The biggest and best light displays can be found all over the world. The United States has a wide array of immaculate Christmas light displays on it’s own. Most people know about the Rockefeller Christmas giant Christmas tree in New York from various movies. Creating and making enormous Christmas lights displays has gain more and more popularity over the year. Recently there have been reality TV show’s on the subject. If you live in Fort Collins you are probably familiar with the old town display they do every year, where they install classic white C9 lights on all the tree’s along N College.
A place that you may not have suspected to have a stupendous display is in Kobe, Japan. In 1995 there was a tremendous earthquake now called the Great Hanshen Earthquake which caused over 6,000 deaths. Now in memory of those who suffered the city has a annual light display for 2 weeks in December.
In Madrid, Spain on the last Friday in November the streets light up with displays overhead, each street in done in its own unique way. These displays are something to marvel at as they are made by Madrid’s top architects and artist.
In Copenhagen, there is an amusement park called Tivoli Gardens. For Christmas they create and extraordinary visual light wonderment. There is a palace called Tivoli’s Moorish that is completely lit from top to bottom and is a magnificent site to see.
There is a less know Christmas Tree in the US compared to the Rockefeller one in New York, but to some this tree is more impressive. In Tbilisi, Georgia there is a giant tree in the Freedom Square it is actual just strings of white lights that make the appearance of a tree and not actually a tree. Its immense size makes quite the site to see.
On December 5th the casino in Monte Carlo, Monaco turns its Christmas light display on. Here the focus on the landscaping and take a slightly different approach they place giant ordainments upon the landscaping and create a stage like appearance.
The Philippines has a light sound show they put on every year and every year it has a different theme. The display is in Ayala Triangle Gardens, Manila and is on for 3 months. It runs every 30 minutes from 6pm until 10pm.
Here in the U.S. there really is almost a miracle on 34th street. 34th Street Baltimore, Maryland that is. They do an elaborate display along a long row of homes in the Hamden neighborhood drawing quite the crowd of Christmas light enthusiasts.
On the main shopping district in Singapore there is a large Christmas light display on Orchard road that has been going on since 1984. The businesses compete to have the best dressed building every year and it seems to get more and more intense each year.
These are just some of the outstanding light displays across the world. Some places dress lights up to celebrate the holidays and there are many times of the year and places around the world where the displays aren’t necessarily for the holidays, but never the less, a giant lights display is almost always beautiful.
Shane Walter
Co-Owner of Lighting Colorado’s Christmas
Author of this article.