Page 43 - February 2022

The annual Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Resort & Gardens: Pine
Mountain in Georgia features eight million lights that sparkle in the
wooded landscape of this resort complex. Woodland displays depict
such holiday scenes as the March of the Toy Soldiers or nature themes
Saks Fifth Avenue such as Snowflake Valley. Two beach scenes with moving lights tell
New York, US
the stories of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and the Nativity. The
resort’s onsite Christmas Village features shopping, dining, and Santa.
Plus, guests are able to drive through these displays from the comfort –
and warmth – of their own vehicle. If you don’t feel like driving, guests
can choose to ride the open-air Jolly Trolley around the property.
Last year, Orchard Road bloomed with poinsettias, magnolias and
Christmas roses when on 13 November President Halimah Yacob
triggered the annual Christmas light-up. With the theme “Christmas in
Bloom”, the shopping street was decked out with more than 68km of
LED fairy lights that stretched from Tanglin Mall to Plaza Singapura. A
giant augmented reality outdoor projection featuring Singapore’s tourism
mascots Merli and Friends, flashed on the side of Mandarin Orchard
Singapore every evening between 8pm and 10.30pm. The Orchard Road
Business Association (Orba), organiser of the yearly light-ups, said the
blooming decorations signify Singapore’s journey of hope and resilience
on the path back to normality. The festive lights on Orchard Road came
on nightly until 2 January this year.
According to Diana Laskaris and Sue Reddel, romance flourished
during Christmas in Prague. The Old Town Square dazzled with brilliant
lights, a large twinkling tree, and fairy tale holiday decor, bringing a glow
to the city as well as to the hearts of those spending holiday moments
there. Historical buildings, beautiful churches, and architecture, ranging
from Romanesque and Baroque to Gothic, add a touch of drama to
the storied city landscape. Christmas lights displays add to the festive
atmosphere as locals and visitors alike enjoy the city’s beauty. The unique
glow of Christmas lights against the backdrop of the stately buildings
make for an unforgettable scene and example of European holiday spirit.
Luxury retailer Harvey Nichols set the bar last year for incredible festive
lighting. After declaring a collective ‘bah, humbug’ to Christmas 2020, their
2021 campaign offered a different sentiment that was designed to spread
joy and happiness with bright colours and beaming lights. Transforming
the facade for the festive season, last year the iconic Harvey Nichols
windows featured modern stained glass panels, flooded with light to
reflect a glorious pattern of Christmas-coloured hues inside and outside
the windows. Bringing a dose of joy to the streets of Knightsbridge, the
festively vibrant window displays were adorned with glistening lights
and hand painted baubles that wrapped around the flagship store. Each
window featured different colours to evoke emotion; yellow creates a
sense of energy and excitement, orange grabs attention with a happy and
uplifting effect, and blue projects feelings of calmness and tranquillity. A
desirable edit of luxury giftable items were showcased in the windows,
from stocking fillers to their iconic Harvey Nichols hampers.
The UK also saw the return of the Norwich Tunnel of Light for the
sixth consecutive year from the 16 November until the 5 January. A
popular Christmas attraction, The Tunnel of Light in Hayhill is believed
to be the largest one of its kind and consists of over 57,000 LED lights.
The renowned tunnel is run by Norwich Business Improvement District
(BID), and attracts thousands of visitors to the city every year. Stefan
Gurney, Executive Director of Norwich Business Improvement District
(BID), said: “We were delighted to bring the Tunnel of Light back to
Norwich last Christmas, with refreshed LED’s so it shone even brighter.
We know The Tunnel of Light is a much loved attraction and it helped
create the feel of festive wonder in the city centre. We were glad that
Christmas lights, which are also known as fairy lights, festive lights or people could enjoy it once again.”
string lights are lights that are used for decoration during the festive period. Globally-renowned lighting company MK Illumination lit up the Mall
The custom itself goes back to when Christmas lights were decorated of the Emirates in Dubai, UAE as its inaugural installation celebrated its
with candles, which symbolised Christ being the light of the world. Today tenth anniversary year. For the first time, the entire mall was decked
they serve many purposes and can be a key attraction in drawing large with festive lighting that was supplied by MK Illumination Türkiye. The
crowds of people to the sights of shopping centres, retail stores and leisure design was built upon repeated references to the number ’10’, numerous
activities. rectangular and circular numbers forming ’10’ appear in a myriad of
In November, Saks unveiled its world-famous holiday window display and sizes. The concept reveled in a show of luxury and elegance, and this is
theatrical light show, and the 2021 edition featured a special appearance expressed in the gold and silver colours, the crystals, and the reflective
by none other than Michelle Obama, former first lady of the United States materials used alongside the lighting. One, the number ‘10’ consisting of
and founder of the Girls Opportunity Alliance, and a performance by the ten small circular pieces, is suspended under the main galleria amongst
Young People’s Chorus of New York City. Designed and implemented by multiple light curtains, which shimmer like golden rain. The second is
MK Illumination, this year’s light show features a dazzling display of over the 10th Anniversary Chandelier in the fashion dome. Composed of
700,000 programmed LED lights on the 10-storey façade of the building. 16m light chains, they also incorporate many small gold, silver and white
The legendary six windows focus on the theme of reconnecting with materials alongside crystals and large frames. The project, commissioned
friends and loved ones during the holiday season. by Majid Al Futtaim, was quite an undertaking.