Flashlight Nights 2024 | Desert Botanical Garden

OPEN DAILY 8 A.M.|7 A.M. FOR MEMBERS WED. & SUN.

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Flashlight Nights 2024

DATE: Sept. 14
TIME: 6:30–9:30 p.m.
PRICE: Included with Membership or General Admission


Escape the heat and explore the Garden after dark with family and friends! Discover the Garden’s five thematic trails, encounter desert creatures, and immerse yourself in the captivating nighttime ambiance with cool drinks and treats. Enjoy access to food trucks and Breezy Pops for sale. Garden will be selling s’mores and drinks and more from their pop-up bars serving non-alcoholic and adult beverages.

Join us for special theme nights in September:

Sept. 14 | Flashlight Nights Finale

  • First 100 guests receive complimentary  flashlight
  • Ballet Folklorico Esperanza performances
  • Space themed activities:  UV bubble painting, gravity activity ,Moon Sculpture and Constellation Cups
  • Enjoy a hand-on experience that honors Indigenous Mexican traditions through the creation of Ojo de Venado (Eye of the Deer) charms. The Ojo de Venado is more than just a craft; it’s a symbol deeply rooted in Mexican culture.
  • Enjoy Traditional Mexican Paper Flower Making, a beautiful artform that has brightened celebrations for centuries.
  • Liberty Wildlife will highlight birds and reptiles
  • The Leaf Connection exhibit and leaf rubbing activity

 

All Flashlight Nights events include the following activities:

Book Giveaway | Browse books and take some home for free!

Moon Sculptures | Observe the shapes and textures of the moon, and identify a crater’s impact shape, size and impact rays. Plus, create a moon sculpture with clay to take home.

Constellation Cups | Create constellations with a paper cup to project and view.

Star Gazing | Discover stars, constellations, planets, moons and other astronomical objects in the night sky with telescopes.

Mesquite Pitch Painting | Try painting using mesquite pitch paint.

The Leaf Connection | Learn how leaves on desert plants have adapted to cope with the desert climate. Make a rubbing of a plant leaf to take home!

Magnificent Mesquites | Touch, grind and taste mesquite flour made from the seedpods of a mesquite.

Making Tracks | Explore tracks of animals that live in the Sonoran Desert and create your own tracks using stamps and water.

Desert Critters | Encounter snakes, tarantulas, scorpions and other desert critters general questions.

Super Saguaro | Explore this desert icon, see and touch a saguaro skeleton, learn about how it is an important resource for various desert wildlife and how it has evolved as a plant to live in the desert. Guests will learn how saguaro fruit is harvested.

Generously Supported By:

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Spring Plant Sale

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Bring the magic of the desert into your garden or green space. Explore our expansive collection of 30,000 desert-adapted plants at the Spring Plant Sale. Expert advice and a picturesque outdoor shopping experience await.

The Leaf Connection

Now through Aug. 24, 2025

The Leaf  Connection showcases the vibrant plant diversity of the Phoenix metro area through an intricate display of hand-made, ceramic leaves at Webster Center. With more than 1,000 ceramic pieces, each leaf’s design is influenced by observations community scientists record on iNaturalist, an established online platform where nature lovers share information on biodiversity.

Orchid Fever

March 15 - May 11

To celebrate the opening of The RAF Exhibit Gallery, the Garden presents its first-ever orchid exhibit, showcasing colorful blooms, delightful scents and wild textures that engage all the senses.

 

Become a member and get unlimited access all year!

BECOME A MEMBER
ADVANCE TICKET RESERVATIONS ARE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR MEMBERS AND GENERAL PUBLIC
March-April Reservations are strongly recommended for Gertrude's Restaurant
March 21: The Garden, Gertrude's Restaurant & Garden Shop will close at 3 p.m. Last admission at 1:30 p.m.
Music in the Garden will be held in Dorrance Hall due to weather