EYE can SEE you might be wondering what this blog post is all about. Don’t worry, I’m just having a BALL!

This weekend we explored the whimsical Eyeboretum Garden Party at The Joule in Dallas. Located on the lawn in front of the iconic Giant Eyeball sculpture, the party benefitted the annual Dallas Art Fair and featured cocktails, snacks, interactive features and photo ops galore!

Here are some of my favorite details from the Eyeboretum.

 

Tickets for The Eyeboretum Garden Party

One of the things I appreciated most about this event was the budget-friendly price point. Tickets for the Eyeboretum were only $10 per person (or $20 per person for an evening time slot that included a full-sized cocktail). Many of the fun activities around Dallas have become increasingly pricey over the years, so it was nice to enjoy a night out without breaking the bank. Tickets were sold at the 1530 Main website and advertised on their Instagram account, so watch those two spaces for announcements about future events! I’m hoping they will continue to throw more parties at the Giant Eyeball.

When we arrived, they handed us stickers to use for reentry to the garden if we needed to step outside during our time slot, drink tickets to exchange for cocktails, and little flower seed packets to take home as a souvenir! It was such a cute little bundle.

 

Wandering a Whimsical Wonderland

To enter the Eyeboretum, we stepped through a stunning flower tunnel and were greeted with the sight of larger than life mushrooms. A colorful signpost helpfully pointed the way to each zone in the garden. I felt like Alice falling down the rabbit hole into Wonderland!

The first area of the garden we explored was the Garden Patch. Flower beds full of funky fake foods and a little cart offering “garden rocks” (chocolate candies in disguise) were the perfect welcome to the festivities.

Next we floated through Cloud City, where bubbles drifted in the air and puffy white cotton candy was served on a stick. This area had a really interesting sculpture of a tree covered in metallic pinwheels instead of leaves. The gentle breeze spinning the pinwheels created a kaleidoscope of color and light.

At the very back of the garden was the famous Giant Eyeball sculpture. It was really a treat to see it up close and take photos with it in person, because normally the surrounding lawn is closed to the public and visitors can only admire it from afar. You can really appreciate the detail painted into the retina up close!

Next we visited the Psychedelic Swings structure where kids and adults alike could enjoy swinging on seats wrapped in vines while starting up at the Giant Eyeball just a few feet away.

We finished off our tour of the garden party at the Cafe where we sipped cocktails under a blush colored parasol. The weather was absolutely perfect!

 

More Parties at The Giant Eyeball

While this Dallas Art Fair fundraiser only happens once per year, I’m hopeful that its success will lead to more immersive experiences at the Giant Eyeball. In the meantime, I learned that if you have the budget, you can rent out the lawn in front of the sculpture for private events. How cool is that?

EYE hope you enjoyed this detailed LOOK at the Eyeboretum Garden Party. SEE you around in Dallas!