The Dallas Arboretum's Gazebos Take a Final Bow, and the Holidays Change Every Year Through 2028

"They more than doubled their intended lifespan because the love Dallas showed them made it impossible to let go any sooner." Dallas Arboretum President and CEO Sabina Carr said that about the 12 Days of Christmas gazebos when she announced their retirement, as reported by WFAA. The Victorian-style gazebos debuted in 2014 and were built for a five-year run. After more than a decade, the animatronics inside them are aging, and the Arboretum decided to retire the display rather than let it wear down in public.

The bigger change is what comes after them. Each of the next three holiday seasons at 8525 Garland Road will be built around a different centerpiece: the gazebos' farewell in 2026, a sculpture installation in 2027, and an all-new holiday experience in 2028. The fall calendar has already started thinning out too. Between now and January 3, the Arboretum runs on the schedule East Dallas has known for twelve years, one last time.

A Five-Year Exhibit That Ran for Twelve

The Arboretum's holiday page describes twelve glass-sided gazebos that have stood on its 66 acres since 2014, "bringing the magic of the season to life for hundreds of thousands of Dallas families." Each gazebo stages a verse of the carol. A 2018 D Magazine piece credits Tommy Bourgeois as the exhibit's designer. It also describes the bird figures that carry the early verses: turtle doves, French hens, calling birds, geese and swans.

The Arboretum calls this season "The 12 Days of Christmas: One Final Chorus." Marshall Detwiler, the Arboretum's vice president of marketing and guest experience, told the Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate: "This season, the gazebos will take their final bow, and we want to honor them by bringing the whole city together one last time." He called it "the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next."

Three Holidays, Three Centerpieces

Holiday at the Arboretum isn't going away. The Christmas Village, the Merry Monochromatic décor inside the historic DeGolyer House and the light displays all return. Night Glow, powered by AURORA, adds artist-curated light installations after dark. What changes is the anchor exhibit, and it changes three years in a row:

HYBYCOZO is a Los Angeles public-art studio founded by artists Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuk. It is known for perforated stainless-steel sculptures lit from inside with LEDs. The studio says its Arboretum winter exhibition is planned for November 2027 to February 2028 and that more details are coming. That run goes into February, past where the current holiday season ends on January 3.

The farewell season, by the numbers

• Dates: November 11 through January 3, 2027.
• Daytime: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at $21.95 to $25.95 for adults and $17.95 to $21.95 for children ages 3 to 12, depending on the date.
• Holiday at Night: 5 to 10 p.m., at $35 to $40 general admission and $20 to $25 for members. Walk-up night tickets cost $4 more than advance online tickets.
• Night Owl: 8:30 to 10 p.m., $15, sold online only.
• Sing-along: a nightly 8 p.m. sing-along inside the Christmas Village, part of the special programming for the final season.

The Arboretum hasn't posted a full day-by-day calendar of farewell promotions yet. For the full history of the gazebos, the holiday page links to a story in the Fall 2026 issue of the Arboretum's Bloom magazine.

Fall Has Already Lost Two Fixtures

The fall calendar has already started changing over. Hunt Slonem's "Bunnies, Birds & Butterflies," with 37 installations and more than 100 works, closed September 30. Twilight Nights, the Friday-to-Sunday evening series with music and food and drink, ended September 27. That leaves Autumn at the Arboretum as the main event until November 1.

This year's Pumpkin Village theme is "Harvest Hues." More than 100,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash fill the garden. The pumpkin houses take their cues from Basquiat, Rothko, Bourgeois, Mondrian, Escher and Pollock, and Dallas muralist Alli K painted the giant "Harvest Hues" letters. Last year's ¡Mundo México! theme is finished. Photos you remember from 2025 won't match what's on the ground now.

Here is what's left on the fall calendar as of October 8:

1. October 9, 6 to 9 p.m.: Pumpkins and Pints, "Texas Trail."
2. October 12, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Little Adventurers.
3. October 16, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Pumpkin & Squash Show and Sale. That evening from 6 to 9, Pumpkins and Pints runs "Pizza and Pours."
4. October 20, 5:30 to 8 p.m.: Pumpkins After Hours, a sensory-friendly evening in Pumpkin Village with quiet zones and smaller crowds.
5. October 23: BOO-tanical Trick or Treat, a new members-only event at the Children's Adventure Garden from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Pumpkins and Pints "Oktoberfest" overlaps it, running from 6 to 9 p.m.
6. October 30: A second BOO-tanical Trick or Treat night, plus the "Chili Cookoff," the last Pumpkins and Pints of the season.
7. November 1: Autumn at the Arboretum ends.

Weather can still move dates around. The BBQ & Beer evening was moved from a Friday to Wednesday, October 7. Pumpkins and Pints sells food and drinks on site and doesn't allow outside food or drink. The event pages we checked didn't list ticket prices for the evening events, so check those at checkout.

The Pumpkin Village season ends November 1 and the gazebos' final season opens November 11, so the garden runs on regular admission for the nine days between.

New Ground Opening While the Exhibits Turn Over

The permanent gardens are changing too. A SocialWhirl report on the Women's Council of the Dallas Arboretum's May 2026 meeting said the Pecan Parterre had "opened earlier in the week." The project plan from when it broke ground in 2025 included an ADA-accessible path linking the garden's upper and lower levels, connecting to the Poetry Garden and the Flowering Vitex Allee. The Arboretum's Autumn 2026 Bloom names the Mother Daughter Water Garden and the Burgess Family Serenity Garden as new gardens. Neither source we found gives an opening date for either one, so check before planning a visit around them.

There is also money waiting on the buildings. Dallas's 2024 bond dashboard lists a $4 million project titled "Dallas Arboretum – Upgrades Multiple Buildings." As of the page's last update on March 8, 2026, its start date, status and completion date were all still listed as TBD.

The Logistics That Changed Since Last Holiday Season

If you're a member and haven't been since summer 2025, parking works differently now. Since September 1, 2025, members have to pre-register up to two license plates to keep free parking. Vehicles that aren't registered pay the standard rate. That rate is $15 per vehicle plus tax and fees. You can buy parking online in advance with license-plate recognition, and there are three visitor entrances on Garland Road.

Garland Road itself is clear again. White Rock Lake nonprofit For the Love of the Lake posted a Dallas Water Utilities notice about wastewater-main grouting that closed westbound lanes and the trail next to them this summer. Its page now says the trail reopened August 20, 2026.

For households deciding between a membership and single tickets across both seasons, here are the posted numbers. Family membership is $175 and Individual is $115. Daytime adult admission is $21.95 Monday through Thursday and $25.95 Friday through Sunday. Holiday at Night is about $15 cheaper per ticket for members than for general admission. Membership also covers the members-only events this October, including both BOO-tanical Trick or Treat nights. Museums for All admission is $3.

Once January 3 passes, the gazebos are gone for good, and next year's holiday season has a different centerpiece and a different end date in February.

If the Arboretum is part of how your household marks the seasons, and you're weighing where in East Dallas to live, I'm happy to talk through how close the different streets are to Garland Road and how traffic around the Arboretum changes during these seasons. Reach out to Donna Hartley to schedule a free consultation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.