Holiday lights still to be seen during Covid

Jaden Fields and Ezekiel La Mantia
Editor-in-Chief and Social Media Editor

Photos by Jaden Fields

For its 35th year, Winter Wonderland at Tilles Park provides visitors visual holiday treats. Also angels greet holiday sightseers on Candy Cane Lane. Photos by Jaden Fields

Every year around the holiday season, numerous areas around St. Louis are seen decorating with lights.

One common light show attraction is the Winter Wonderland at Tilles Park. This year will mark the 35th annual Winter Wonderland. The display opened on Nov. 20, and will be open through Jan. 2. While in past years, walking has been allowed, due to COVID-19 this year, the attraction is limited to vehicles and carriages. The price for regular family cars are $12.50, while limousines and vans are $24.

Winter Wonderland is not the only extravagant light show in St. Louis. The STL Zoo has a light show of its own titled “Wild Lights.” Wild Lights at the STL Zoo features 1 million lights, winter treats, and animal displays at Penguin & Puffin Coast. The event takes place on select nights, and tickets are available online. Although many of the animals are not in their enclosures due to climate, the amazing light displays make up for their absences.

Some of the treats featured at the zoo are smores, and there are fire pits set up six feet apart and the option to roast marshmallows and warm up is an activity families with young children can participate in. Warm drinks are now served for the season, and a Starbucks can even be found amidst the food stations.

In addition to these two established light shows, throughout the neighborhoods in the city, different homemade light displays are seen. One in particular has its very own radio program for the event. Candy Cane Lane is a light show that takes place in a regular neighborhood that features many dazzling lights and festive lawn décor.

Because of the fact it is a drive through light show, Candy Cane Lane has always been perfect for a pandemic like this. There is still an option for people to walk through the display as long as they wear masks and socially distance from other patrons. The most exciting part of the light show would have to be the way the lights sync up with the music that is playing on the stations.

While Candy Cane Lane is the main attraction, as it is the biggest and most all the houses around actively participate, Angel Avenue is another street that has their own Christmas music station and light attraction. Although it is shorter than the main lane, it still has ave a lot of lovely lights and still gains quite a bit of attention.

Jaden Fields – Editor-in-Chief

This is senior Jaden Fields’ second year working with Echo publications, but she took journalism the year prior to joining. She works as both the Editor in chief as well as the Sports Columnist.