Starting Friday, Nov. 14, Central New Yorkers can visit Onondaga Lake Park and take in one of the biggest light shows in the Northeast.
Lights on the Lake kicks off its 25th anniversary season next week. The event draws somewhere around 35,000 cars each year.
“This year marks the 25th anniversary of Lights on the Lake,” said Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney in a statement. “What started as a few small displays in 1990 has become one of the Northeast’s top holiday destinations.”
Onondaga County Parks Director Bill Lansley said the event is one of the best Onondaga Lake Park has to offer.
“It’s something that’s truly multigenerational,” he said. “We have adults coming here who came when they were kids, and they’re bringing their kids now. We look forward to putting it on every year.”
In addition to the drive-through option, the show also offers area residents the opportunity to see the lights up close and personal with a walk-through to be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, for a suggested $2 donation; proceeds benefit the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection. In addition, there will be a dog walk from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, which Lansley said is always worth checking out.
“That one brings out thousands of dogs each year,” he said. “It’s a fun one to be in. I’d definitely suggest coming out to that one, even if you don’t have a dog.”
If you prefer the traditional driven route, there’s plenty for you and your family to enjoy this year. In addition to old favorites like the Land of Oz, the Victorian Village and Under the Sea, new displays include an animated fishing penguin, animated marching soldiers, a 51-by-20-foot elf with a package conveyer, an additional light bulb arch over the trail, a 16-by-16-foot animated Humpty Dumpty, an animated fairy with flower clusters, a flower and butterfly patch and new shower tree lights to simulate snowfall. The American flag at the end of the show has also been renovated. The flag was replaced with LED lights last year, but this year, it includes animation to look like it’s waving. Lansley said the display is now almost entirely made of LED lights, which are much more energy efficient than their predecessors — and they also have another advantage.
“After 25 years, some of the old favorites we’ve renovated are just brilliant,” he said. “They’re so much brighter. It makes the whole show that much better.”
Lansley said the show has gotten better every year.
“In the last five years, we’ve had three of our top attendance records,” he said. “It’s also a great value, especially if you get your advance sale tickets at Wegmans for $6 any night. It’s a great show and it’s fun for the parks department to put on. It’s definitely something everyone in the community looks forward to.”
Discounted advance sale tickets for Lights on the Lake are available for purchase at any Wegmans store. The $6 tickets will be on sale through Nov. 13 and admit one car any night to the light show. In addition, visitors can show their Wegmans Shoppers Club Card Monday and Tuesday evenings and pay $6. Regularly priced tickets are $15 or $10 Mondays and Tuesdays. The show runs through Sunday, Jan. 4.
Visitors can enter Lights on the Lake via Route 370 in Liverpool. For more information, call Onondaga Lake Park at 453-6712 or visit LightsontheLake.com.
