The Bull Run Festival of Lights, a 2.5-mile drive illuminated with holiday displays each year, opens Friday at Bull Run Regional Park.
The annual lights show in Centreville, one of three hosted by NOVA Parks, features hundreds of displays shaped as presents, reindeer, and other holiday scenes. It is expected to draw 60,000 carloads of visitors.
A crew of about 10 people begins setting up the displays each August, working full-time to position the intricate lights. At the entrance, the trail’s tallest display — a towering formation of red, green, and white lights with the show’s name — greets visitors.
Farther along, themed sections include the “Toy Factory,” with newly refurbished, brighter displays, and the “Winter Wonderland” where blinking lights hang from trees to simulate snowfall.
Preparing the show is no easy task. The crew spends its days screwing in bulbs, hammering stakes into the ground, and using forklifts and manlifts to position displays.
Assistant Park Manager Megan Schuster says it’s become a tradition for people from all over to drive to the park during the holiday season. The light show runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
“We get people from up and down the East Coast that’ll come from Pennsylvania or North Carolina to see the show,” said Schuster. She sees everyone from senior citizens to students to couples proposing at the end of the show.
At the end of the Festival of Lights trail, a carnival awaits with a Ferris wheel, bonfire, and treats including s’mores kits. Ornaments, blankets, and other Christmas-related items also are sold.
Tickets are $30 online and $40 at the door. There are several promotional nights where you can save $5 to $10.
Other Holiday Light Displays
Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights in Vienna offers a walkable and wheelchair-accessible garden trail with nature and animal themes.
Cameron Run Regional Park’s Ice & Lights features light displays and an outdoor ice-skating rink.
The NOVA Parks holiday light displays are open daily. The Meadowlark Park and Bull Run Park displays end on January 5. Cameron Run Park’s event continues until February 23.
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Feature image of Bull Run Festival of Lights by Emily Sohl
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