Every winter Ethel M strings its Henderson cactus garden with lights, and 2026 is the 33rd year. Ethel M says the display runs to more than a million lights. The setting is the company's own Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden (2 Cactus Garden Dr, Henderson), a 3-acre garden with more than 300 species of desert plants, right next to the chocolate factory and its flagship shop.
That pairing is the point of the trip. You walk a lit path through the cactus beds, drink a hot chocolate, then shop the Ethel M Chocolates Henderson flagship (2 Cactus Garden Dr, Henderson) for gifts made a few yards away. It is in Henderson, well off the Strip, so plan to drive or ride-share.
2026 dates, hours and admission
The garden lights up nightly from Thursday, November 5, 2026, through Sunday, January 3, 2027. No reservations are needed for general entry. Hours, from Ethel M's event page:
- Nov 5 (opening night): 5pm–10pm
- Nov 6–Dec 23: 5pm–10pm
- Dec 24: 5pm–8pm
- Dec 25: closed
- Dec 26–30: 5pm–10pm
- Dec 31 and Jan 1: 5pm–8pm
- Jan 2–3: 5pm–10pm
Admission is $3 per person, cash or card. Children under 2 and guests 65 and older get in free. Ethel M says part of the proceeds goes to Help of Southern Nevada and Three Square Food Bank. Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day close at 8pm, two hours early, so go before dinner on those nights.
Santa, photos and themed nights
Santa is in the garden every night through December 23, from 5pm until an hour before closing, and the line is cut off at 9pm. There is no Santa after the 23rd. You're welcome to take your own photos with him. Professional prints from Cashman Photography run $35 for one 8x6, $50 for two, and $20 for each additional photo, tax included, and come with a custom frame and a QR code.
If the Santa line is the only thing your group is there for, the Santa Express Pass costs $40 and takes you plus up to five others to the front. It is good November 6 through December 23, sold in limited numbers each night through Ethel M's FareHarbor booking page; children under 2 and guests over 65 don't count toward the six.
The event page also lists a "Stay and Play" lineup: holiday trivia nights, live music nights, choir performances, a Winter Wonderland program and a holiday bar schedule. Ethel M had not posted the 2026 dates on that page when we checked, so look there before planning around a specific night. The garden cafe serves hot chocolate and chocolate treats.
Parking and house rules
Park in any Ethel M lot, or in the Smith's grocery lot across the street. Ethel M warns not to park in the Green Valley Business Park or Roseman University lots nearby: cars there get towed.
Pets are not allowed in the garden, because the cacti sit close to the path. Service animals are welcome on a harness, leash or tether.
Do the chocolate first
Here is the timing most visitors miss. The Henderson flagship shop is open daily 9am–7pm, and its page lists no later hours for the holiday season, while the lights run until 10pm. If gifts are on your list, arrive by about 5pm, shop, then walk the garden as it gets dark.
On a weekday you can go earlier still. The free, self-guided factory viewing aisle is open Monday to Friday, 10am–3:30pm, whenever the flagship shop is open. The cactus garden itself is free to walk in daylight, 9am–7pm.
The shop sells Ethel M's chocolate gems, truffles, caramels, nut clusters, liqueur chocolates, bars, gift boxes and baskets, and you can build a custom box. The counter also sells cafe treats such as chocolate-dipped strawberries, dipped apples and chocolate marshmallows, plus milkshakes and hot chocolate.
Holiday Chocolate Tasting
From November 5 to January 1 the flagship runs a limited-edition Holiday Chocolate Tasting, with or without wine, booked through FareHarbor. The 2026 lineup pairs five chocolates with five wines: White Chocolate Peppermint Silk with Moscato, Milk Chocolate Cookie Butter Satin Creme with Blandy's Malmsey, Milk Chocolate Gingerbread Satin Creme with Tawny Port, a Passion Fruit Caramel Dark Chocolate Truffle with Sauternes, and a Kona Bean Espresso Dark Chocolate Truffle with Zinfandel. The wine version is 21 and over. Ethel M's pages didn't show the 2026 holiday price when we checked; in 2025 Las Vegas Weekly listed it at $35, or $45 with wine. Confirm the price on the booking page.
What to buy for the holidays
Ethel M's 2026 holiday collection is on its website and in the shops. Prices as listed on ethelm.com on October 30, 2026:
- Holiday Advent Calendar, $80: 24 full-size chocolates behind the doors of a fold-out box printed with holiday house fronts. It was on pre-order online, shipping from November 16.
- Holiday Cactus and Holiday Holly collectible tins, from $45 each.
- Holiday Luxe Library, $36, and Baker's Collection Satin Cremes, $36.
- Holiday Favorites Sampler, from $17.
- Peppermint Bark Ganache and Gingerbread Cookie Butter Caramel tablet bars, from $8.
The bars and the sampler are easy stocking stuffers and office gifts. The cactus tin is the most Nevada-specific of the set, a good pick for out-of-town family. These are website prices; check in-store prices at the register.
Can't get to Henderson?
Ethel M has shops across the valley, so you can pick up holiday boxes without the drive:
Ethel M Chocolates at The Forum Shops (3500 Las Vegas Blvd S), a kiosk inside The Forum Shops at Caesars, is open Sun–Thu 10am–9pm and Fri–Sat 10am–10pm, and Ethel M says it keeps those hours through the holiday season, holidays included. This is the one to use if you're staying on the Strip.
Ethel M Chocolates at Town Square (6605 Las Vegas Blvd S, Suite K-124), at Town Square, is open Mon–Thu 10am–9pm, Fri–Sat 10am–10pm and Sun 11am–8pm.
Ethel M Chocolates at Downtown Summerlin (2025 Festival Plaza Dr, Suite 110), at Downtown Summerlin, keeps regular hours of Mon–Thu 10am–8pm, Fri–Sat 10am–9pm and Sun 11am–7pm. Its holiday hours weren't posted for 2026 yet.
Ethel M Chocolates at the California Hotel (12 E Ogden Ave), downtown, is a gift shop open Mon–Thu 9am–8pm and Fri–Sun 9am–10pm.
Flying home? Ethel M also has gift shops at Harry Reid International Airport, near Gate C4, in the D Gates central atrium, near Gate D32 and near Gate E11, most opening at 5am or 6am. For a place to stay near the malls, see our hotels near the best shopping.