Exhibitions & activities
The Luminere experience: Magic in the making
Posted 4/2/26
Updated 4/1/26
To understand our new Luminere™ experience, we invite you to go behind-the-scenes with us to see how this magical event was created.
“Luminere is an outdoor light and sound event that encompasses the façade of Biltmore House and its historic gardens,” said Travis Tatham, Director of Events and Guest Experience Development. “We started planning this illuminating experience in 2017 to give our guests a new way to enjoy the estate during evening hours.”
Based on wonderful family stories, including archival descriptions of 1920s-era garden parties at Biltmore, Luminere began to take shape as a way to share the magic of those long-ago shimmering celebrations.
This experience was years in the making and involved extensive collaboration and co-creation between our Biltmore teams, from Museum Services, Engineering, Horticulture, Construction Trades, and others to the teams at Klip Collective, the company selected to develop Luminere for us.
“Now that it’s operational, all Biltmore teams play a vital role in providing gracious hospitality to our guests. Biltmore is blessed with talented employees who pride themselves on creating memorable guest experiences as part of Luminere and throughout your entire Biltmore visit,” Travis said.
Magic in the making of Luminere
Klip Collective uses high-tech projection mapping, lighting, and sound design to create site-specific, immersive sensory experiences for destinations like Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, Arizona’s Desert Botanical Garden, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas. All together, Klip utilized a dozen vendor partners and Biltmore hired six local vendors to create and complete the many different aspects of this project.
“What I love about Luminere is that were were able to pay attention to the historical storytelling aspects of the family and the house as well as the physical beauty of the gardens,” said Ricardo Rivera, Creative Director and Founder of Klip. “Biltmore is a very rich canvas and we saw a great opportunity to do something extra special. This is the greatest example of the best work we’ve done at Klip Collective all in one place, and I’m very proud of that.”
Composing Luminere’s signature musical score
In addition to creating the visual Luminere experience, Klip partnered with composer Julian Grefe and the talented musicians of Asheville Symphony Orchestra and Budapest Film Orchestra & Budapest Film Choir to create the signature musical score that is such an integral part of Luminere. Special guests included three local musicians who have been performing at Biltmore for the past 40 years.
From new arrangements of classics such as Mendelsohn’s beloved Wedding March and excerpts from Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, which was one of George Vanderbilt’s favorite operas, to original music featuring a variety of traditional instruments, vocal performances, and groundbreaking techniques, the sounds of Luminere are as striking as the illuminations.
In some cases, Biltmore House even served as the recording studio, with musical tracks captured in the Oak Sitting Room and indoor Swimming Pool. For the main them, the music was formulated from actual architectural features such as the roofline and windows.
Illuminations for Biltmore House & Gardens
“Ricardo and the artists with Klip Collective understood what we really wanted to delight our guests,” said Travis. “Luminere is a very specialized, curated story, sharing the construction of Biltmore House, telling the family story and what was it like to visit Biltmore at the turn of the century as a guest of the Vanderbilts.”
The Luminere experience continues in Biltmore’s historic gardens, bringing different areas to life with the same cutting-edge artistry Klip created for the facade of Biltmore House.
“You’ll be amazed at the difference between night and day in the gardens,” Travis said. “Daytime is all about the beauty of the plants and Frederick Law Olmsted’s designs, but at night, Luminere turns the gardens into a dreamscape that’s a little mysterious and a little playful. From the Italian Garden to the Conservatory, the illuminations and the signature musical score will draw you deeper into the wonders of the experience.”
Addressing infrastructure
To support the stunning illuminations and the soaring musical score for Luminere, we added new infrastructure around Biltmore House & Gardens, including two limestone-clad projection units atop the Rampe Douce and speaker structures in various locations.
“Every effort was made to incorporate the new infrastructure elements as seamlessly as possible,” said Travis. “For example, the exterior of the projection units was covered in limestone similar to that of Biltmore House. Once they’ve weathered in place for a bit, they’ll fade further into the background.”
Experience Luminere for yourself
Now that you’ve taken a peek behind the scenes, get ready to experience Luminere for yourself. Tickets are available now for select evenings March 26–October 18, 2026. Plan your getaway today to experience Biltmore in a whole new light!
Enhance your Luminere experience with Artistic Legacies, an all-new 60-minute expert-guided tour that explores the Vanderbilt family’s art collections with never-before-shared stories, and consider an overnight stay at one of our hotels or private cottages with special packages that include admission to Luminere.
