Midsummer Night's gleam

Returning after a 5-year hiatus, this was such a spectacular full moon night! So happy I was able to experience such beautiful lights. It's gorgeous the way the lights sparkled underneath us as we walked through the tunnels and trees. The time and dedication put into this event definitely made it worthwhile. I wonder why they don't just leave it for all summer and let more people enjoy..Only $3 Adult Admission which we got through online reservation. Checking in was a breeze, they just checked our email before letting us in. It was neat they gave us a token to enter and exit as we please. Parking was expectedly chaotic because of the location. We were lucky to find street parking eventually - 10 min walk. Lots of different keiki activities, we ended up doing the sword fighting which was fun since it was made of foam. Let us be kids again! Lots of people sitting on blankets and enjoying each other's companies while listening to the live concerts as the night went on. There were a few food vendors as well.One of the more unique things we experienced was seeing the Corpse Flower (yes it smells!).Fun Online Fact: Corpse Flower is a rare and endangered flowering plant that's native to the rainforests of Sumatra. It's also known as the corpse flower because it releases a strong odor when it blooms that's similar to rotting meat. This smell attracts pollinators like carrion beetles and flies. The plant also self-generates heat and raises the scent high into the trees to increase its chances of pollination. It also only blooms every 7-10 years so we were lucky to come during this time! Mahalo Foster Botanical Garden and all the hardworking staff that made this happen!

This is such a great annual event!!! Foster Botanical Gardens is a great place to visit. This event is usually from 4 - 9 pm and there are many activities for children, music, and food. There is no charge to attend, and a ton of free parking in their lot, or on the street, and there is usually alternative parking areas set up for the event.This year there were four food trucks and a Jamba Juice tent for refreshments. There was also a small craft fair, and many activities for the children to do and enjoy. There was a tent "Golden Horde" that let children play saber fight with volunteers. It was very entertaining to watch this as some of the volunteers were quite good actors when they were hit and others emphasized team work when up against two children. When the sun set, these volunteers got out their real sabers and did a demonstration for everyone. That was super cool, some of their sabers made the "woosh" sound when moving, and lit up when hit by another saber.My favorite band was the Air Force band - they had such high energy, and sounded great no matter if you were by the stage or walking around.The lights that Foster Gardens set up were beautiful!!! A tunnel of lights and some that made you feel like you were in a shower of stars.You should definitely try to attend next year's one!!!