On Route 16, the Garden at Elm Bank runs two separate calendars this fall, and they meet with no gap between them. The Massachusetts Horticultural Society lists the Garden's 2026 season as April 1 through November 24. The 18th annual Festival of Trees opens on the same grounds the next day, November 25, and runs through December 28.
On the calendar, the Festival is a December outing. In practice, most of its decisions get made this month. Members can start buying tickets on Wednesday, October 14, and the public on Tuesday, October 20. Every ticket is tied to one date and one entry window, and once it's bought it can't be changed or refunded. A family that settles its Elm Bank plans in late November is choosing from whatever slots are still left.
The Garden Keeps Its Ordinary Season Until Tuesday, November 24
For the next six weeks, Elm Bank works the way it has since spring. Standard hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, with last entry at 4:15 p.m., and you pay at the Gatehouse when you arrive. Adult admission is $14 and youth ages 3 to 17 pay $5. Mass Hort members get in free, and EBT and WIC cardholders pay $5 for up to two guests. The Garden sometimes closes early for private events, so Mass Hort points visitors to the "On View Today" section of its visit page before heading over.
The Education Building has two shows this fall. "Abundance," by the New England Society of Botanical Artists, is on view during garden hours, and the library exhibit "Herbals of Five Centuries" is listed from October through December. The Garden's posted season ends November 24, and Mass Hort's page doesn't say how the library exhibit can be seen in December outside the Festival. Anyone who wants to see the herbals in a quiet room has a firm window that closes before Thanksgiving week.
The fall's last hands-on program comes earlier. Saturday, November 14 is the final session of Mass Hort's five-part pruning series, the "Dormant Pruning Workshop." The topic fits the moment, since the beds are going dormant ten days before the grounds switch over to holiday lights.
The Festival Sells Entry Slots, Not Day Passes
When the Garden closes for the season, the way you get in changes completely. Mass Hort's visitor page says timed tickets are required during special events and festivals. When the Swellesley Report previewed the 2023 Festival, it noted that admission required advance timed tickets, with no sales at the gate.
| Garden season, through Nov. 24 | Festival of Trees, Nov. 25 to Dec. 28 | |
|---|---|---|
| How you buy | Pay at the Gatehouse on arrival | Advance ticket for a set date and entry window |
| Adult price | $14 | $29 peak, $24 off-peak |
| Kids 3 to 17 | $5 | $10 peak, $8 off-peak |
| Mass Hort members | Free | $22 peak, $17 off-peak, capped by membership tier |
| Closing time | 5 p.m., last entry 4:15 p.m. | 7:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve |
| Changes and refunds | Not applicable | Nontransferable and nonrefundable |
The Festival's entry window controls when you get in. It doesn't limit how long you stay. Mass Hort asks guests to arrive 5 to 10 minutes before their slot, and once inside they can stay until closing. That means an early-evening slot and a late-afternoon slot both end at 7:30 p.m. The difference is how much of the daylight-to-lights change you get to see.
Mass Hort says each slot has a limited number of tickets, and it doesn't offer group discounts because the Festival is its largest annual fundraiser. On the Festival page, the dates that count as peak or off-peak appear only on a calendar graphic, so check it while you're choosing a date. Weather is the one exception to the no-changes rule. If Mass Hort cancels for unsafe or extreme conditions, it offers a full refund or another date. If it doesn't cancel, tickets are good for the date and time printed on them.
Membership Works Differently on Each Calendar
A Mass Hort membership means something different before and after November 24. During the Garden season, members get in free. During the Festival, they get a discount plus the six-day head start between October 14 and October 20. The discount covers only a set number of tickets, based on membership type:
- Individual members: 1 ticket at the member rate
- Dual members: 2 tickets at the member rate
- Supporter members and above: 4 tickets at the member rate
- Any additional tickets: purchased at the regular adult rate
To claim member pricing, you pick a date and time slot, then type "FOT" followed by your membership ID into the promo code box, as in FOT123456. Children of members are $5 at both peak and off-peak, against $10 and $8 for other kids. The timing catch is upgrades. Mass Hort handles membership upgrades only on weekdays during staffed office hours, so a family that finds out on a Saturday that it needs a higher tier has to wait for the office to reopen while slots keep selling.
The Dates That Matter, in Order
Line up both calendars and the important dates mostly land well before the Festival opens:
- Wednesday, October 14: Festival tickets go on sale to Mass Hort members.
- Tuesday, October 20: Festival tickets go on sale to the public.
- Saturday, November 14: The "Dormant Pruning Workshop," the final pruning class of the fall.
- Tuesday, November 24: Last day of the 2026 Garden season.
- Wednesday, November 25: The Festival of Trees opens, the day before Thanksgiving.
- Thursday, December 24: The Festival closes at 2:30 p.m.
- Monday, December 28: Last day of the Festival.
- Tuesday, December 29: Raffle winners are notified by phone.
- Wednesday, December 30: Winning trees are picked up between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
The schedule can still change during the run. In December 2025, Wicked Local reported expanded hours for the Festival's final week. Mass Hort hasn't published anything similar for 2026, so the 7:30 p.m. closing stands for now.
What's Inside Once Your Slot Comes Up
Mass Hort says the event draws more than 18,000 guests each year and calls the tree room and raffle its centerpiece. The trees are donated and decorated by local organizations and families, with themes ranging from traditional to playful. The tree room has grown in recent years. The Swellesley Report counted more than 65 trees in 2023, and Boston 25 reported more than 70 a year later. Applications to donate a 2026 tree are open on the Festival page now.
Raffle tickets are sold on site for $15 per sheet of 25, by cash or card. You tear off tickets and drop them into the green post in front of each tree you'd like to win, and Mass Hort draws one winner per tree.
The Snow Village train room has its own local history. In 2023, the Swellesley Report said the village was donated by Needham resident Bill Meagher, with the Bay State Model Railroad Club handling technical upkeep. Boston 25 described the same arrangement in 2024, with Meagher and the Bay State Model Railroad Museum maintaining the display. HO and O scale trains run through scenes that include Boston at Christmas, Fenway Park and the North Pole.
Outside, the garden beds that close November 24 come back as lightscapes. Hot cocoa is served on arrival, and each paid ticket includes a s'mores kit for the firepits. Kids 2 and under get in free but don't receive a s'mores kit, and they still need a free ticket in the reservation. Outside food isn't allowed, though Mass Hort suggests guests with allergies or dietary restrictions bring their own s'mores supplies.
A few practical details round it out. Parking is free in paved and dirt lots, all within 150 yards of the entrance. The core light displays are along a paved road, while some paths are grass or crushed stone, and Mass Hort recommends leaving strollers at home because the displays are close together. Dogs aren't allowed at the Festival. That's also the rule inside the Garden year-round, while the public reservation roads and trails around it are managed by the Commonwealth. The event moves between indoor rooms and outdoor walks, so dress for the outdoor stretches.
Mass Hort has been at Elm Bank since 2001, five years after it signed the lease that gave it a long-term home there. The Festival of Trees is one of the few events on the site that asks Wellesley to plan a whole season ahead.
If you'd like help pulling together a holiday calendar that works around Elm Bank's dates, or simply want to talk through what this season looks like in Wellesley, the Donahue | Maley | Burns Team is glad to help. If you're also thinking about your home this year, schedule your complimentary home valuation.
