Category:
How “bright” are the lights at Bright Nights at Forest Park?
Just ask Santa Claus, he knows.
“From my sleigh high in the sky, the bright lights guide me right into Springfield,” said the man in the red suit when helping last year to flip the switch lighting the lights during a special opening night ceremony. Bright Nights today features more than 750,000 glowing and twinkling, brightly colored LED lights along a three-mile drive through Springfield’s jewel of a park.
But it wasn’t always that “bright.”
“We didn’t have LED lights when we opened and only had about 300,000 light bulbs which grew over the years as more lighting displays were added,” said Judith Matt, president of the Spirit of Springfield.
Bright Nights was the “bright” idea of two people dedicated to making spirits bright for people in Springfield throughout the year in many ways other than just at Christmas.
It all began back in February 1995, with a brochure that came across the desk of now-retired Patrick Sullivan, who served for many years as executive director of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management for Springfield. The pamphlet was from a vendor who sold light displays made by Carpenter Decorating Company in North Carolina.
As recounted by Sullivan in the book, “Bright Nights — 15 Years of Pure Magic” — “The brochure caught my eye and I knew there was only one person I could talk with about the reality of undertaking such an ambitious project for Forest Park.”
That person was Matt, whose nonprofit organization stages some of the grandest events for the city including “World’s Largest Pancake Breakfast,” “Star Spangled Springfield,” “September 11th Remembrance Ceremony” and other events.
“Pat asked me what I thought and I immediately answered without hesitation, ‘Let’s do it,’” Matt said.
But, the two co-founders didn’t want just any ordinary displays of stock Santas, snowmen and reindeers. They wanted its spirit to reflect the Springfield area — to blend city history, holiday traditions, and the park’s natural beauty. And to do that, they asked John Catenaci, chief designer at Carpenter Decorating, to fly to Springfield to see the landscape he would be working with in Forest Park, as well as to hear their hopes for original displays unique to Bright Nights … displays such as the “Cat in the Hat” to honor Theodor Geisel of Springfield and others to reflect Everett Barney, who created the modern-day ice skates and who gifted Forest Park to Springfield, and the popular game company Milton Bradley at the time located in East Longmeadow.
And, the rest as they say, is history.
“As we reflect now on ‘30 Years of Pure Magic,’ it is almost unimaginable to us that what we set out to create — a new holiday tradition for Springfield for generations to come — grew into the largest outdoor holiday light spectacular in the Northeast garnering many national accolades over the years,” Matt said.
But on opening day the jitters set in.
As told in the 15th anniversary book, Matt was quoted as saying: “I don’t tell this story very often, but when Pat and I last checked after entering the park on opening night, we didn’t see a single car waiting to drive through Bright Nights and we thought, ‘Oh boy, are we in trouble.’”
Unknowingly, by the time the opening ceremony had begun, they had created what one person described as “inaugurating the largest traffic jam in the history of Springfield.”
“In honor of our 30th anniversary, the 30th, 300th, 3,000th and 30,000th vehicles driving through the gates will receive a special Bright Nights Gift Package. Also, the first 3,000 people stopping into our Gift Shop will receive a light-up button featuring our 30th anniversary logo and there will be all kinds of special 30th anniversary items for sale in the gift shop,” Matt said.
As drivers make their way into Forest Park’s premier holiday light display — joining over 7 million visitors from around the world who have visited Bright Nights over the years — they will be greeted at the front gate with some giant red flowers in Poinsettia Fantasy, then continue their tour viewing displays called American Flag, Spirit of the Season, Winter Garden, Springfield Thunderbirds, MGM Springfield, Seuss Land, Santa’s Magical Forest, Garden of Peace, Jurassic World, Victorian Village, Barney Mansion, Leaping Frog, Winter Woods, North Pole Village, Toy Land, Giant Poinsettia Candles and completing their magical visit with Happy Holidays, Springfield.
