Oglebay Festival of Lights underway
A lighted paddleboat reflects in the water of a lake at Oglebay Park.
Oglebay Festival of Lights underway A lighted carousel and Ferris wheel are part of the seasonal display at Oglebay Park.
Children look out the window of a car at the holiday lights display at Oglebay.
‘Tis the season for a holiday light show, and Wheeling, W.Va.’s most popular holiday event has kicked off at Oglebay Park.
The 31st annual Festival of Lights will feature more than a million lights along a six-mile loop with 80 still and animated light displays, including a 100-foot-long tunnel with multi-colored lights and “Snoopy and Friends,” a Nutcracker quartet and Twelve Days of Christmas displays.
Every year, new displays are added and the placement of the existing displays changes to keep the show fresh.
The festival runs through Jan. 1. Hours are Sunday through Thursday until 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m., with a suggested per-car donation of $20 (valid for the entire festival season).
When the festival began in 1985 in order to attract visitors to the park, it consisted of just five displays. Today, an estimated 250,000 visit annually to see the extravaganza of lights.
“It’s grown into a community-wide celebration. We’re glad that so many have made it an annual tradition,” said Eric Donaldson, president of the Oglebay Foundation.
New this year is Christmas at Crispin, located near the Pine Room, which offers family activities including hay rides, a straw maze, a train ride and a selection of decorations, ornaments and holiday collectibles. Fresh-cut Christmas trees are available for purchase.
Preparing for the festival is a year-round effort.
“It’s just incredible, the amount of work that goes into this, but it’s well worth it,” said Wheeling Park Commission CEO Steve Hilliard.
In 2008, the Festival of Lights entered a “green” era when it committed to using energy-efficient LED lights in all new displays and converting all existing displays to LED.
LED lights use 85 percent less energy than traditional bulbs and last five times longer.
For example, the animated walking horse display, added in 1992, draws 85 amps of electricity with traditional light bulbs. With LED lights, it draws just 12 amps.
“That’s a tremendous amount of savings,” said Hilliard.
Other favorites along the route, which covers more than 300 acres, include the festival’s tallest display, “Poinsettia Wreath and Candles,” which stands close to 60 feet tall and is 50 feet in diameter, and “The Carousel.”
The Festival of Lights is also a financial boon to the Wheeling area. The park is responsible for an estimated $20 million in sales around Ohio County during the Festival of Lights.