Photos: 12th Annual Autumn Lights Festival at Lake Merritt Gardens in Oakland

The 12th Annual Autumn Lights Festival benefit for the Friends of the Gardens at Lake Merritt sold out again.

Thousands of local residents flocked to the lights like moths as Oakland’s popular 12th Annual Autumn Lights Festival sold out again this weekend.

The event is a benefit for the nonprofit Friends of the Gardens at Lake Merritt (FGLM) and features more than 60 locally-produced illuminated art displays throughout the eight-acre municipal gardens. FGLM is a volunteer organization which formed in 2004 and helps preserve and maintain the gardens.

Volunteers provide maintenance assistance as the City of Oakland’s gardening staff has been significantly reduced over the years. The collection of themed gardens, which were established more than a half century ago, require various levels of upkeep and attention.

If you didn’t see the the lights up close, you may have seen the dueling spotlights crissccossing the downtown skyline from the gardens by the lake.

The festival, which began on Thursday and ran three nights from Oct. 12-14, is concluding tonight. See their website for more info.