COVID wasn’t able to cancel Botanica’s Illuminations, but it will be different this year
Wichita has had to do without many of its traditional crowd-pleasing events this year among the COVID-19 pandemic.
But one of them is safe — though its setup will be different than what fans have come to expect.
Illuminations, the outdoor holiday light display that draws thousands of people to Botanica at 701 Amidon every year, has found a way to safely continue during the pandemic. It opened Saturday — two weeks earlier than its typical Thanksgiving weekend debut — and this year, there will be two ways to enjoy it: the usual walk-through tour as well as a new 10-minute drive-through component set up in the main parking lot.
And though people will have more time to enjoy the lights, they’ll have fewer chances each night. To prevent crowds, Botanica is capping attendance each night at just under 2,000 people — and all of those people have to have purchased their tickets in advance. There will be no walk-up sales this year, and people who have the pre-purchased tickets will have to choose a specific time to arrive to prevent overcrowding.
That means people need to start thinking about their Illuminations plans now, said Marty Miller, Botanica’s executive director, who led a media tour of the new setup on Thursday.
“Last year, the week before Christmas, we had over 8,000 people come per night,” he said. “We can’t have that this year.... We’ve got to spread it out.”
Among the key changes that Miller and Kathy Spillman, Botanica’s director of special events, pointed out:
One-way walk-through tour: The traditional walking tour of the gardens will start on the south side of the of Botanica. In the past, people also could enter through the main building by the main parking lot, but that lot is shut down this year for the drive-through exhibit.
Once inside, visitors will follow a one-way path through the exhibit, which snakes through the children’s garden, up through the carousel area, through the just-completed Koch Carousel Garden, past the pavilion and the funky tree, on to the main building, through the Shakespeare and butterfly gardens, past the field of dancing Christmas trees set to music and out the south gate.
Though all of the smaller gardens with one-way entrances will be closed this year, Spillman said, the route is actually a bit longer. It’s covers about a mile and would take the average visitor an hour to an hour and a half to complete, she said.
People on the walking tour have the option of riding the carousel, but they’ll have to have a pre-purchased ticket, and only people with those tickets can enter the carousel building. They’ll only be filling the ride to half capacity, Miller said, and the horses will be wiped down between each session. Carousel tickets are available at the online checkout when people buy their walk-through tickets.
All-new drive-through tour: There’s a second option at Illuminations this year — a half-mile driving tour that will take about 10 minutes. Tickets for that part of the event, which cost $20 a carload Sundays through Thursdays and $25 a carload Fridays and Saturdays, also must be purchased in advance and are for specific times to prevent long lines of cars from forming.
The display has taken over Botanica’s main parking lot and features a lighted 240-foot tunnel, a snowflake wall, and a section of more than 40 lighted trees dancing to music.
Initially, Botanica’s staff thought about making Illuminations a drive-through only event this year but were concerned about securing the exhibit. Still, Spillman said, there’s been excitement surrounding it, especially from people who have older relatives who’ve never been able to make the Illuminations walk.
“This is kind of our test run, and I think this could be something we continue to do,” she said.
A whole new section to visit: People who haven’t been to Botanica in a few months will be surprised to see the addition of the massive new Koch Carousel Gardens, whose construction was only recently completed.
That area, which is just south of the carousel, now includes a massive new turfed field with a large lighted Christmas tree as its centerpiece, a new pavilion with a massive working fireplace, a stage where live entertainment will be set up starting Dec. 1, and a large new sleeping troll sculpture.
The troll, who was designed by local sculptor Connie Ernatt, is sleeping snug under a hill near the carousel, and he’s all decked out for the holidays, too. He’s the cousin of the underground troll Ernatt also designed and who lives near the Keeper of the Plains.
Santa’s new digs: Santa will still be greeting visitors this year, but his new home is inside the carousel building. His chair is set up just inside a retractable garage door, and people will approach him from outside the building.
There won’t be any sitting on Santa’s lap or whispering in his ear this year. But parents are encouraged to visit botanica.org and print out a Santa Letter that their kids can fill out and drop in a special mailbox while they visit. The staff also has constructed a “candy cane chute” out of PVC pipe that will allow Santa to offer candy canes to his fans from a distance.
Concessions: In the past, Illuminations has boasted five concession areas set up throughout the garden. This year, there will be just two — one in the main building and one at the Koch Carousel Gardens. There, people can get hot chocolate and other warm drinks and buy cookies and candy, all made in-house by onsite vendor KT Cookie Co.
There’ s also a section for food trucks in the new Koch Carousel Gardens, and depending on the size of the expected crowd, one to three local trucks will be set up there selling food. There won’t be any fireside S’mores this year, though.
Parking: This year, parking will be available only in the lot at Cowtown and a grassy area adjacent to it on the south side of Botanica. There won’t be any shuttles this year, so people should be prepared to walk to the entrance.
The good news, organizers say, is that with the timed tickets, parking shouldn’t be an issue because there will never be an overly large crowd trying to get in all at once.
Masks: They’re required to enter Illuminations, while inside the buildings and while in line to get concessions or food. Patrons can take off their masks to eat or drink only when they can distance themselves from other patrons by six feet and only when outdoors.
Miller said that Botanica started planning Illuminations in March and has been working on putting it up almost seven days a week since July.
He’s hoping that the public will respond to the new setup and spread out their visits.
Though Illuminations had a “banner year” last year with more than 90,000 people visiting, the money it brought in is almost gone. The venue wasn’t able to put on any of its spring and summer fundraisers, including Tuesdays on the Terrace and Blooms Brews & Bloody Marys, so the coffer is almost empty.
“Right now, we’re going into the end of the year and we’re just barely hanging on,” Miller said. “...Our operations budget is only supported by the money that we earn. This event is what is going to get us through this year, so we’ve got to sell these tickets.”
Tickets have been for sale since Oct. 1, and already, a couple of nights are sold out, Spillman said.
“I really hope that families will do both — will do the walk through one night then come back and do the drive through,” she said.
Illuminations at Botanica
Walk-through option: The walking tour will be open nightly from Saturday through Jan. 9 (except for Nov. 25-26 and Dec. 24-25). Tickets must be purchased in advance online and are available from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. They cost $13 for adults, $9 for children and members. Children 2 and under will be admitted free. Get them at botanica.org
Drive-through option: The driving tour will be open nightly through Jan. 30 (except for Nov. 25-26 and Dec. 24-25) Tickets will be pre-sold in 30 minute increments from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The drive takes about 10 minutes. Tickets are $20 per car Sundays through Thursdays and $25 per car Fridays and Saturdays. They’re available at botanica.org
For more information: Visit botanica.org/illuminations/
This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 10:14 AM.
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