hours:
- 25.10.2024-10.11.2024: weekdays 5 pm – 8 pm, weekends and holidays 4 pm – 9 pm.
- 11.11.2024-16.02.2025: weekdays 4 pm – 8 pm, weekends and holidays 4 pm – 9 pm.
- 17.02.2025-02.03.2025: weekdays 5 pm – 8 pm, weekends and holidays 4 pm – 9 pm.
- The Exhibition is closed on December 24 and December 31.
- The Exhibition is open on the following public holidays: November 1, November 11, December 25, December 26, January 1, and January 6.
- Tickets are available online or at the ticket office (you can pay with a card).
- Tickets for Monday-Thursday: regular tickets 37 PLN, reduced tickets for children up to 12 years old 32 PLN, tickets for children up to 100 cm tall 1 PLN.
- Tickets for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and holidays: regular tickets 42 PLN, reduced tickets for children up to 12 years old 37 PLN, tickets for children up to 100 cm tall 1 PLN.
- Reduced tickets are available to children up to 12 years of age, people over 60, and people with disabilities.
- You can also buy seasonal tickets.
- The exhibition is accessible to people with disabilities – a special route, adapted toilets, and queue-free service.
- Click here to read our English tips on visiting the Powsin Garden.
- Facebook. Website in Polish. Instagram.
A light display in the Botanical Garden in the center of Warsaw: “Magical Botanical”
November 9, 2024 – February 16, 2025
- Location: Botanical Garden of the Warsaw University (Ogród Botaniczny Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego), Aleje Ujazdowskie 4 Street (city center), the garden on Google map. The Garden is next to the Łazienki Royal Park (in 1818, the Botanical Garden was separated from the Łazienki).
- How to get there? By bus: 100, 116, 138, 143, 151, 166, 180, 182, 187, 188, 222, 411, 502, 503, 514, 520, 523, 525, E-2 (“pl. Na Rozdrożu” bus stop). By metro: “Politechnika” metro stop. By car: the nearest parking spaces are on, for example, Bagatela Street.
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 5 pm – 8 pm, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: 4 pm – 9 pm. Closed on Tuesdays.
- The visitors can enjoy light structures prepared especially for the Garden (incl. light sculptures of flowers, shrubs, birds, forest animals), referring to the most exciting plants in the Garden’s collection, the relationship between nature and man, and fairy tales and legends related to nature.
- There is a play area for children in the garden.
- The paths are accessible by prams. Garden paths are accessible for people with reduced mobility.
- On-site, you can buy coffee, chocolate, tea.
- Online tickets (tickets are also available on-site at the box office). Children up to 6 free entrance. Regular tickets: 47 PLN, reduced tickets for children and students aged 6-26: 35 PLN, tickets for four people: 140 PLN.
- Website in English. Website in Polish. Facebook. Instagram.
- Our tips in English for visiting the Garden.
- In case of terrible weather conditions, e.g., strong wind, the garden is closed. The information will be published on Garden’s Facebook.
Photo source: Lumagica Warszawa
Festive illuminations, a Christmas tree, and lights on Warsaw’s streets
December 4, 2024 – February 16, 2025
The Christmas tree and festive illuminations on the streets of Warsaw are turned on on the first weekend of December and are on until mid-February.
Information on the exact date of launching the illumination in Warsaw is usually announced on December 1.
In 2024, the illuminations in the Old Town are on from December 4, 6 pm, and the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on Castle Square in the Old Town is on December 4, at 6 pm.
Warsaw has new illuminations from the 2023/2024 season: retro-style illuminations refer to the 1950s and 1960s in Poland.
27-meter Christmas tree, the largest in Warsaw (and in Poland), is lit on Castle Square (Plac Zamkowy) in Warsaw’s Old Town. The main attractions on Warsaw streets are focused on “The Royal Route”, from the Castle Square/Plac Zamkowy (including the Christmas tree), Krakowskie Przedmieście Street, Nowy Świat Street to the de Gaulle roundabout (Rondo de Gaulle’a). The Old Town is also decorated (including Piwna Street, Świętojańska Street, Old Town Square, Nowomiejska Street, Freta Street, New Town Square, Kościelna Street to Podzamcze).
It is worth visiting the Old Town Square, where you can take a photo with the illuminated monument to the Warsaw Mermaid and buy a small takeaway snack (several restaurants sell take-out food out of the counters/windows). You can buy, among others, hot chocolate, red borscht, grilled oscypek cheese, bigos (cabbage stew), and dumplings.
Christmas illuminations in Warsaw:
Photo source: Miasto Stołeczne Warszawa, C. Warś, S. Pulcyn
The photos below show Christmas illuminations in Warsaw in previous years:
Winter illuminations in Łazienki Royal Garden
The illuminations in the Łazienki Garden are already on turned on and will be available until the end of February 2025.
- Location: Łazienki Królewskie, Agrykola 1 Street (city center). The park is open daily, 6 am – 8 pm, and has free entrance.
- The festive lights in Łazienki Park are on every day from dusk until 8 pm (the gates at Agrykola Street and Gagarina Street close at 8.15 pm).
- Winter illuminations in Łazienki Królewskie are located in the part of the park called Aleja Chińska/Chinese Avenue (from the gate at Agrykola Street to the gate at Gagarina Street).
- The illumination includes several meters high, luminous figures in period costumes located along the Aleja Chińska. Colorful lights also illuminate the gates at Agrykola Street and Gagarina Street.
- Click here to read more about visiting the Łazienki Park in our post.
Our tips:
- In the center of Łazienki Park (next to the main building, ‘Palace on the Isle’), there is a small café offering take-out coffee and different kinds of gofry/waffles (location on Google map).
- Łazienki Park is poorly lit after dark, so it is worth helping yourself with a phone or other flashlight.
- When you are in Łazienki Park after dark, look closely at the trees around the pond – you will notice black silhouettes of peacocks sitting on the trees!
Photo source: Łazienki Królewskie
Winter illuminations at Warsaw Multimedia Fountain Park
- In the 2024/2025 season, the illuminations and fountain light shows are on from December 6, 2024, until February 16, 2025, from dusk to 10 pm.
- A 15-minute multimedia show (music, lights) each Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and holidays at 4 pm, 5 pm, 6 pm, 7 pm, 8 pm.
- Free entrance.
Multimedia Fountain Park is a free fountain complex located between the Old Town/New Town area and the Vistula River. The illuminations in the Fountain Park are turned on every day after dark.
Thousands of fabulously colored LED lights create a unique, magical atmosphere. It is the perfect place to take Instagram photos in beautiful Christmas scenery.
More in English about the fountain park.
Photo source: www.park-fontann.pl
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