LADWP 12th Annual Holiday Light Festival is “Going Green” as it Ushers in the Holiday Season by Offering the First Year Of Walking Only Nights
Visitors Can Visit the Festival in a Vehicle Free Environment on Nov. 21-25
Los Angeles-The spirit of the holiday season is glowing in Griffith Park, as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) will turn on the lights for the 12th annual Holiday Light Festival.
This year’s Holiday Light Festival will run from Wednesday, November 21 through Sunday, December 30 from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. There will be new “walking only” nights on November 21-25
Los Angeles Councilmember Tom LaBonge of the 4th district, LADWP Commission President Nick Patsaouras, Acting General Manager Robert Rozanski and other city dignitaries and officials, along with children from the LA’s BEST after school program, will lead the traditional “flipping of the switch” ceremony. The illuminating of the lights tonight will mark the start of the yearly festival. The evening’s festivities will be hosted by KABC Channel 7 TV personality Danny Romero.
A one-mile section of Crystal Springs Drive has become a winter wonderland display of more than one million lights that will be visited by more than 500,000 people during the festival. A new display saluting the Los Angeles Fire Department has been added this year.
2007 marks a special year for the festival. In keeping with the City’s goal of becoming the “greenest big city in the US,” the LADWP is proud to announce that the entire festival lighting has been converted to energy saving and Light Emitting Diodes (LED) lights. This change will utilize only 1/3 the energy of traditional light bulbs. In addition, the Holiday Light Festival is being powered by a clean, energy fuel cell.
“The LADWP Holiday Light Festival brings so much enjoyment to so many people. It really sets the tone for the season and adding the “walking only” nights adds a new experience,” said Councilmember Tom LaBonge. “Between the LADWP and our departments of recreation and parks and transportation, the City proves that it can put on a free, public event without equal anywhere.”
The LADWP is encouraging all visitors to take advantage of the new “walking only” nights on November 21 through 25. The festival will be vehicle free on those nights. Visitors can park at the L.A. Zoo parking lot on the north side of the festival. Or they can park at the Merry-Go-Round and adjacent lots on the south side of the festival route. Parking is on a first come, first served basis. Shuttles will be available to transport guests from the south parking lots to the route entrance.
On November 26, the festival returns to its regular schedule of vehicles and walking. Free shuttles will also be available and will run each evening from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on November 30, December 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, and from December 14 through December 30. Shuttles depart and return from the parking lot of the L.A. Zoo. Guests may also walk the one-mile each way route. Signing will indicate the shuttle stop location. All visitors are encouraged to dress warmly and wear comfortable shoes.
“It is a privilege for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to be part of this annual tradition and we thank all those who worked so tirelessly to make the festival a reality,” said LADWP Commission President Nick Patsaouras.
“The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is proud to partner with the Department of Recreation and Parks and other city departments in sponsoring this wonderful holiday treat,” said LADWP Acting General Manager Robert K. Rozanski. “The LADWP looks forward to continuing to demonstrate its commitment to environmental stewardship and bringing this tradition to the City each year.” He added, “We are also proud to unveil the new display this year dedicated to the men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department. We saw their heroic efforts demonstrated this year, as they helped battle the recent fires and the fire last spring in Griffith Park. We are also proud to know that the water tank installed in the park by the LADWP also played a part in fighting the Griffith Park fire.”
The LADWP Holiday Light Festival is a collaboration of many agencies and partners, such as the L.A. Zoo, Recreation and Parks, Department of Transportation, CalTrans, Los Angeles Fire Department, Southern California Automobile Club, Mimis Cafe, KOST 103.5 FM, Starbucks, Channel 35, L.A. Inc., Autry National Center, KABC Channel 7 and the Spark of Love Toy Drive. MWH also assisted by providing holiday gift backpacks for the LA’s BEST children at the festival.
As part of the festival’s tradition, the Los Angeles City Fire Department is hosting it annual Spark of Love toy drive to benefit less fortunate children throughout Los Angeles. Visitors to the festival are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped gift and brighten the holiday season for a child. For more information log on to www.dwplightfestival.com or call the information line at (213) 367-1255.
LA’s BEST – Better Educated Students for Tomorrow
LA’s BEST is a nationally recognized after school education, enrichment and recreation program serving more than 26,000 children throughout the City of Los Angeles. The program, serves children, ages 5 to 12, at 180 LAUSD elementary schools.
LA’s BEST operates in the most under-served areas of Los Angeles, focusing on schools with the lowest test scores in communities with the highest vulnerability to drugs, gangs and crime. The supervised activities include but are not limited to literacy, math, science, computers, visual and performing arts, seasonal sports and a variety of field trips. LA’s BEST is a non-profit charitable organization built upon ongoing support of the City of Los Angeles, LAUSD and corporate and community partners to ensure the continued success of the program. More information is available at lasbest.org.
LADWP
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest municipal utility, was established more than 100 years ago to provide reliable water and electricity to the city’s residents and businesses, serves more than 3.9 million people in Los Angeles. For more information about the LADWP, log on to www.ladwp.com and for the Holiday Light Festival, visit www.dwplightfestival.com.
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Contact: Kim Hughes, Public Affairs
(213) 367-4417 ● Cell (213) 792-9599
Email: Kimberley.Hughes@ladwp.com
Walter Zeisl, Public Affairs
(213) 367-1342 ● Cell (213) 792-5521
