For the second installment of our series on holiday lighting displays, we feature light shows in the states of Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, and New Mexico, to aid you in capturing photogenic moments that convey the spirit of the season.
As noted in Part 1, operating hours, dates, and admission costs for each venue vary widely, so please check event websites for specifics before planning a visit. As for cost, many of the venues have a primary goal to raise money for local charities. In such cases, consider the admission fee as a benevolent effort to spread some holiday cheer.
Please note: Where camera models are mentioned that are no longer available, links have been updated to display comparable, current generation products.
Above photograph © Brian Hale
Illinois
Chicago’s Magnificent Mile Lights Festival has adorned the trees along North Michigan Avenue with twinkling lights for the past 50 years. Yet an equally beloved holiday tradition transforms the Lincoln Park Zoo into a sparkling winter wonderland with more than 2.5 million lights and hundreds of dynamic displays. ZooLights takes place Friday through Sunday nights, November 24-26 and December 1-3, and then nightly from December 8 through January 7 (excluding December 24 and 25). In addition to the lights, this free event features live ice sculpture carving, a carousel, a Ferris wheel, other festive activities and sweet treats of all kinds.
“ZooLights is an annual photographer’s favorite, with more than 100 giant themed displays,” says local photographer Milosh Kosanovich. “The best shots of the lights are made with long exposures, from 30 seconds to 2 minutes, since the lights are flashing and it takes time for them all to light up.”
Using his Gitzo Traveller tripod with a Manfrotto Junior Geared Head to stabilize his Nikon D800E and Nikon 24mm PC-E lens, Kosanovich made a total of 15 exposures over a 20-minute period to incorporate in an HDR image, using the shift in his tilt/shift lens to get everything in the frame. Back at his computer, he processed the files with Photomatix Pro, and merged them with AutoPano Pro.
Besides technical challenges, Kosanovich notes that the event’s huge popularity can make shooting difficult. “It gets really crowded, so try to get there early or better yet go on a member night,” he advises. “This year I’m going to an Adult Night that’s being offered, attempting to avoid the crowds.”
Kansas
At Botanica Wichita, the Illuminations display will make you feel like you were transported to the Land of Oz. Wichita’s biggest holiday attraction features more than a million lights with displays that include a dancing light show in the main meadow, an underwater scene in the Shakespeare Garden, a strobe tree, and more.
Swedish photographer Ann Lindstrom found this event to be one of the highlights of her visit to the area. "Stepping into the magic of Christmas spirit at Botanica, Wichita, on a cold November night, I immediately turned into an excited little girl on Christmas Eve, playing with her camera and the illuminated scenery,” she says. “I was so inspired I could have stayed all night to capture the spellbinding atmosphere. I left the park with much joy in my heart and over 100 photos!" She made the photo above using a Canon 7D with a 50 mm f/1.4 lens.
Kentucky
For a subterranean holiday treat, visit Louisville’s Mega Cavern and take in the world’s only fully underground drive-through holiday light show. From November 17 to December 31, Lights Under Louisville transforms a section of this former limestone quarry into an underground holiday light spectacular. Each evening until 10:00 p.m., visitors can enjoy a 30-minute ride through part of the cavern’s 17 miles of underground passageways, featuring more than 3,000,000 points of light and 850 lit characters.
“I visited Lights Under Louisville at the Louisville Mega Cavern as a fun office holiday outing,” says Jane Inman Stormer. “The lights are extensive, covering nostalgic holiday characters, and highlighting the new classics, as well. It is a great event for families, and the cave makes for a unique experience.”
Stormer captured the image above using her Canon EOS Rebel T3i with an EF17-40mm f/4L USM lens. She says, “Photographers should be prepared for a challenge due to low light, and since it is a drive-through show, the subjects are moving.”
Louisiana
The famous oaks of New Orleans’s City Park are swathed in hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights for the magical winter spectacle Celebration in the Oaks. Now in its 31st year, more than 500,000 LED bulbs decorate the trees throughout the Park’s 25 acres from November 24 through January 1, including the Botanical Garden, Storyland, and Carousel Gardens Amusement Park.
Bellevue, Washington-based photographer Monika Sapek visited Celebration in the Oaks with her family during a trip to New Orleans, in December 2016. “We chose to visit New Orleans mainly for good music and food,” she says. “However, after reading about the city attractions, I was delighted to find out that they have a holiday lights festival!”
For the image above, Sapek used a Manfrotto tripod equipped with an Acratech Ball Head and a Kirk camera plate and L-Bracket to secure her Nikon D7100 and Sigma 18-35mm lens set at 35mm, for a 3-second exposure at f/2.5.
“The biggest challenge in photographing Christmas lights festivals is dealing with the crowds,” she notes.
Maine
In mid-coast Maine coast, the Boothbay Festival of Lights offers a celebration of signature holiday events in the seaside towns of Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor. The towns sparkle with thousands of lights while hosting a wide range of festivities, including horse-drawn carriage rides, a tree lighting, caroling, a lighted boat parade, and fireworks.
Yet the holiday magic culminates at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, where more than 500,000 LED lights decorate the central gardens and buildings for Gardens Aglow. From November 17 through December 31, the gardens offer visitors off-season evening access from Thursday through Sunday from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m.
“Gardens Aglow is a very popular event and the attendees are very enthusiastic,” says photographer Paul VanDerWerf. “Everyone, it seemed, was taking a picture. It’s good opportunity to capture a photo for next year’s holiday letter or card.”
