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I didn't count them when I visited in 1999, but promoters responsible for the Hartford Holiday Light Fantasia drive-through display of magical, illuminated scenes claim that there are one million lights glowing in downtown Hartford, Connecticut's Goodwin Park each winter. That puts this two-mile holiday extravaganza in serious competition with nearby Bright Nights in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Which is New England's largest holiday light display? It's tough to say. What's easy, though, is to suggest that you see at least one of these glittering holiday wonderlands before the season is over!
In 1999, Associated Events L.L.C. and many Hartford city and corporate sponsors contributed to the $500,000 transformation of Goodwin Park for the first Hartford Holiday Light Fantasia. With the exception of 2005, the holiday light show has returned every year since. Among the spectacles that visitors will see at this light extravaganza are a 20-foot high gingerbread house, a 30-foot tall Holiday Castle and Harry Potter's Magical Voyage.
With Bruce at the wheel, I was able to photograph the sights and lights as we drove through Hartford Holiday Light Fantasia in December of 1999, and I'll take you on a virtual tour that's sure to put you in the holiday spirit. But get there yourself if you can! The show runs every night this holiday season from November 22, 2007 through January 1, 2008. You'll be mesmerized by the dozens of dazzling displays, and, with your radio tuned to the suggested frequency, the holiday music and warm glow of one million lights is sure to make for a fun family outing that might just become an annual tradition.
If you're going... I've got all of the information you'll need on hours and fees for the 2007-2008 season, plus directions to Goodwin Park.
And if you can't get to Hartford... Click here to join me on a virtual holiday adventure!
Happy Holidays!
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Photographs by Kim Knox Beckius, (c) 1999, licensed to About.com, Inc.
