The Finger Lakes Festival of Lights is hosting a launch party for their official unveiling at Grist Iron Brewing Company.
The Finger Lakes Festival of Lights is brought to the area and organized by a newly established partnership, American Lantern Festivals Inc., which includes local winery Castel Grisch who delighted residents and visitors with its own light show production in winter 2020. This year’s Festival is a brand new, world-class, professionally designed and engineered illuminated lantern festival that brings together concepts of fantasy, ancient artisanship and illumination in a larger-than-life, visually spectacular installation made up of over a thousand silk, porcelain and steel light sculptures that provide moments of surprise, awe, and excitement to visitors.
The region was carefully selected by show producers because of its natural beauty, which lends the show a majestic setting as guests wander along a mile-long, wooded path illuminated by thousands of LED lit lanterns. The light sculptures tell a story about children visiting their grandparents in Seneca Lake who use their imaginations to recreate fantastic scenes of adventure, dinosaurs, tropical animals and aquatic creatures as Grandpa tells tales from his past. The show truly brings the scenery to life after dark and creates an unforgettable, unique experience for all who visit — with fun and surprises along the way.
The Festival’s Chief Producer, Robert Montgomery, is thrilled to finally have this lantern show up and running in the Watkins Glen area. “Our Light Festivals have delighted guests across four continents and entertained millions of visitors of all ages and from all walks of life. We have been working hard to bring our show to the Finger Lakes Region,” says Montgomery. “We are excited to offer a story that is meaningful to the area with culturally specific references that local people will recognize and appreciate.”
The Festival officially opened on September 10th, but has been running Preview Days since September 4th with glowing reviews. A Launch Party will be held on Wednesday, September 15th at 6:45pm with guests from local businesses across the region. The site, which is located on the property of the Grist Iron Brewing Company (4880 NY-414, Burdett, NY), has concessions at the entrance, including beer and wine for adult guests to enjoy. Lights go on at sundown to maximize the experience.
Castel Grisch Winery owner Daniel Lai, also owner/operator of the event, is particularly excited about the impact the Festival will have within the community. “Our new partnership of American Lantern Festivals has delivered a magical experience with a story that has roots in our community,” explains Lai. “Building off of our successful drive thru Christmas Festival at Castel Grisch in 2020, we’re excited about this all-new show, that will be even more spectacular and engaging.”
The Festival is open now, and will run through November 2021 with possibility of extension.
Tickets can be purchased at: finglerlakeslights.com.
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