As Christmas creeps ever closer, it seems that everywhere the night is illuminated by the twinkling of Christmas lights. From the houses on your block to the zoo lights in your city, festive light displays are all the rage. However, none of these can hold a candle to the awe and majesty that is New York’s LuminoCity Show.
What makes New York’s LiminoCity Show so special?
Like most things in the Big Apple, the LuminoCity show is more than it seems. Not only is it a holiday light display, but it’s also an immersive art experience and light festival extravaganza. Each year during the holiday season Randalls Island New York is bathed in light and transformed into a festive fantasy land. Like Alice down the rabbit hole, visitors to the island are transported to a new and strange world of adventure populated by massive light displays, giant unicorns, lollypop isles, and massive Chinese lanterns.
Explore different worlds
This year over 40 artists have worked day and night to produce three different ‘worlds’ that visitors can explore. In the first section, aptly named the wild adventure, guests can tour displays influenced by fantasy and fiction and interact with animatronic dinosaurs and unicorns. In the second ‘world’, named sweet dream, visitors can walk through the valley of the sweets. This magical valley is similar to how Roald Dahl described Willy Wonka’s factory, with light displays of giant candy, lollipop trees, and a donut tunnel. The last world is the winter fantasy world, were adults and children alike can marvel in this magical winter wonderland.
What to do
If the massive installations and interactive displays weren’t enough the show also offers craft-making workshops and bracelet weaving for kids, custom lantern making and printmaking.
If you get a little peckish don’t despair because the island also hosts an amazing Christmas market where you can pick up delicious holiday treats, buy quality handcrafted decorations and glass-blown baubles and do some last-minute holiday shopping.