Working on a tripod, VanDerWerf made the image above with a Canon 5D Mark II and 28-135mm lens set at f16, exposing for 2.5 seconds. “This event is well worth a few numb fingers for photographers,” he adds. “But be sure to have some photo gloves, and hand warmers too.”
Maryland
For a holiday tradition like no other, head to the Baltimore neighborhood of Hampden to take in the “Miracle on 34th Street,” which transforms a block of row houses into a kaleidoscope of kitschy ornaments and quirky fun, from a Christmas tree made of hubcaps, to bike rim snowmen, a giant snow globe, overhead trains, and a big red crab. Now in its 71st year of operation, the action happens on the thoroughfare’s 700 block, between Chestnut Avenue and Keswick Road, running from November 25 until January 1.
“I try to get there during the “blue hour’ for the good light, and to beat the hordes of merry-makers who show up later,” says photographer Kevin B. Moore. “I usually bring two cameras, a Canon 5D MKIII paired with a 50mm f1.4, and a 70-200mm f2.8. The image above was made with a Canon 7D MKII and a Rokinon 8mm Ultra Wide Angle f/3.5 Fisheye lens set to f/16. I was on a tripod with a six-second exposure, at ISO 200,” he says.
Massachusetts
Just outside the city of Worcester, Tower Hill Botanic Garden ushers in the holiday season with Winter Reimagined 2017. From November 24, 2017 through January 7, visitors can marvel at glittering lights displayed throughout acres of formal gardens. Beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday through Sunday, the prized collection of trees and shrubs comes to life in the glow of the lights, along with illuminated paths, sculptures, and fountains. Inside, two towering conservatories brim with subtropical plants and seasonal music, while guests enjoy a wishing-tree forest, an up-cycled igloo, and more.
“This event is a photographer’s dream and is all-around magical for everyone who attends,” says local photographer Brian Hale. “Every year they change it up a bit and expand a little more.”
Using his trusty Induro tripod to stabilize his Canon 6D and Rokinon 14mm 2.8 IF ED UMC lens, Hale exposed the image above for 8-seconds at ISO 100.
Minnesota
Billed as America’s largest free walk-through lighting display, the Bentleyville Tour of Lights invites guests to stroll under the glow of more than 4 million lights nightly, from November 18 through December 26. From its start in 2001, with Nathan Bentley’s decision to decorate his rural home with holiday lights, this homespun event quickly grew in both popularity and scope, resulting in a 2008 offer from the Mayor of Duluth to host the event at its current location in Duluth’s 20-acre Bayfront Festival Park.
“It’s a wonderful experience walking through millions of Christmas Lights on the shores of Lake Superior,” says photographer Philip Schwarz. He captured the image above with his Nikon D7100 and Tamron 11-18mm lens, handholding his gear for a 1.3 second exposure at ISO 400.
Nebraska
A holiday favorite tradition in the Cornhusker state is the Omaha Holiday Lights Festival. From Thanksgiving night until New Year’s Day, more than 40 blocks of the city dazzle with delicate white light, which has its center downtown at the Gene Leahy Mall.
“The park is always popular, but the holiday lights give it extra sparkle,” says photographer Colleen Laughlin. “I took this picture with my Nikon D80 and 18-135mm kit lens when I was quite new to digital photography. I remember going downtown that evening to work on my long-exposure techniques, which has become one of my favorites.”
New Jersey
People tend to do things up big in New Jersey, and the holiday season is no exception to this rule. The Theme Park powerhouse Six Flags Great Adventure promotes Thrills by Day, Light by Night at Holiday in the Park, but perhaps the award for the most ambitious holiday light show should go to the Shaw family and their Cranbury Christmas Lights. For the past 11 years, the Shaws have hosted a Christmas Spectacular on the grounds of their home, each year adding a new feature. More than 150,000 lights dance to music controlled by more than 50,000 channels and 25,000 feet of extension cords. This year, a 7,000-pixel tree is joined by two 1,600-pixel grids towering more than 40 feet in the air, while a 10,000-pixel fountain of light and a 20 x 20' wall of snowflakes twinkles nearby. From November 25 through December 27, the light show is choreographed to music during 20 different nights, with shows running from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Most important, while the show is free to watch, the Shaws run it as a fundraiser, with 100% of proceeds going to the local Food Bank.
New Mexico
New Mexico’s largest walk-through holiday production had its beginnings in 1997, as a fundraiser for the ABQ BioPark. Today, Albuquerque’s River of Lights runs from November 25 to December 30 and includes more than 500 festive light displays, animated sculptures, and other twinkling surprises comprising millions of bulbs. In addition to viewing the lights, visitors can catch a performance by local musicians, and then hop aboard the nighttime train, the Polar Bear Express, for a magical journey complete with hot cocoa, sweet treats, and the chance to visit with Santa.
Photographer Rich Brown captured the image above, in December 2006, with his then brand-new Fuji Finepix S9100. He was attending with a Flickr social group that photographed throughout the city. “It was lots of fun and I made new friends,” he says of the experience. Brown has one tip for potential visitors: “You need to dress warm, especially if you're taking long exposures on a tripod.”
Click below to read the companion articles in this series, Holiday Light Shows, Part 1 and Holiday Light Shows, Part 3.
Do you have a favorite Holiday Lighting event not mentioned above, or a cherished memory at one of these sites? Tell us about it in the Comments section, below!
