November/December 2005

Behind the Bulbs

Shedding some light on the money and manpower it takes to put together city holiday displays

By Elizabeth Rack

For years, local cities have been orchestrating major holiday lights displays to rival the night sky, each year better than the last. More color, greater animation, more sparkle. Holiday lights have always had the power to dazzle. But have you ever wondered how those lights get their power? What goes on behind the scenes? Who changes the bulbs? And just how do those giant Santas stand up?

As part of the 100 Miles of Lights, a joint effort within southeastern Virginia, several Hampton Roads cities coordinate large events to entertain locals and tourists in a manner that befits each city’s style. For Newport News and Virginia Beach, typically “driving” cities, that means drive-thru, animated scenes with nautical and holiday themes. Norfolk and Portsmouth outline their shared skyline, and the river that joins them lends an urban touch to the festivities. And for Williamsburg, holiday tradition is 18th century-inspired, with candles in shop windows and colonial fireworks.

Newport News

The first drive-thru lights display in Hampton Roads, Newport News’ Celebration in Lights, is in its 13th season. Staged in Newport News Park, the two miles of animated scenes include Santa’s Enchanted Kingdom and the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimac, one of the city’s major claims to fame.

Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach’s version of the drive-thru light display, the Chick-fil-A Holiday Lights at the Beach, is now in its 11th season. Its 250 scenes are holiday-and-ocean-themed, stretching more than two miles along the boardwalk.

The city initially over-invested $700,000, to be paid back as the event made money. BeachEvents, the display’s contractor, returned $300,000 the next year. What remained was sufficient to maintain operation, combined with sponsorships from Chick-fil-A and, more recently, Verizon. Most profits are reinvested in maintenance and new designs, the CDs and cassettes of holiday music provided to drivers and a return on the city’s loan.

Norfolk and Portsmouth

Downtown Norfolk and olde towne Portsmouth embody holiday chic with Grand Illumination, a collaborative display tracing the cities’ shared skyline with millions of tiny white lights. According to the Downtown Norfolk Council, the event’s organizer, spectators numbering close to 100,000 count down the “flipping of the switch,” launching the Holidays in the City—a six-week, joint celebration from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve. Turning on the holiday skyline at 7 p.m. the Saturday before Thanksgiving also signals the beginning of the Grand Illumination Parade—this year sporting a retro theme—in downtown Norfolk.

Williamsburg

In stark contrast, Williamsburg’s Grand Illumination continues a tradition that began in 1935 with individual candles in home and shop windows in Colonial Williamsburg. Now the event uses more than 1200 white electric candles (a necessary anachronism for fire safety) on a timer in more than 100 buildings in the historic area. The candles are set to light at 6:15 p.m., and colonial fireworks, called “groundworks” due to their low trajectory, are simultaneously staged. The Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums and community groups provide holiday music.

For the rest of this story, including more information on the lights displays in each of these cities, see the November/December 2005 issue of Hampton Roads Magazine, currently available on newsstands.