In 2012, the Dallas Arboretum was looking for something new for its holiday season. Two of its supporters, Phyllis and Tom McCasland, suggested a large walk-through display based on "The 12 Days of Christmas," the old English carol about twelve gifts, as reported in The Dallas Morning News. The Arboretum hired theater people to build it. The design came from Tommy Bourgeois, a production designer for The Dallas Opera. Greg Blackburn's team at Dallas Stage Scenery engineered and built it.
Like a stage production, the gazebos were built for a limited run of five years. According to the Arboretum's Marshall Detwiler, speaking to the Morning News, they have now lasted twelve. Holiday at the Arboretum opened on Wednesday, November 11, and runs through January 3, 2027. The Arboretum calls this season "One Final Chorus."
Built by a scenery shop, on a $2 million budget
When the Arboretum announced the exhibition in October 2014, it gave the budget as $2 million. The plan was twelve glass-sided gazebos, each 25 feet tall, filled with life-size figures in Victorian costume or playful animals, plus music and moving parts. The Arboretum's 2014 blog described each one as a three-dimensional music box.
The materials are what you would expect from a scenery shop. In 2018, NBC 5 went behind the scenes and counted 28 hand-carved animals, 55 mannequins with hand-painted faces, 25,963 pounds of aluminum, 30,456 wooden berries and 28,328 rhinestones. That same year, the Arboretum said every mannequin had real human hair and hand-sewn period clothing. It also said its visual design team added new details every year, refining the figures' eyelashes and eyebrows, polishing the rhinestones and touching up the animals and mannequins. Upkeep like that is what lets a five-year display last twelve.
The display drew crowds from its first season. The Arboretum had 978,468 visitors in 2014, up 248,242 from 2013. The Dallas Morning News reported that evening visits to the 12 Days drew 17,500 more people than the entire 2012 Chihuly exhibit. The 12 Days ran for about two months that winter, and Chihuly ran for eight.
Retired on purpose, while the gazebos still work
The Arboretum gave its reason in plain terms. The animatronics are aging and showing wear. "Rather than allow the guest experience to diminish, the Arboretum made the deliberate decision to retire the gazebos with the dignity they deserve," Detwiler, the Arboretum's vice president of marketing and guest experience, told The Dallas Morning News. "Dallas has given these displays 12 years of love. They deserve to be seen at their best, and this final season is exactly that."
President and CEO Sabina Carr explained the extra seven years to WFAA. "They more than doubled their intended lifespan because the love Dallas showed them made it impossible to let go any sooner," she said. The Arboretum's holiday page says the gazebos have drawn hundreds of thousands of Dallas families since 2014.
So this year's gazebos are not a worn-out display limping through one more year. This is a final season the Arboretum chose while the scenes can still be shown well.
Only the gazebos are leaving
Holiday at the Arboretum is staying. The Arboretum has laid out a three-year sequence:
- 2026–27 season: The gazebos' final season. WFAA reports special promotions, extra programming and a sing-along in the Christmas Village every night at 8 p.m.
- 2027 season: HYBYCOZO arrives, a holiday installation of light and geometric sculpture.
- 2028 season: The Arboretum plans an all-new holiday experience to "reimagine Christmas at the Dallas Arboretum for years to come."
Some parts of the season continue through all three years. The Christmas Village, the Merry Monochromatic décor inside the historic DeGolyer House, the light displays and Night Glow, powered by AURORA, all remain. WFAA describes Night Glow as an after-dark show of light installations chosen by artists. Detwiler described the change to the Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate as "the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next."
What a last visit costs, by time slot
For anyone living a few minutes up Garland Road, timing matters more than anything else. The Arboretum prices each slot differently, and the range is wide. These prices come from the Holiday at the Arboretum page for the 2026–27 season:
| Ticket | Hours | Adult / General | Child 3–12 | Members |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daytime | 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | $21.95–$25.95 | $17.95–$21.95 | Free |
| Holiday at Night | 5–10 p.m. | $35–$40 | $35–$40 | $20–$25 |
| Night Owl | 8:30–10 p.m. | $15 | $15 | $15 |
| Holiday Cheer | 5–10 p.m. | $12 | $12 | $12 |
Children under 3 get in free at every tier. Holiday at Night, Night Owl and Holiday Cheer tickets are sold online only. Holiday at Night costs $4 more at the gate than in advance. Prices change by date, and the exact amount shows up when you pick a day. Museums for All daytime admission is $3.
The $12 Holiday Cheer rate is $23 to $28 less than a Holiday at Night ticket, and it applies on only five dates: Thanksgiving Day on November 26, plus December 24, December 25, December 31 and January 1. Those are the holidays themselves, so a last look at the gazebos could fit between a family meal and an early night.
The Night Owl ticket starts at 8:30 p.m., but WFAA reports that the nightly sing-along in the Christmas Village begins at 8 p.m. On the posted schedule, a Night Owl ticket gets you in about half an hour after the singing starts. If the sing-along is the reason you're going, buy a full Holiday at Night or Holiday Cheer ticket.
The rest of the season, on the calendar
Beyond the gazebos, the Arboretum has set dates for the following:
- Saturday, November 14, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.: Yule Log with La Casita Bakeshop
- Saturday, November 21, 10 a.m.–noon: 3 Melts of Christmas at A Tasteful Place
- Sunday, November 29, noon–2 p.m.: Floral Candles Workshop with POUR'd in the Green Classroom
- Saturdays, December 5, 12 and 19, and Sunday, December 20, 8–9 a.m.: Santa in the Village for members, with a free photo with Santa for early arrivals, holiday music and food pop-ups. The Village stays members-only until it opens to the public.
- Wednesday, December 16, 3–5 p.m.: The Art of Holiday Wreath Design in the Green Classroom
- Thursday, December 31, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.: Noon Year's Eve Celebration
The gingerbread house class on December 5 is already sold out. The four Santa mornings all start an hour before the 9 a.m. daytime opening, so members get the Village before the crowds.
Getting there from the neighborhood
Parking costs $15 per vehicle plus tax and fees. You can buy it online, and cameras read your license plate at the gate. The Arboretum lists Entry 1 at 8525 Garland Road, Entry 3 at 8657 Garland Road and the garage at Entry 4, 8720 Garland Road. The garage is across Garland Road from the Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden and connects to the grounds through an accessible underground walkway. The Arboretum asks visitors not to park on nearby residential streets. Members get free parking for up to two vehicles, but they have to register the vehicles ahead of time.
For anyone walking or biking the lake this winter, the White Rock Lake Trail along Garland Road is open again. It closed this summer for Dallas Water Utilities grouting work between East Lawther Drive and Winsted Drive. For the Love of the Lake lists the section as reopened as of August 20.
The full history of the gazebos is told in "Holiday at Night, One Final Chorus," by Dave Forehand and Tobie Smith, in the Fall 2026 issue of the Arboretum's Bloom magazine. The gazebos will be on display through January 3, 2027.
At Duncan Real Estate Co, we follow the traditions that make Lakewood and the streets around White Rock Lake feel like home, along with the homes themselves. If you're thinking about your next move this season, from a place close enough to see the Arboretum's lights or from one you've loved for years, we would be glad to talk it through. Schedule a Consultation whenever the timing feels right.
