Lights, Camera, Holidays: Where to See Philadelphia All Aglow

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Dark winter nights turn glittery and bright with holiday lights that shimmer and shine all across Philadelphia and The Countryside^®. With new displays at Franklin Square and the Blue Cross RiverRink, the season takes on a magical glow as a number of local attractions and neighborhoods pump up the power and light up the skies with sparkling colors and elaborate light displays like these shining examples:

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131029/PH06406 )

Bright Lights, Big City:

• The holiday magic at Ben Franklin's namesake park begins with the new Franklin Square's Electrical Spectacle: A Holiday Light Show, featuring a 10-foot-tall kite made of lights that sparkle and spread the glow to lights throughout the square. The show runs every 30 minutes between 4:30 and 8:00 p.m., weather permitting. November 14-December 31, with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas. 6^th & Race Streets, (215) 629-4026, historicphiladelphia.org
• It's year six for Philadelphia's high-tech holiday show, The Comcast Holiday Spectacular, shown on The Comcast Experience video wall, one of the world's highest-resolution LED (light-emitting diode) displays, in the lobby of the 58-story Comcast Center. Set to the music of a 64-piece orchestra, this year's show includes new scenes featuring Olympic-caliber ice skaters and performers from the Walnut Street Theatre. The free 15-minute show occurs at the top of the hour, 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. (except 5:00 p.m. on weekdays). November 28-January 1. 17^th Street & John F. Kennedy Boulevard, visitphilly.com/comcast
• All new for the Blue Cross RiverRink's 20^th-anniversary season at Penn's Landing, Bright Lights, Big Santa introduces a festive mash-up of color, lights, hip-hop beats and dancing elves that all come together in 3-D light show accompanied by holiday music. Part of the Waterfront Winterfest—complete with pine trees, fire pits, a heated pop-up restaurant, craft market and other activities—the light show runs every hour between 5:00-11:00 p.m. November 29-January 5. Columbus Boulevard & Market Street, (215) 925-RINK, riverrink.com
• A Philadelphia tradition since 1956, the Christmas Light Show at Macy's in Center City illuminates a large wall inside the Wanamaker building, a National Historic Landmark, with almost 100,000 LED lights and finishes with sounds from the Wanamaker Organ. Performances take place at the top of the hour, November 29-December 31. 1300 Market Street, (215) 241-9000, wanamakerorgan.com
• Set amid the evergreens, Morris Arboretum's Holiday Garden Railway showcases a miniature winter wonderland complete with a quarter-mile of model-train track; seven loops and tunnels; 15 different rail lines; cable cars, bridges and model trains that cruise past scaled replicas of historic monuments; and Philadelphia-area landmarks adorned with thousands of twinkling lights for the holidays. New this year: Friday Night Lights, providing evening viewings on select nights. November 22-January 5 (closed December 24-25, January 1). 100 E. Northwestern Avenue, (215) 247-5777, morrisarboretum.org
• The Independence Seaport Museum hosts the fourth-annual Parade of Lights. Indoors, participants visit with Santa and join in candy-making demos before moving outdoors to watch lighted and decorated tugboats and other vessels float along the Delaware River.
  December 14. 211 S. Columbus Boulevard, (215) 413-8655, phillyseaport.org
• Locals have long known that the place to go for a boost of holiday spirit is South Philadelphia, a traditionally Italian enclave where the combination of civic pride and neighborhood camaraderie come together to create eye-popping homegrown lighting displays. Colorado and Smedley Streets are particular favorites for an instant jolt of seasonal spirit.

Countryside Aglow:

• Each evening, beginning with the Grand Illumination, Peddler's Village shimmers in the warm glow of one million jewel-colored twinkling lights and holiday greenery. From the treetops to the Colonial-style buildings to the quaint shops, the whole landscape sparkles and glows—making it the perfect setting for sipping cider, toasting marshmallows, holiday shopping, visiting Santa and more. November 22-January 5. Routes 202 & 263, Lahaska, (215) 794-4000, peddlersvillage.com
• The holidays go red, white and green at Longwood Gardens during A Longwood Gardens Christmas, featuring 500,000 glowing lights, thousands of poinsettias, vibrantly decorated trees and dancing fountains throughout the vast grounds and conservatory. November 28-January 12. 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, (610) 388-1000, longwoodgardens.org

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside^® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region's vitality.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit visitphilly.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to HearPhilly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.

Note to Editors: For high-resolution photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit the photo gallery of visitphilly.com/pressroom.

SOURCE Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation