If you’re always in need of a good reason to visit the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, Lumagination is a great one. Lumagination is an event where the gardens are transformed into a colorful, magical world, filled with towering plants, waterfalls and an impressive array of fantastic special effects – sound and lighting.
This year, aside from spectacular sound and lighting, Lumagination will feature sculptural works by The University at Buffalo Theatre & Dance Department, which will also be illuminated.
UB will contribute illuminated sculptures for the front lawn of the Botanical Gardens, as well as a light and soundscape for the interior of the Panama Rainforest greenhouse.
The UB team is working with the Botanical Gardens and Luminated Landscapes to create a vision that will be out of this world.
The team includes; Lynne Koscielniak, Associate Professor of Scenography and Chair of UB Theatre & Dance; Jon Shimon, Technical Director and Assistant Professor of Technology, Supervisor of the UB United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Student Chapter; Dyan Burlingame, Project Consultant and Assistant Clinical Professor of Scenography, Director of Design & Technology; and key undergraduate student researchers and artists Gina Boccolucci, Alex Farley, Hayden Harter, Bethany Kasperek, and Leo Tozzi.
Lumagination is almost here! Get ready to explore the creatively themed greenhouses, along with interactive entertainment. This is something that the entire family can enjoy.
All of the new exhibits (Aquatic Garden and Asian Rainforest) will not only be open, they will be transformed into sound and light spectaculars. Visitors will come across dragons, an Orchid Fairy House, and a number of other tantalizing surprises, including a realistic thunderstorm.
The Lumagination Launch Party will flip the switch on Lumagination on January 24 from 6:00-9:00pm. Guests will enjoy signature cocktails and delicious appetizers as we kick off Lumagination 2017! Tickets include: full cocktails from Ciroc Vodka, Bulleit Bourbon and Nolet’s Gin, creative and festive appetizers from Obviously Avi Catering, fun entertainment, a basket raffle, the inside scoop on this amazing show and more!
Launch Party tickets are $35 for Botanical Garden Members, $40 for the general public and $45 after January 19. Tickets are available online at www.buffalogardens.com or by phone, 716-827-1584 ext. 220. The Launch Party is sponsored by: Ciroc Vodka, Bulleit Bourbon, Nolet’s Gin, National Grid, Cobey, Upstate Rebar, Rich’s, Orthodontists Association of WNY, Mader Construction, Chiampou Travis Besaw & Kershner LLP, Buffalo Spree, Star 102.5 and Backyard Party Supply.
Lumagination will take place January 25-28, February 1-4, 7-11, 14-21 nights. All ages. Show hours will be 6:00-9:00 pm (last admission ticket will be sold at 8:45pm and the Botanical Gardens will close at 9:15pm) and until 10:00 pm on Friday and Saturday nights (last admission ticket will be sold at 9:45pm and the Botanical Gardens will close at 10:15pm). Admission doors will open at 6:00 pm each night and admission is $14 for adults, $12 for seniors (62+) and students (13+), $10 for Botanical Garden members, $6 for kids 3-12 and kids 2 and under are free. Tickets are available online at www.buffalogardens.com and will be throughout the show. Tickets will also be available at the door throughout the show. Garden guest passes, discounts and coupons are not valid during Lumagination. Cameras and mono pods are welcome every night however, tripods are not permitted. Photographer Night on January 31 from 6:00-9:00 pm welcomes professional and amateur photographers only, and tripods will be permitted on this night only!
Lumagination is produced by: Luminated Landscapes and is sponsored by: National Grid, Cobey, Upstate Rebar, Rich’s, Orthodontists Association of WNY, Jens Glass, Mader Construction, Chiampou Travis Besaw & Kershner LLP, Buffalo Spree, Star 102.5 and Backyard Party Supply. Use #Lumagination and @Buffalogardens when posting on social media.
Creative concepts and designs provided by Philip Colorusso and Luminated Landscapes, Inc., located in East Aurora, New York. Luminated Landscapes is a local business that is painting our world with light – www.luminatedlandscapes.com.
Visit the Botanical Gardens’ website at www.buffalogardens.com. Proceeds benefit the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens Society Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with a mission to inspire curiosity and connect people to the natural world through its historic living museum.
Photos: Joe Diebold Photography