Bright Nights was included with attractions such as Disney World, Rockefeller Center and Chicago's Miracle Mile.
Cars travel in Seuss Land at Bright Nights at Forest Park in Springfield.
SPRINGFIELD — The Bright Nights holiday lights festival has landed in Yahoo! Travel’s top 10 national holiday attractions, along with Disney World, Rockefeller Center in New York City, and Chicago’s Miracle Mile.
Judith A. Matt, executive director of Spirit of Springfield Inc., the festival’s producer, said being rated as a top national attraction was gratifying for the agency’s staff and good for Greater Springfield as well.
“It draws attention to the whole area,” Matt said, adding that the Internet recognition was one of the top honors earned by the festival during its 18-year run in Forest Park.
“We’re certainly in very good company,” she said.
The travel website’s top 10 holiday light displays list mixes small communities such as Pine Mountain, Ga., (its Callaway Gardens display boasts eight million lights) and Coeur d’Alene, Iowa (with a 160-foot-tall Christmas tree, decorated with a wreath weighing 3,000 pounds), with the bigger attractions such as Rockefeller Center.
For Bright Nights, the website advises “grab a thermos of cocoa, jump in the car and take a drive through historic Forest Park, where the Bright Nights show lights up Springfield, Mass., during the holiday season.”
The description continues: “The 3-mile trail wanders through Dinosaur Land, Garden of Peace, Toy Land, Seuss Land and various other special display areas offering one of the largest productions in New England.”
The Yahoo! list is hardly the first time the festival has won national recognition. In 2007, People Magazine named Bright Nights one of the country’s top 10 Christmas destinations; other groups, from the American Bus Association to the International Festivals and Events Association, have also honored the festival.
Matt said the Yahoo! ranking is especially significant because of the website’s popularity and the Internet’s reach.
The festival – sponsored by the non-profit Spirit of Springfield Inc. and the city Department of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management – began Nov. 21 and runs through Jan. 1.
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno welcomed the recognition for the holiday festival and the city.
“Because of the tireless efforts by Judy Matt and the Spirit of Springfield, as well as the Springfield Parks and Recreation Department, Bright Nights has obtained national acclaim,” Sarno said.
“Once again the City of Springfield stands out as destination for families to visit and enjoy themselves.”
The Spirit of Springfield is a self-funded, non-profit agency operating with a 3-person staff and a $1 million budget.