Chihuly Nights to light up Sundays due to popular demand

News | 20 January 2025

Due to popular demand, Chihuly Nights will light up the Adelaide Botanic Garden for an additional night each week, with Sunday sessions to be offered from this weekend.

The after-dark experience of the Australian first and exclusive exhibition, Chihuly in the Botanic Garden continues to sell-out, prompting the extended weekly schedule to allow more visitors to enjoy the world’s most celebrated contemporary glass artist.

Chihuly Nights offers an all-access pass to the complete Chihuly experience, where the colourful artworks transform under a setting sun before being reimagined under dramatic nocturnal lighting.

The ticketed experience will now run from Thursday to Sunday each week, until the exhibition closes on 29 April.

Since opening in September 2024, the unprecedented success of Chihuly in the Botanic Garden has seen 712,000 visitors attended the exhibition at its halfway point in January.

Strong attendance is forecast to continue for the remaining months, with Chihuly in the Botanic Garden set to capture the influx of visitors in Adelaide throughout the Adelaide Fringe, WOMADelaide, Adelaide Festival, AFL Gather Round, and April school holidays.

Also starting from this weekend, the new restaurant within Adelaide Botanic Garden, Botanic Lodge will commence evening dining service on Friday and Saturday nights. Showcasing South Australia’s renowned food and wine offerings, a meticulously crafted dinner by Head Chef Tom Tilbury includes a ticket to Chihuly Nights for a spectacular dining experience.

Chihuly in the Botanic Garden adds to a powerhouse 2025 events calendar in South Australia, with the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Santos Tour Down Under, LIV Golf Adelaide in its new February timeslot, and the State’s renowned festival season.

Deputy Premier, Susan Close said "This incredible exhibition has quickly established itself as a premier event on South Australia’s increasingly busy event calendar and I welcome the expansion of Chihuly Nights.

This will mean even more South Australians, as well as interstate and international visitors, can enjoy this uniquely spectacular event."

Minister for Tourism, Zoe Bettison said "Chihuly in the Botanic Garden has already lightened the lives of almost 712,000 visitors, and it is wonderful that now even more people will be able to enjoy this world-class attraction in such a unique way.

It is a privilege for us to host such exquisite artwork by the world’s most celebrated contemporary glass artist, which is a gem in South Australia’s packed calendar of events which are drawing visitors to our State and driving dollars into the pockets of our businesses.

The beauty of the glass artwork is how it transforms across daylight, twilight and into the night, so I encourage everyone not to miss this opportunity to be immersed in the magic of Chihuly while you can."

 Michael Harvey, Director Botanic Garden and State Herbarium said "We had great confidence in the excellence of the artwork and of the Garden, and in the readiness of the South Australian community to come out and explore this unique new experience. To see it do so well among locals and tourists alike is an absolute delight, and the feedback from visitors has been extraordinarily positive.

With Chihuly Nights tickets selling out on a regular basis, it is an easy decision to introduce Sunday night sessions, especially as we anticipate that running Chihuly Nights through the Adelaide Fringe and Festival seasons will make the garden an even bigger hit!"