This post has been updated to include the Celebration in the Oaks Walking Tour.
Use the Table of Contents below to go to the updated content:
Pro Tip: Before your visit to New Orleans and New Orleans City Park, check weather and news updates on the NOLA Ready website.
After the clock struck midnight this year, I wanted to do something different.
It was time to venture out into a new year.
Travel was definitely not in the books for me, and with schools and universities still closed for the holidays, everyone was at home and our options for entertainment within our 4 walls had started to repeat themselves.
In my state, COVID-19 cases were still on the rise at the start of the year, and health and safety was also paramount in choosing something to do that was outside of my family bubble.
When I started a search for safe, family-friendly activities, an event in New Orleans City Park peaked my interest.
It was something that I read about before and was curious about, but I never planned or took any steps to attend.
The event that peaked my interest is called Celebration in the Oaks.
Celebration in the Oaks is one of the largest holiday light displays in the United States. It is one of the largest fundraisers that benefits the maintenance, care, and beautification of New Orleans City Park.
The amazing experience that I enjoyed at the New Orleans Botanical Garden (which is a part of New Orleans City Park) was evidence that fundraisers are an integral part of continuing to provide the exceptional beauty found within the Botanical Garden and throughout City Park.
In previous years, the route was available for visitors to walk through New Orleans City Park and enjoy the lights.
Charities, businesses, and foundations around the world have had to pivot and think outside of the box to provide their services during the pandemic, and New Orleans City Park was no different.
It is said, “The show must go on,” and New Orleans City Park pivoted and made Celebration in the Oaks a driving tour.
This made me so happy! I could still see the beautiful lights with my family within the safe space of my vehicle.
There are over 1 million twinkling lights included for visitors to enjoy during the 2.25 mile driving tour.
Tickets are available online at the New Orleans City Park website, and booking a time slot was very easy.
Time slots are available in a 1 hour arrival window in which visitors are able to start a driving tour.
Prices are based on vehicle size and the categories available are:
- Sedans/SUVs (limit 8 guests/vehicle)
- Limos (limit 15 guests/vehicle)
- Sprinter Vans (limit 20 guests/vehicle)
There’s even pricing available for those who want to take the driving tour on a bike. One night a week during Celebration in the Oaks is reserved for Bike Nights.
https://twitter.com/NOLACityPark/status/1465414787555377153
After I completed the purchase of my ticket, email confirmation quickly followed. The email contained a QR code that can be added to Apple Pay or Google Pay.
It was exciting to begin a new year with this experience, and my mind was filled with thoughts of how much I was going to enjoy the evening with my family.
The email confirmation I received included the GPS address to use to access the entrance of the Celebration in the Oaks, and it was easy to find.
Two hours before the arrival window I chose at registration, I received a text message that contained my QR code that would be presented at the entrance. The message also included a link to my reservation.
Fifteen minutes before my arrival window, I received another text message that invited me to tune my car radio to an FM station playing holiday tunes during my driving tour.
I was impressed with the organization behind this event!
The entrance is clearly marked and after the QR code that I saved to my phone was scanned, I was given a credit card sized plastic card to keep on the driver’s side dashboard. The attendant at the entrance told us that the card needed to remain there until our vehicle exited the park.
A canopy of red and green lights welcomed us to the driving tour, and from that moment on, it was all about the lights.
Familiar iconic sights such as St. Louis Cathedral and the streetcars that travel up and down the streets of New Orleans delighted everyone in my family.
The whimsical displays are built on a grand scale and the colors are bold and bright.
While we drove through Celebration in the Oaks, my car radio was tuned to the Christmas music station that was recommended in the text message that I received prior to our arrival. The festive music in the background only added to the magical feeling of the holidays.
Santa waved goodbye to us as we neared the end of our driving tour.
Remember the plastic card that the attendant told us to keep on our car dashboard?
After you drive past the Santa Claus that appears to be 20 feet tall, you and your family won’t be disappointed that you followed those instructions.
I won’t spoil the surprise here. You’ll see it when you finish your tour.
As my car drew near to the exit of Celebration in the Oaks, there was one more surprise (that I can disclose) waiting for me and my family. A brightly lit Cafe Du Monde sign beckoned guests to stop for coffee and beignets before leaving New Orleans City Park, and we answered that call.
This location is very busy during Celebration in the Oaks, so be prepared to keep an eye out for taillights that signal that someone is leaving a parking space. We found a space close to the building and my kids hopped out of the car with our orders (and their phones, just in case our orders changed).
Seating is limited inside and outside of Cafe Du Monde, but there is an order window outside. Within a few minutes, the signature white Cafe Du Monde bags with the smell of freshly made beignets was inside my vehicle. It was a cold night, and I didn’t mind eating this treat in a warm car instead of inside the restaurant.
