There’s no shortage of Christmas lights this year for those looking for some of that sparkling, glittering Christmas cheer. Beginning as soon as today, November 1st, light displays will be open to the public to either drive or walk through.
BAFOL Drive-Through
The Branson Area Festival of Lights in Branson will officially kick off today at 5 p.m. with a lighting ceremony at the Branson RecPlex at pavilion D. The ceremony will feature Branson Mayor Lou Schaefer flipping a large switch to ceremoniously turn on the lights.
The BAFOL lights display has returned from a one-year absence caused by construction in the area of the display. “It has returned with a larger route and more displays,” BAFOL board member Jerry Adams said. Before the absence, the display had been an annual tradition since 1990.
The 2.5-mile route is a mile longer than in the past, and will feature approximately 100 more displays. The route starts at the same place it always did, at Ozark Scenic Drive, behind Target and Home Depot. The route then turns right on Branson Hills Parkway and continues until it reaches Branson RecPlex. There, the drive-through features a new attraction — Santa Claus.
“On Friday and Saturday nights, Santa will be there,” Adams said. “There will be an area for kids to visit with Santa Claus.”
Port of Lights
In Kimberling City, the annual Port of Lights Display will open to the public on Thursday. This will be the 16th season for the drive-through display, which is put on by the Table Rock Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.
“Port of Lights has established itself as a firm and lasting tradition, a delightful experience enjoyed by locals and the thousands of holiday visitors to Table Rock Lake,” said Chamber President Cindy Morris.
The three-mile attraction began in 1991 and grows each year. Motorists pass through a 120-foot snowflake tunnel and a 240-foot holly-wreath tunnel. They will also see a wide range of light displays featuring traditional Christmas scenes, bits of Americana and Ozark folklore.
“The Port of Lights has received national recognition as one of the truly great light displays in the country and will continue to do so with active community participation,” Morris said.
Winter Wonderlanding
Branson Landing adds to the season spirit with its own holiday celebration titled “Winter Wonderlanding.” The shopping destination, which features 90 shops and restaurants along downtown Branson’s Taneycomo lakefront, will feature more than 20 million sparkling lights and Santa’s 50-foot Christmas Tree House.
"The overall experience of Christmas at Branson Landing will surround you with the spirit of the holiday season," said Rick Huffman, CEO of HCW Development Co., which created Branson Landing in partnership with the city of Branson. "Hurried shopping creates harried shoppers. We want shoppers to relax and enjoy. Let the season and the setting cater to all of the senses to create a memorable experience."
Branson Landing’s streets will feature performers in costume. The Branson Landing fountains will be choreographed to a new Christmas song, Martina McBride’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
An Old Time Christmas
When it comes to Christmas lights, few, if any, places in the country can top Silver Dollar City. Beginning Saturday, the park opens with its annual “An Old Time Christmas.” Until Dec. 30, the park will become aglow with more than 4 million Christmas lights and 1,000 decorated Christmas trees. A Holiday Light Parade, featuring musical floats covered in bright lights, winds through the streets of the city each evening. In the square, is the musical, five-story Special Effects Christmas Tree with more than 250,000 lights.
The park will also feature a production of “A Dickens’ Christmas Carol,” featuring an all-new scene set inside a snow globe; a dramatic presentation of the Living Nativity, and several other holiday shows.
During An Old Time Christmas, the park is open from 1 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, and from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturdays. The park will be open on Nov. 23 from 4 to 10 p.m. and on Nov. 24 from noon to 10 p.m. It will be closed Dec. 24 and 25.
Information provided by Branson Daily News