Among the many sights to be seen include driving under a hallow of colorful lights called the Blizzard Tunnel, elves throwing packages to Santa for his big night, leaping deer from one side of the street to the other, a nativity scene and Menorah in honor of the season, gigantic dinosaurs invading the holiday setting, the Garden of Peace with its flowers blooming with love, peace, faith,
hope and joy added in honor of the Sept. 11 tragedy — just a sample of the more than 400 individual displays lighting up your journey.
Santa has a long association with Bright Nights.
“Santa has been with us since the very beginning and once again will be traveling to Bright Nights every day and leaving his elves behind in his workshop at the North Pole. The Jolly ol’ Elf has his own home-awayfrom-home located in Santa’s Magical Forest where he will greet believers in his cozy cottage,” Matt said.
Visitors are welcome to capture their child’s visit with Santa using their own cameras. Photo packages for those who want a more formal photo are available for sale.
Santa’s Magical Forest is the only stop allowed while traveling through Bright Nights.
Once inside the special area, you can also take a selfie with friends or family between two large, illuminated candy canes with a 2024 Bright Nights sign. It is also home to the Bright Night’s gift shop, carousel and tea cup rides, and two refreshment stands.
While in the gift shop, visitors can purchase all kinds of Bright Nights mementoes and other gifts including handmade chocolates from Maureen’s Sweet Shop in East Longmeadow. The tradition also continues this year of introducing the sixth in a series of children’s books especially created for the Spirit of Springfield. Written by Michele Dufresne and illustrated by Max Stasiuk from his cellar in the Ukraine, “A Place for Louis the Lion.” The plot of the book revolves around the lion who is looking for a place of his own. The desert was too hot, others made him move on, but Santa told him about a beautiful place that was lit with thousands of little lights. It was Bright Nights at Forest Park. The book costs $10 and there will also be a plush lion to accompany the book that costs $12, or $20 for both. All books in the series are still available for sale. All proceeds from the sale of book three, “Little Frog and the Bright Lights,” also illustrated by Stasiuk, will support the illustrator and his family.
The gift shop will also be home to face painting and appearances by the Snow Queen and Frost Princess, and a choir presentation by the Lutheran Middle School Choir. Among the many other special activities and nights lined up for this year include Public Safety Night on Dec. 4, Zoo Nights on Dec. 11 and 18, Supper with Santa on Dec. 6, 8 and 15, and horse-drawn wagon and carriage rides on various nights.
Visit brightnights.org for more information under the Activities section link on the front page for more information on the gift shop and other planned special events.
When entering Bright Nights, don’t forget to tune into WXMAS 100.7 FM, Bright Night’s own radio station. The pre-recorded radio show, put together by Santa at the North Pole, features popular chestnut holiday tunes sung by Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and others alongside today’s contemporary artists like Cher, Meghan Trainor, Taylor Swift, Debbie Gibson, John Legend and many more.
This year’s Bright Nights, which began on Thanksgiving Eve, runs through Jan. 5, 2025. Hours are Monday through Thursday and Sunday from 5-9 p.m. and Friday, Saturday and holidays from 5-10 p.m. Bright Nights remains open for holiday enjoyment on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Tickets — available only in advance online at brightnights.org — are $23 per car and for campers with seating capacity of less than 17 passengers, limousines are $35, mini buses seating 17-31 persons are $80, and buses with a seating capacity of more than 31 persons are $175. However, tickets can be purchased at Big Y, Your Family Market through Jan. 5 for $18 with your Big Y membership account.
A Bright Nights Loyalty Card is available by signing up at brightnights.org. The free card includes many amenities such as two free amusement ride tickets, one free child’s dinner at Supper with Santa with the purchase of an adult dinner, Bright Nights Coupon book featuring area restaurants and attractions, and many other benefits.
The nationally recognized event is a collaborative effort by the organizer, Spirit of Springfield, with Springfield Department of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management.
BEFORE VENTURING OUT TO VISIT BRIGHT NIGHTS AT FOREST PARK, YOU CAN CHECK BRIGHTNIGHTS.ORG/LIVE-WEBCAMS TO SEE HOW THE TRAFFIC IS FLOWING. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT BRIGHTNIGHTS.ORG OR CALL 413-733-3800.