This was the perfect ending to a night of lights and holiday joy.
The enjoyment of the driving tour made the event memorable. I knew that I wanted to come back. I returned to Celebration in the Oaks after all of my breast cancer treatments were complete. The timing was perfect because it was the year when the walking tour was reintroduced to the experience.
Return of Celebration in the Oaks Walking Tour
The walking tour has been an add-on to Celebration in the Oaks (which was called Christmas in the Oaks) since the late 80s. The pandemic reintroduced the driving tour in December 2020, but due to COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions, the walking tour was removed from the celebration.
The thrill of seeing over 1 million twinkling lights during the driving tour made me want to return to experience the combination of the driving tour with the walking tour. Life had other plans, and breast cancer treatments delayed my return to CITO until December 2022.
When New Orleans City Park made the announcement that the walking tour was going to return as apart of Celebration in the Oaks, timing had it that all my treatments were over, my white blood cell counts were up, and I felt safer about participating in crowded activities.
In a press release Cara Lambright, City Park Conservancy CEO said, “With the Driving Tour and Walking Tour, this will be the biggest footprint Celebration in the Oaks has had since Hurricane Katrina.” I booked tickets for both tours with excitement and anticipation.
Driving Tour Revisited
Before enjoying the Walking Tour, I took the Driving Tour again. It was such an enjoyable experience for me and with a one year gap in between visits, it made it feel like I was seeing everything for the first time.
The Walking Tour
Once the Driving Tour was complete, we found parking to walk into the Botanical Garden to begin the Walking Tour. The excitement I felt for this part of the tour was palpable. I couldn’t wait to see the sculptures that I had seen by day illuminated with light.
Before checking in to start the tour, the first thing I noticed was the sculpture at the entrance of New Orleans Botanical Garden. Good News I by New Orleans native, Fritz Bultman (1919-1985), is one of his largest creations.
The Arrival Garden was illuminated for the occasion. The large oak tree that greets visitors to the Botanical Garden was glowing with green light, and the festive lighting underneath added to its charm.
With all the activities available during Celebration in the Oaks, the noise of the crowd that floats into the Arrival Garden would cause a first time visitor to take the path that leads to hot chocolate, bright lights, and amusement park rides. I knew the beauty that was waiting inside the Enrique Alférez Sculpture Garden, and had dreamed of seeing how different the landscape and sculptures looked at night, so that’s where I started the Walking Tour.
Enrique Alférez Sculpture Garden
Nude Girl with Shell is the first sculpture in the garden and there was a stark difference between seeing it in the springtime with a flowing fountain surrounded by blooming crepe myrtle trees and seeing it at night during the winter.
The concrete path naturally flows to a gravel footpath where two sculptures named Repose and Gymnast looked exquisite under the light of the stars.
La Soldadera, one of my favorite sculptures in the garden, looked just as brave at night as she does during the day.
Woman in a Huipil, a bronze sculpture c. 1981 gazed upwards towards the trees.
To learn more about each sculpture inside the Enrique Alfaréz Sculpture Garden and to see how each one looks by day, read my blog post about New Orleans Botanical Garden.
After leaving the Sculpture Garden, I walked directly to the Conservatory of the Two Sisters. The glass dome was visible from the Arrival Garden, and it looked beautiful dressed in lights for the holiday season.
The Dripping Tree
One of the most magnificent oak trees inside the Botanical Garden Tour is The Dripping Tree. It is only available to view during the Walking Tour. Its branches are wrapped with bright, white lights. The cascading lights that drop from the branches gives the appearance of light dripping from the tree. It is an absolutely magical sight!
Walking under The Dripping Tree allows guests to wander through the Botanical Garden. Wandering always leads to discovery, doesn’t it? The next statue was strikingly different in color from the bronze sculptures inside the Enrique Alférez Sculpture Garden. This statue had a golden glow that was illuminated by the surrounding holiday lights. The glow occurs because of the brightly polished bronze.
The base of the statue had a name engraved: F. Vezzoli. Francesco Vezzoli is an Italian artist and filmmaker, and he is the creator of this statue of Sophia Loren.
Behind the Sophia Loren statue were brightly colored orbs of light that reminded me of dandelions.
When I walked away from this art installation, I found one of my favorite Alférez statues, The Flute Player. It was illuminated by the lights in the trees. The sound of the water in the fountain was soothing. This was the perfect place to pause and appreciate the beauty of the garden.
The Southern Shade Garden, a place to wander under trees along a gravel footpath, looked stunning in lights.
