Springfield's annual holiday light show runs through January 1.
Bright Nights at Forest Park What’s big and bright and shines through the night with more than 450 ornamental display pieces and some 650,000 illuminating lights?
It’s Bright Nights at Forest Park, which begins its 18th season on Wednesday night when the lights are switched on at 5 p.m. Ceremonial guests, led by Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray and Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, will welcome visitors to the largest holiday lighting display in the Northeast.
Prices are rolled back for opening night only to $6 per vehicle. The Bright Nights lights will be lit from Wednesday through Sunday, Nov. 21 through Dec. 2, and nightly from Dec. 5 through Jan 1.
Bright Nights at Forest Park is a cooperative effort between the Spirit of Springfield and the Springfield Department of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management.
Once again this year during their travels, visitors will enter the Bright Nights enchanted forest through some larger-than-life poinsettias in Poinsettia Fantasy, then continue their tour viewing displays called American Flag, Kwanzaa, Nativity, Winter Garden, Seuss Land, Letters to Santa, Garden of Peace, Jurassic World, Victorian Village, Barney Mansion, Leaping Frog, Winter Woods, North Pole Village, Toy Land, Giant Poinsettia Candles and Happy Holidays, Springfield.
“When traveling through Bright Nights, visitors will enjoy a different musical experience to accompany their magical journey. This year when tuning into 98.5 FM, they will hear Bright Nights Radio direct from the North Pole with DJ Santa Claus,” said Judith A. Matt, president of the Spirit of Springfield.
“Santa will be introducing a number of songs throughout his radio program and telling a few stories, including one that concerns country music superstar Taylor Swift, and you’ll even get to hear Santa’s elves between songs,” she added.
And, Santa’s radio show isn’t the only thing new about Bright Nights this year.
“We wanted to reward faithful visitors and newcomers, as well, with a special gift of thanks, so we created what we’re calling the Bright Nights Loyalty Card. And there are only 1,000 of them available,” said Matt.
The free cards offer a number of benefits to holders on specified dates, including free wagon rides, one free child’s ticket to Supper with Santa with the purchase of one adult dinner, discounts at Santa’s Cottage and more.
Applications for the Loyalty Card are available on the Bright Nights website at brightnights.org or at Santa’s Cottage, which Matt said has become a popular destination with visitors young and old shortly after entering the park.
Visitors can stroll through Santa’s Magical Forest, where elves sing and trees dance, whose short path leads to Santa’s cozy cottage. Inside Santa’s warm home away from home, he will be greeting visitors and posing for photographs with all good little boys and girls. The cottage also doubles as the Bright Nights Gift Shop, and there is a concession stand nearby with hot and cold snacks.
This year those traveling through Bright Nights will once again find our Letters to Santa mailbox located outside Santa’s Cottage. Our Letters to Santa Program is back thanks to the generosity of the Springfield Rotary Club, whose volunteers will answer all letters deposited in Santa’s mailbox and mail a response to every child,” said Matt.
For visitors looking for something beyond the amazing lighting displays, special activities this year include:
Military Night – Every night the American Flag shines brightly in Forest Park, and on Nov. 28, admission is free for active members of the armed forces with valid military ID
Supper with Santa – Dec. 2, 9, 16 in the Barney Carriage House
Horse-Drawn Wagon and Carriage Rides – Wagon rides every Friday, Saturday and Sunday with reservations accepted on Friday and Sunday, carriage rides on Friday and Saturday nights
Photos with Santa – Nightly until 10 p.m. through Dec. 24 when Santa heads back to the North Pole at 8 p.m. to pack his sleigh for Christmas Eve
Dinner with Dickens – Dec. 5, 6, 11, 12 in the Barney Carriage House
A Taste of Home for the Holidays presented by Majestic Theater – Nov. 29 and Dec. 13.
Consult the Bright Nights website for additional details on times and prices.
Both Dinner with Dickens and A Taste of Home for the Holidays offer entertainment combined with a dinner buffet.
#8220;We’ve been bringing Dickens to Bright Nights for the past four years and it’s a tradition now for many people who come back year after year to see us present our version of ‘A Christmas Carol,’” said Robert Plasse, president of the not-for-profit Westfield on Weekends that produces Dickens Days in Westfield each year.
“We’re in costume and ‘A Christmas Carol’ was written around the same time as the Carriage House was built, so it’s a lot of fun. We tell the story in-between dinner courses and involve the audience in a special way by having them create our sound effects and singing, although this isn’t a musical,” he added.
A Taste of Home for the Holidays, which joins this year’s lineup of special activities, is a trimmed down version of Home for the Holidays, which has been staged at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield for the past several years. The concept for the show is based on television Christmas variety shows of the past hosted by popular singers Andy Williams and Perry Como.
Also, the lights don’t begin and end at Forest Park. Visitors to Bright Nights can continue their festive experience by driving through downtown Springfield and along Boston Road, where dozens of areas and buildings also light up the holiday nights.