
Main Fountain Garden
About This Garden
Nowhere else in the world is there a setting that marries fountains, theater, and garden, establishing our Main Fountain Garden as the finest performance fountain in the world. As the culmination of the legacy and vision of Pierre S. du Pont, the garden combines classic landscape design with art, innovation, technology, and extraordinary fountains.
From 12-minute performances that begin with a touch of narrated history and conclude with dynamic choreography marrying music and water, to splashes of fountain magic that tease select evenings’ Illuminated Fountain Performances, our daily fountain performances are the stars of the Main Fountain Garden experience. During these daytime performances, delight in 1,719 jets spinning, dancing to music, and soaring as high as 175 feet, while enjoying the classic European garden design of this spectacular five-acre space.
Offered on select nights from May through October, our 30-minute Illuminated Fountain Performances are nothing short of a spectacle. During these incredible performances, settle into the starlit setting of the nighttime Main Fountain Garden and watch in awe as water in all shapes, sizes, and heights meets thrilling music and infinite colors. The result is absolutely unforgettable.
Main Fountain Garden fountain performances will return May 6, 2021.
Enjoy daily fountain performances May 6–October 31, 2021
Enjoy Illuminated Fountain Performances Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings May 6–October 30, 2021.
Please note: All Membership levels, except Gardens Premium Members, must make reservations at this time. Timed Admission Tickets are required.
“The epic effects of the new performing fountains ... may make the observer forget the beauty and significance of the garden itself, which is one of the largest and most alluring classical revival landscapes in the country.”
—Adrian Higgins, The Washington Post

Preparing the Main Fountain Garden for its annual awakening is a multi-faceted process of plumbing and electrical ingenuity that begins months before the fountains start to dance.
Pierre S. du Pont used early 20th century technology to mimic the 17th & 18th century gardens he visited in Europe. See how we maintained his vision.
Explore the other-worldly Grotto at Longwood Gardens, a surprising new addition to the revitalized, 5-acre Main Fountain Garden.
Learn how our Main Fountain Garden performances were crafted in the past, and meet the technologies used to make the fountains dance today.
Hear from those at L'Observatoire International who designed our nighttime lighting of the revitalized Main Fountain Garden.