LARGO, Fla. — The holidays are here, and so is Piper Rosenberger’s 12th birthday.
To celebrate, she was one of hundreds of people who attended the opening night of Holiday Lights in the Gardens at the Florida Botanical Gardens.
“I love it,” she said.
The event runs from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. nightly through December 31st. According to Emily Goot, the executive director of the Florida Botanical Gardens Foundation, the display includes more than a million lights that are put up by volunteers.
“Our installer starts in September, so it takes months!” said Goots. “We’re very excited to continue to bring this event to the community. It’s become kind of a holiday tradition.”
It’s the 23rd year of the beloved event, but this year is a special one.
Right now, the event is in the running for nationwide recognition. It’s a nominee in USA Today’s competition for “Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights.”
You can vote in the contest at this link.
“We are currently ranked number nine, and we stay in the top ten, so we hope people will vote, vote, vote,” Goot said.
Whether it wins or not, Emily Goot knows the event’s a winner, and Piper and her friends think so, too.
“I’ll probably come back here a couple more times,” the soon-to-be 12-year-old said.
There is a suggested donation of $10 per person, with kids 12 and under free.