A wind chime that I don’t remember from my first visit to the Botanical Garden rang out as I exited the Southern Shade Garden. One of the wonderful things about returning to a place years after your first visit is that you are bound to find something new.
The New Orleans Historic Train Garden is a must-see when you visit New Orleans Botanical Garden, and it is a place you cannot miss during the Walking Tour. The trains are stationary almost every day except Saturdays, Sundays, and during Celebration in the Oaks. They come to life and move on the rails among the models of buildings that represent late 1800 to early 1900s New Orleans. There are lights shining from inside the buildings on the train’s route, which is something you don’t see during a visit in the daytime.
Café du Monde
When Celebration in the Oaks returned after the pandemic the Driving Tour was its only attraction. On that first visit I discovered the City Park location of Café Du Monde.
After leaving the Train Garden I called the cafe to check their operating hours. I realized that I would not be able to complete the Walking Tour and visit the cafe. Thankfully Café Du Monde is within walking distance of the Botanical Garden. However going there meant leaving the Botanical Garden. I checked with the staff at the entrance to make sure that I could reenter to complete the Walking Tour. When it was confirmed that I could come back I walked with my family to Café Du Monde.
A plate of beignets and a cup of hot café au lait were the fuel I needed to continue my visit.
Carousel Gardens Amusement Park
From the music and voices of enjoyment floating through the air, I could tell that I was close to Carousel Gardens Amusement Park. This is the part of City Park that offers 18 rides including a ferris wheel and a roller coaster. Inside the park is a wooden carousel that 100+ years old, making it one of the oldest in the United States. It is also known as the “Flying Horses”.
The miniature train ride that travels all the way around City Park is where I started my exploration of Carousel Gardens Amusement Park. The train route has a wonderful added benefit: it gets you even closer to the lights you see from your vehicle on the driving tour.
The Ferris wheel was the final ride I wanted to experience inside Carousel Gardens. From the top of this 55 foot tall attraction, riders have an aerial view of the entire park, and you can even see the New Orleans skyline in the distance. The original ferris wheel was damaged during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This ferris wheel was its replacement.
During the Walking Tour time seemed to stand still. It’s true that time flies when you’re having fun! As we exited the Ferris wheel I looked at my watch and realized that it was almost closing time. Thinning crowds in the park confirmed that it was almost time for my visit to come to an end.
On my way out of Carousel Gardens a New Orleans icon was waiting to share my final moments of the Walking Tour. Mr. Bingle is a Christmas mascot created in 1948 for the Maison Blanche department store. After the chain was sold to Dillard’s department store in 1998, a 50-foot papier-mâché version of Mr. Bingle was donated to City Park. It has been displayed during Celebration in the Oaks since 2005.
The theme of discovery emerges each time I visit City Park. The gems that lie within its 1,300 acres are worthy of exploration all year, and the holiday season brings the magic of the park into a new light. The Driving Tour and Walking Tour are experiences that I thoroughly enjoyed with my family. If your travels take you to New Orleans during holiday season, I highly recommend adding Celebration in the Oaks to your itinerary.
Let’s Talk!
Does your hometown have a holiday light display you enjoy?
What makes your favorite holiday light display special?
Would you travel to another country/state to see a holiday light display that you have read about?
Reading this makes me feel so festive! I’ve never heard of celebration in the oaks, but it’s a light display I’d like to see myself one day.
It makes me happy hear that my blog post helped to spread Christmas cheer! I hope you get the opportunity to visit New Orleans during the holiday season to see this enchanting holiday light display.
Christmas lights and beignets make for a perfect day!
Lights and beignets make for a perfect day!
Yes, they do!
I’m happy that the Celebration in the Oaks found a way to keep going. I was there a few years ago, and walked through to see many of the displays. It’s a beautiful event. And it sounds like they have things running smoothly.
It’s great to hear that you were able to do the walk-through version of Celebration in the Oaks! My hope is that it will return one day when COVID is under control. (I can dream, right?) The organizers put a lot of thought into making the driving tour a delight for guests, and I’m glad that I was able to experience it.
The lights are amazing! I love the dinosaur!
New Orleans City Park does a wonderful job making the light displays beautiful and engaging for guests who visit Celebration in the Oaks! The T-Rex is very popular and even makes an appearance in a recent New Orleans commercial. He’s one of my favorites, too.
This sounds like such a fun (and safe!) way to celebrate the season, Alecia! And I have to say, beignets are the perfect way to cap off the evening. I hope we get to visit for the holidays someday 🙂
I hope you get to experience Celebration in the Oaks along with the holiday season in New Orleans, Lynn! I applaud organizations that were able to pivot during the pandemic, making events like this a fun, safe experience.