We are happy to announce the Autumn Lights Festival fundraiser returns to the Gardens at Lake Merritt from 6pm – 10pm on Friday and Saturday, October 18 & 19, 2013!

Imagine several acres of garden illuminated with amazing and enchanting art installations created by local Bay Area artists. Electric fireflies flickering in the trees, glowing waterfalls, a flock of interactive books, a Polynesian Paradise with hand-crafted tiki lanterns and hula girls projected on palm trees. Fire art cars and live fire performers light the night while music and sound installations surprise at every turn on the garden paths lit with hundreds of luminarias. Attendees are invited to participate during the evening by coming dressed in their most interesting illuminated garden attire.

• Lighted art, fire, and sound installations by Local Bay Area Artists
• Food, Beer & Wine
• Artist’s Museum Store

Tickets

Click here to buy tickets
Tickets are $25 in advance at  or $35 at the gate
Children 3-12 years are half price, free under 3 years
VIP Tickets for 21+ are $50, and are available in advance only. VIP Ticket includes free wine and beer tastings and illumination toys in the VIP lounge.

Artists and Art Installations

Performers and Performance Schedule

Volunteers Needed

If you would like to contribute by volunteering at the Autumn Lights Festival, please fill out and submit this form.

Funds raised will be used for improvements to the Gardens at Lake Merritt for the enjoyment of the entire community.

The Autumn Lights Festival is hosted by the Friends of the Gardens at Lake Merritt and  produced by AnotherBullwinkelShow.

Thank you to our wonderful sponsors:

Get involved

Here are some other ways to join the fun:
Food Vendor Application
Tabling Opportunities & Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsorship Booth Application

For more information read the press release.

See more photos of last year’s Autumn Lights Festival here on Facebook.

For more than 50 years, this special garden in the heart of Oakland has been a place that city residents and visitors alike just love to experience as well as contribute to through volunteerism. And it is through the dedicated service of our volunteer force that we are able to keep the Gardens at Lake Merritt parkland beautiful and always ready to accept visitors with the open arms of majestic trees, fragrant flowers, and edible plants.

The Friends of the Gardens at Lake Merritt (FGLM) are always working to improve the experience of volunteering at the Gardens and to increase the total number of volunteers spending time in Gardens each season. We are putting the call out for individuals who love people, plants, and public parklands to join a new committee of Volunteer Coordinators!

The Volunteer Coordinators will work together as a team to conceptualize and develop ways to improve the volunteer experience at the Gardens at Lake Merritt. Additional projects may include creating a volunteer recognition program, and planning events and initiatives to get the word out about the Gardens and attract more volunteers to join the gardening fun.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please take a moment to complete the pre-interview survey. We hope to form this committee of Volunteer Coordinators by April 22, 2013.

If you have questions, please send an e-mail to Victory V Lee, Project Manager and FGLM Board Member. We are looking forward to welcoming new members to the Gardens at Lake Merritt team!

Mediterranean Garden

Plants are growing like crazy, flowers are budding and blooming, and the busy pollinators are kicking it into overdrive. With all this action going on in the Gardens, it’s no wonder you are feeling the itch to get outside. So here is the perfect opportunity: Come join us in the Gardens this spring as a volunteer gardener! There’s no better way to explore the gardens than by digging in and getting your hands dirty, and no better way to celebrate the spring season than experiencing it the way the plants and pollinators do.

Some of our fantastic volunteers enjoying their day

The Gardens staff is super busy and stretched very thin across the many green areas of Oakland managed by the city. Without the dedicated efforts of volunteers from the Oakland community, the Gardens at Lake Merritt wouldn’t be the “hidden jewel in the heart of the city” that it is today. When you volunteer you will get to perform garden maintenance and make enhancements in the form of digging, weeding, pruning, planting, and more. You can volunteer for as few or as many hours as you like, and will work alongside other fun and friendly people in a beautiful and peaceful setting.

Sensory Garden

No experience? No tools? No problem. As long as you don’t mind getting up close and personal with soil and the plant and animal life that call it home, you will be warmly welcomed and tools and gloves will be provided for you. Nancy Erb, one of the Gardens’ volunteer all-stars, says she always provides snacks for volunteers and sometimes even distributes lunch coupons donated by area eateries. She can also give plenty of tips on how to make a real difference in the gardens as a volunteer.

Volunteer all-stars Ann Nichols, Kazumi Anderson, Nancy Erb, and Carole Levenson

When I asked Nancy what she likes best about volunteering at the Gardens, she responded, “I like working with other good-hearted, generous people who share my vision for the Gardens as a place of beauty, peace, and inspiration for Oakland residents. Oaklanders need beauty, joy, and peace in their lives.”

Here is our current monthly volunteer work day schedule:

First Saturday of each month, 9am-noon – Mediterranean Garden

First Saturday of each month, 9am – 1:30pm – Succulent Garden

Third Saturday of each month, 9am- noon – Sensory Gardens, Palmetum, and the Rhododendron Garden

Every Thursday 9am-noon – Pollinator Garden, Succulent Garden, and others as needed

Send us an email or sign-up online and let us know your availability!

Edible Garden: If you’re interested in gardening at an Edible Garden; the Victory Garden Foundation’s People’s Victory Garden will have mentored gardening days on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays. Please see the Event Calendar for the month of April at http://www.peoplesvictorygarden.org/apps/calendar/

We had a great work day on Saturday, April 17 in the Torii Gate Garden with volunteers of all ages.

The group was comprised primarily of a team from PG&E.

The major focus of our work was beginning a new stone beach for the pond in the garden.

Volunteers also did some excavation to install some electric conduit, and general weeding.

Everyone pitched in and got a lot accomplished.

And there was still time to take a break and check out the gardens’ newest residents– ducklings!