NightTales, a New Indoor-Outdoor Winter Lights Experience Illuminates the Natural History Museum This Holiday Season
Featuring artwork by Los Angeles-based artist Maggie West, NightTales gives visitors a chance to see the museum and gardens in a whole new light
Opens November 12
Tickets Available Now at NHM.org
Los Angeles, CA (October 1, 2026) – The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) invites guests to step out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary this holiday season with NightTales. This new indoor-outdoor after-dark experience reimagines NHM and its gardens in a whole new light, bringing together the natural world through art, science, and technology in ways never before seen at NHM or other holiday lights experiences.
On select nights from November 12, 2026 through January 10, 2027, visitors can wander through glowing installations, cinematic projections, and interactive features throughout the Museum’s halls and gardens. This premium after-dark seasonal experience transforms NHM’s indoor and outdoor spaces into an immersive nighttime destination, with vivid, dynamic illuminations based on the museum’s architecture, landscape, and collections.
More than a traditional holiday light show, the NightTales inaugural season features artworks by Los Angeles-based artist Maggie West, whose time-lapse photography and use of color, light, and scale turn NHM’s specimens into luminous works of art.
“I’m so excited to have visitors enjoy and appreciate the Museum’s historical architecture, Nature Gardens, and vast collection in such a spectacular fashion through NightTales this holiday season,” said Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga, President and Director of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. “Artist Maggie West has brought our collections to life in a mesmerizing, awe-inspiring experience. We wanted to make sure the inaugural season of NightTales was truly unforgettable, and I look forward to unveiling what we’ve been working on together on November 12.”
West worked with NHM scientists and curators to find inspiration in the museum’s collection and create new works of art just for this experience. From the famous Dueling Dinos to the historic Rotunda in the Museum’s 1913 building, and through the sprawling Nature Gardens, guests will discover NHM’s collections in unexpected ways as familiar specimens are transformed using light, sound, and projected imagery. Everything from insects to mammals, minerals to flowers will light up the night as magnificently oversized glowing versions of real specimens.
“To create the work for NightTales, I collaborated with departments throughout the Natural History Museum to photograph specimens from the museum’s collections in vibrant colored light,” West said. “Using light, scale, projection, and technology, I transformed these images into immersive artworks that bring specimens to life and create new relationships between the collections and the museum’s architecture. NightTales is the largest exhibition of my work to date, and I am excited to use the photographic and video techniques I have developed throughout my practice to illuminate the museum’s collections on a new scale and create an extraordinary nighttime experience for visitors.”
NightTales will be on view at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park beginning November 12, 2026, for timed entries between 6 pm and 9 pm. Dates include November 12-15, 20, 22-25, and 27-29; December 4-6, 11-13, 18-23, and 26-31; and January 2-10. Tickets cost $30 for adults, $25 for children, and $20 for Members.
More information is available at nhm.org/nighttales.
