2023 Grand Holiday Illumination: December 8 through January 1
Please enjoy this video of the 2023 Grand Holiday Illumination courtesy of Clayton Calvert and Parker Calvert:
Inaugurated in 2015, the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy's Grand Holiday Illumination has quickly become a Yonkers tradition, and thousands of visitors come to enjoy the spectacle. Come for FREE and see the Walled Garden lit with more than 100,000 lights and listen to holiday music from many traditions.
The 2023 Grand Holiday Illumination opens on Friday, December 8 at 5:30 p.m. and is then open every night through Monday, January 1, from 4:30 until
8:00 p.m., free to the public with NO RESERVATIONS required. Illumination is OPEN on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
8:00 p.m., free to the public with NO RESERVATIONS required. Illumination is OPEN on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Thanks to our Sponsors
2023 Leadership Support provided by the Yonkers Economic Development Corporation:
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2023 Additional Funding provided by:
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Thanks to our Volunteers
Thanks to the many community groups, families, and friends who volunteer at the Grand Holiday Illumination to greet visitors, give out free hot chocolate, and accept donations on behalf of the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy!
Ardsley Girl Scouts Troop 2300 ✦ Beczak Environmental Education Center ✦ Blue Door Art Center ✦ Cornell Alumni Association of Westchester
Dobbs Ferry Garden Club ✦ Edgemont Science Scholars ✦ Friends of Crestwood Library ✦ Garden Club of Irvington ✦ Greenburgh Hebrew Center
Hastings Historical Society ✦ Hudson River Patriots Chapter, DAR ✦ Hudson Squad ✦ Lakers Athletic Club ✦ Lindemann Family
Ludlow Park Residents Association ✦ May Family ✦ Mingst Family ✦ National Council of Negro Women Hudson Valley Section ✦ Park Hill Racquet Club ✦ Sacred Heart Yonkers ✦ Saunders Trade & Tech High School ✦ Society of American Magicians Yonkers 194 ✦ Unitarian Society of Westchester Untermyer Gardens Conservancy Docents ✦ Untermyer Gardens Conservancy Garden Class
Untermyer Gardens Conservancy Greeters ✦ Untermyer Gardens Volunteers ✦ Volunteer New York!
Yonkers Girl Scout Troop 1797 ✦ Yonkers Girl Scout Troop 1790 ✦ Yonkers Girl Scout Troop 1796 ✦ Yonkers Girl Scout Troop 1817
Yonkers Girl Scout Troop 2191 ✦ Yonkers Historical Society ✦ Yonkers Paddling & Rowing Club ✦ Yonkers Partners in Education
Dobbs Ferry Garden Club ✦ Edgemont Science Scholars ✦ Friends of Crestwood Library ✦ Garden Club of Irvington ✦ Greenburgh Hebrew Center
Hastings Historical Society ✦ Hudson River Patriots Chapter, DAR ✦ Hudson Squad ✦ Lakers Athletic Club ✦ Lindemann Family
Ludlow Park Residents Association ✦ May Family ✦ Mingst Family ✦ National Council of Negro Women Hudson Valley Section ✦ Park Hill Racquet Club ✦ Sacred Heart Yonkers ✦ Saunders Trade & Tech High School ✦ Society of American Magicians Yonkers 194 ✦ Unitarian Society of Westchester Untermyer Gardens Conservancy Docents ✦ Untermyer Gardens Conservancy Garden Class
Untermyer Gardens Conservancy Greeters ✦ Untermyer Gardens Volunteers ✦ Volunteer New York!
Yonkers Girl Scout Troop 1797 ✦ Yonkers Girl Scout Troop 1790 ✦ Yonkers Girl Scout Troop 1796 ✦ Yonkers Girl Scout Troop 1817
Yonkers Girl Scout Troop 2191 ✦ Yonkers Historical Society ✦ Yonkers Paddling & Rowing Club ✦ Yonkers Partners in Education
Music of the Illumination
In addition to the classical music associated with Christmas, music from the traditions associated with Indo-Persian gardens and Samuel Untermyer has been selected for the Illumination at Untermyer Gardens. Ancient Persia (550 BCE) was Zoroastrian. Its music may sound strange to many Western ears, but it would have been heard in Persian gardens for over a thousand years. As Persia gradually became Muslim, new music evolved from that tradition. Jewish music reflects the heritage of Samuel Untermyer as well as the ancient story of the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis. Hindu music is included, as it would have been heard in the monumental gardens of Mughal India.