As the sun sets, Canberra's Commonwealth Park comes alive for the annual Floriade NightFest.

Visitors are taken on a journey of discovery with spectacular lighting designs, roving performers, bustling night markets and a line-up of entertainment.

Around 100,000 light bulbs, including 1,500 lanterns, have been installed, turning the garden beds into an enchanting sea of lights.

The NightFest is part of the annual Floriade flower festival and runs from yesterday to Sunday.

Lighting designer Richard Neville told ABC News that it took a crew of six about a month to put all the installations together.

He said: "It is a labour of love.

"We have got lights in the lake this year, lights high up in trees... so it is a pretty long and involved process. (For a month), the team have worked all night. They start at 5pm and finish at 5am."

Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Andrew Barr hoped to see more than 35,000 people flow through the gates over the five nights, reported The Canberra Times, adding that every extra night tourists stay to see the light installations would inject millions into the economy.