Luminaries Returns to Light Up Brookfield Place this Winter

10/22/16 - By Sona Charaipotra

Looking for a new take on holiday lights displays this year? Head to Battery Park where The Luminaries once again lights up Brookfield Place in a seasonal art display with a decidedly downtown feel.

A canopy of 650 gorgeous lanterns bathes Brookfield's glass-enclosed, Christmas-spirited Winter Garden in a glow of lights as families and holiday shoppers gather below. Adding an interactive element to the display, kids can control the lights via the installation's multiple Wish Stations—and each interaction equals a donation to the GRAMMY in the Schools music education program.

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Created by David Rockwell and the LAB at Rockwell Group, the exhibit comes alive every half hour, between 8am and 10pm daily, offering three distinct light shows choreographed to Christmas songs from Michael Buble, Tony Bennett, and The Bird and the Bee.

The Luminaries are on display from Friday, December 2 through Thursday, January 29, 2017, but the Wishing Station experience is available only until Thursday, January 8. Arts Brookfield has pledged to donate $1 for every wish, up to $25,000, to the GRAMMY in the Schools music education program.

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The Luminaries aren't the only holiday attraction at this downtown hotspot. Santa settles in on December 2 for a three-week run (through Christmas Eve, of course.) Photo packages start at $27.

On opening weekend, Santa welcomes the gang from the New York Theatre Ballet's The Nutcracker, offering the chance to watch a FREE hour-long production of this holiday classic and pose alongside the Sugar Plum Fairy, Nutcracker Prince, and Drosselmeyer.

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The holiday lights sparkle from every angle, creating a festive mood.

Round out your holiday outing with some time on the ice at Brookfield's ice rink, which serves up views of New York harbor and the Statue of Liberty. Top it off with some cocoa, cider and beignets at Le District Chalet, the cozy rink-side eatery that also offers up blankets!

Kid-friendly meals can also be found at nearby Blue Smoke or the fancy food court at Hudson Eats, just an escalator ride up from the Winter Garden, where you'll find grilled cheese at Little Muenster, authentic tacos at Dos Toros Taqueria, and cupcakes at local favorite dessert purveyor Sprinkles.

All photos by Max Lakner/BFA.com/courtesy Brookfield. This post originally published in December 2015.

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