Gardens Aglow’s popularity shows no signs of dimming anytime soon. The six-week botanical gardens Christmas light show, now in its third season, is on pace to receive 98,000 visitors this season, according to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens officials.

This is an approximate 24 percent increase from last year. It seems CMBG officials haven’t had a firm grasp on how many visitors will journey to Boothbay in November and December to see a lighted garden show since its inception.

In 2015, officials estimated between 5,000 and 10,000 guests for the inaugural year. It turned out 36,000 visitors arrived.  In 2016, CMBG did little to no event promotion and still received 75,000 guests.

A large hoard of tourists traveling along Route 27 in the summer is nothing new in Boothbay, but it is in November and December. Gardens Aglow has made staying open for several local businesses more profitable in the past couple years. 

For CMBG, Gardens Aglow began as a way to squeeze out a few more profitable days for the non-profit organization. For years, botanical gardens around the country and world had introduced similar lighted winter shows. But most are located in  larger, urban settings. As CMBG officials planned Gardens Aglow, they wondered who would come to Boothbay in late fall?

“We polled our members to see how far they would travel and how much they would pay, but no one really expected this,” said CMBG Marketing Director Kris Folsom. “But the growth has been a real game changer for us. This year, it has allowed us to pay for health insurance for our employees.”

The extended season’s success has also seen a rise in CMBG full-time employees which increased this year from 30 to 50. Gardens Aglow’s success also spawned a community-wide effort to attract visitors to downtown Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor. In 2016, the Joint Economic Development Committee began Boothbay Festival of Lights. The committee, along with the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce, encouraged local businesses to “light up” in hopes of drawing Gardens Aglow visitors to local shops, restaurants and inns.

So far, the JEDC’s efforts are working to improve the local economy. Local businesses report the dual efforts of Boothbay Festival of Lights and Gardens Aglow have been good for business. Edgecomb Selectman Ted Hugger is also his town’s representative to the JEDC. He is also one of the local merchants benefiting from the light shows. Hugger and his wife Jill own the Cod Cove Inn on Route 27 in Edgecomb.

“Since the first year of Gardens Aglow, it has doubled our seasonal business,” said Jill Hugger. “It gets a little bigger each year. We offer packages such as including Gardens Aglow tickets which really makes it more convenient for our guests.”

In 2016, 92 percent of Gardens Aglow guests came from northern New England. It seems a two to three-hour winter drive doesn’t dampen the enthusiasm of guests who really want to see the light show. Gardens Aglow has a variety of Maine guests from all over the state. Two years ago, credit card receipts showed Maine visitors from nearly all of the state’s 486 postal codes purchased tickets, according to CMBG officials.

Chief Operating and Financial Officer Erin MacGregor-Forbes said Gardens Aglow continues to draw large crowds because it has something for the whole family. On Dec. 9, the show drew 6,300 guests, and another 4,300 on Dec. 10.

“It’s something you can take the whole family to. It’s not uncommon for parents to bring the kids and have the grandparents come along, too,” she said.

Stu and Bonnie Marckoon of Lamoine were among the 6,300 guests last Saturday. They heard about the event through social media and decided to take a trip to Midcoast Maine for a weekend getaway. The Marckoons saw the Dec. 9 show, spent the night at The Cod Cove Inn and visited with their daughter and Bonnie’s sister and her husband who made the trip from Biddeford. Stu Marckoon, 59, a municipal administrative assistant in Lamoine and radio news anchor. said they were “blown away by Gardens Aglow.”

“We heard about it and thought it would be a really neat trip. A lot of our friends had visited and remarked how nice it was. It’s the most impressive light show we’ve ever seen,” he said.

As a nonprofit, CMBG is not required to pay taxes or make a voluntary payment in lieu of taxes, but it offers several free days throughout the summer season for local residents.

This year’s Garden Aglow began Nov. 17 and ends Dec. 31. This year is both the largest attendance year and light show. It has over 500,000 LEDs (light emitting diode) displayed on the plants and paths.