‘Magical Lights’ Return To The UWS On Tuesday

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY – Lost the straightforward path and found yourself in a dark wood? Look for the “Magical Lights,” which will once again illuminate Dante Park – named for Dante Alighieri – and the Broadway Malls this holiday season.

Organized by the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District (BID), the festivities begin with a kickoff celebration on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 4:30 p.m. The Department of Spectacle will present circus-inspired holiday acts – stilt walkers and jugglers – while the “whimsical” Princess Schneeflocken charms the crowd. There's music, too, from the Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School Chorus, which will perform seasonal songs, as well as the Saints of Swing, who aim to inspire boogieing beneath the twinkling trees.

But what about the lights themselves? Look for the “Singing Trees” in Dante Park (Broadway and West 64th Street), where synchronized audio-reactive lights will accompany seasonal jams, or the interactive lights in Richard Tucker Park (Broadway and West 65th Street). The Magical Lights will also transform 36 trees throughout the Broadway Malls, from Columbus Circle to West 70th Street.

And that’s not all. After Tuesday's kickoff, the caroling Fabulous Fezziwigs will roam Lincoln Square in Victorian attire on Dec. 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 17, and 18. A spokesperson for the Lincoln Square BID said the time and location of the Fezziwigs' wanderings will vary and recommended interested parties follow the Lincoln Square BID's Instagram for details.

The culmination of holiday activities is the third annual WinteRamble on Dec. 18, a community procession featuring giant puppets and glowing icicle lanterns that begins at 5 p.m. at 1886 Broadway between West 62nd and 63rd streets. Preceded by a workshop where attendees will assemble their own lanterns – sign up here – the esoteric event also includes a “rolling ensemble of acoustically-enhanced thumb pianos,” which neighbors, friends, and all city roustabouts may join. Why not?

More information is available here.