Visit Loveland, the City of Loveland, and the Winter Holiday Council plan to make the holidays a little brighter by bringing the 12 Days of Christmas light display to Dwayne Webster Veteran’s Memorial Park this winter.
As the City of Loveland’s lead organizer for holiday festivities and the Loveland Light Trail, Visit Loveland recently worked with the Winter Holiday Council to add the display to its collection. According to the City’s Visitor Services Manager Cindy Mackin, the owner of the Loveland Outlets contacted her just days before the sale of the southern side of the property to see if Visit Loveland would be interested in purchasing the display. According to Mackin, it was a no-brainer.
“It was a great opportunity to keep the beloved holiday display in our community and move it closer to the heart of Loveland,” said Mackin. “This effort is a true collaboration with the Winter Holiday Council and the City’s Parks and Recreation Department to bring holiday magic to residents and visitors alike. We invite the community to experience it live this holiday season.”
The display will be visible along the park’s northernmost edge along State Hwy. 34, and it will run from 5 to 9 p.m. daily, Friday, Nov. 17 through Monday, Jan. 1.
According to Winter Holiday Council Vice Chair Kathryn Vinson, “The Loveland Winter Holiday Council is proud to partner with Visit Loveland and the City of Loveland Parks and Recreation Department to bring the 12 Days of Christmas display to our community’s central corridor. Our hope is to celebrate the spirit of the season and preserve this lighted treasure for the enjoyment of all who see it.”
With this new display, there will be three times the opportunity to enjoy lighted holiday fun in Loveland this holiday season!
The Downtown Festival of Lights returns this year. A hometown tradition, the Loveland Downtown Partnership’s Festival of Lights signature event draws local crowds into Downtown Loveland for the debut of holiday lighting along 4th Street. Celebrate the holiday season with live music and entertainment, a tree-lighting ceremony, a holiday market, carriage rides, Santa, and more. The Festival of Lights is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 17.
Visitors are also encouraged to check out Winter Wonderlights at the Chapungu Sculpture Park, scheduled nightly from Saturday, Nov. 18, through Monday, Jan. 1, from 5 to 9 p.m. At Winter Wonderlights, visitors can walk through the beautiful park and enjoy 175,000 lights, including holiday string lights, twinkling bulbs, LED mappable snowflakes, illuminated African stone sculptures, and a 30-minute music and light show every night. The light and music show features eight total songs and moving lights on the 23-foot-tall LED mappable Christmas Tree. Winter Wonderlights also features three special “LIVE” events, which include musical performances, Santa, reindeer, ice carving, and vendors. Winter Wonderlights LIVE nights are Saturday, Nov. 18, Saturday, Dec. 2, and Saturday, Dec. 16.
All three displays are free to the public. Instead of admission to the Winter Wonderlights display, visitors are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to donate to the Food Bank of Larimer County, and bins will be at all entrances.
Visit Loveland’s holiday activities will also feature a Winter Holiday Gnome scavenger hunt in Downtown Loveland and the return of its Holiday Light trail, guiding visitors from Chapungu Sculpture Park to the 12 days of Christmas display, then leading Downtown, and then over to Christmas walk in the woods.
As part of the holiday fun, the Winter Holiday Council will continue to make its annual holiday ornaments available at the Loveland Visitor’s Center. Proceeds from ornament sales go toward supporting the Winter Holiday Council’s community efforts. Learn more about the Winter Holiday Council, including how to support their efforts, by visiting winterholidaycouncil.org.
To learn more about Visit Loveland and local happenings, check out visitlovelandco.org.
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