How To See The Glowing Sealight Festival in Chattanooga (2026)
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Wondering what the Sealight Festival is all about? It’s an event that transforms the Sculpture Fields in Chattanooga, Tennessee into a glowing nighttime wonderland filled with illuminated, hand-crafted lantern displays. You’ll stroll past hundreds of radiant lanterns, catch live acrobatic acts, check out vendors, and take in the enchanting outdoor setting. It’s only here for a limited time!
📌 Get Sealight Festival tickets for 2026 here 🎟️
I visited the festival for the first time last year & returned this year on Valentine’s weekend. I thought it was beautiful and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for something unique to do at night in Chattanooga. Read below for all the details on ticket pricing, dates, and important details I wish I knew before I went.
What is the Sealight Festival?
The Sealight Festival is a walkable outdoor event featuring glowing displays of hundreds of hand-crafted lanterns that light up at night.
Each lantern is a vibrant work of art which lines the winding pathway, bringing colorful light into the night sky and offering photo ops around every turn.
➡️ Included with your ticket is a live acrobatic performance, which is great for kids.
Main features include:
🏮Walking on a path to view elaborate lantern displays lit by LED lights
🤹♂️ Watching a live acrobatic performance at select times each night
🤳 Taking photos & videos with all the beautiful lights
🦋 Kids area with beautiful glowing swings & seesaws
🥟 Food & drinks available for purchase, including dumplings & cotton candy
This event is the perfect activity for spring break, a fun date night out, or family-friendly outing (your kids will love it!)
Where is the Sealight Festival located?
You’ll find the Sealight Festival happening at the 📍Sculpture Fields at Montague Park which is located only 5 minutes from the Chattanooga Zoo, or 8 minutes from the Tennessee Aquarium.
This 33-acre outdoor art park is located at 1800 Polk St, Chattanooga, TN 37408.
If you’ve never been to the Sculpture Fields during the day, you definitely should! It has over 40+ outdoor art sculptures on a 1.5 mile path and is free to visit when the festival isn’t going on.
Some of the sculptures are lit up for the festival, but you’ll have to come back during the daylight for the full display. Many of the sculptures are very unique, with a backdrop of Lookout Mountain in the distance.
When is the event happening?
The festival started on February 6th and goes through April 26th, 2026.
The event will be running every Thursday to Sunday.
Ticket time slots are available every 30 minutes from 6:00pm to 9:00pm EST on open nights. You can see the full calendar with dates and times here.
We booked our February time slot for 6:00pm and I thought that was perfect because we got to see the sunset over Lookout Mountain in the distance before it got dark.
As the sun sets later in March and April, consider getting a time slot just before or after sunset. You can walk around the festival as long as you want once you’re inside!
🎟️ How Much are Tickets?
The first thing to know is that ticket prices vary depending on what day you go and how old you are. For example, Thursdays and Sundays have a lower ticket price and kids & seniors have special discounted rates. A bonus is children 3 years of age & under are FREE!
Here’s a breakdown of all the ticket pricing:
🎟️ Thursday & Sunday Rates ⬇️
Adults (ages 13-64) = $19.99
Kids (ages 4-12) = $13.99
Seniors 65+ and Military = $17.99 (bring ID!)
Children 3 & under are FREE
Family bundle (3 ticket minimum) $15.99/ticket
🎟️ Friday & Saturday Rates ⬇️
Adults (ages 13-64) = $21.99
Kids (ages 4-12) = $14.99
Seniors 65+ and Military = $19.99 (bring ID!)
Children 3 & under are FREE
Family bundle (3 ticket minimum) = $17.99/ticket
Tickets are sent to your email and a worker will scan them when you drive in. Parking is free!
They do have a box office upon arrival where you can get tickets in-person. However, the tickets may be sold out by the time you arrive at the event, so they highly recommend to book your tickets ahead to time in order to guarantee tickets.
Tickets can be purchased online, but aren’t refundable. You can transfer your tickets to someone else at no cost via the Fever app or by contacting the event.
📌 Thing To Know + Tips For Visiting:
- 🌤️ Check the weather before going! Since the event is outdoors, you’ll want to be prepared for the weather conditions. It can be a bit cooler at night.
- 🚽 There are port-o-potty’s on site for restrooms.
- 🎪 The live performances happen at select times, so be sure to see what time they will be happening when you arrive (there should be a sign outside the big tent with times).
- ♿ The walking path is gravel and not fully ADA accessible. If your stroller/scooter/wheelchair normally does fine on gravel, you might be okay.
- 🦮 This event is not pet-friendly. However, they do allow service animals!
- 🕒 You should expect to spend about 45 minutes to 1 hour at the festival.
If you’ve been looking for a unique night out in Chattanooga, this is your sign. It won’t be here forever, so grab your tickets, bring a friend, and go see it before it’s gone!
Looking for more things to do for spring break in Chattanooga? Check out these ideas:
– Rosie Mae’s Alpaca Farm, where you can feed and pet alpacas while drinking coffee
– Experience Chattanooga Guided Hiking Tours for a private guided hiking tour to beautiful waterfalls & views with professional photography and transportation included!
