Luminaria is one of Utah's brightest holiday traditions, where attendees can wander through acres of dazzling lights.
Every year, more than eight million lights transform this garden into a glowing winter world. Tonight, we're going behind the scenes to learn how it all comes together.
Luminaria originally started ten years ago as Holiday Lights at Thanksgiving Point. Every year, the event draws large crowds from November to January.
But long before the crowds arrive, volunteers and maintenance crews at Ashton Gardens start setting up the lights in July. Stretching over 50 acres, Luminaria team member Tessa Devey states that it can be quite daunting.
“We start lighting trees in July, so we definitely use a lot of volunteers and our garden crew. It’s really a hands-on process," Devey said.
But year after year, over eight million lights transform into different exhibits, including larger-than-life toys, mosaics, enchanted castles, and more.
“Moroccan lights are really pretty, it’s just got lots of lanterns, and it’s just a beautiful, peaceful area to walk through," Julie Wilford said.
While the lights come together to create one of Utah's brightest holiday traditions, it is the volunteers who make the event possible every night.
“Thanksgiving Point has a bunch of different volunteer opportunities, and this one just sounded like a great time to help people get in the Christmas spirit and see this beautiful area in the wintertime," Wilford said.
Year after year, night after night, volunteers show up rain or snow — and for many of them, that weather only adds to the magic.
“I’ve been here when it’s snowing, and it’s magical. I mean, I think bubbles are magical, but snow just tops it off," Gayle Friedman.
With millions of lights and hundreds of employees and volunteers, Luminaria brings a holiday display for families to enjoy each year.