The details
The drive-thru light experience will have a series of themed zones featuring oversized decorations, tunnels of lights and holiday characters, Deputy Administrator Nancy Mikeska said.
Visitors will drive past displays such as a candy cane-themed tunnel, a frozen winter scene with penguins and polar bears, a gold section with gift packages, a Whoville-inspired section, a “Starry Night” light show, and the North Pole section, Mikeska said.
"It's been a year in the making, and we're ready to move forward, and we're excited about it,” Mikeska said.
Diving in deeper
The Conroe Convention and Visitors Bureau will fund the $300,000 project using hotel occupancy tax dollars from its $5 million budget, Mikeska said. Southern California Lighting was selected to install and manage the displays. The setup includes more than 65 decorated trees, four 50-foot light tunnels, and hundreds of ornaments, snowflakes and candy canes.
Mikeska said the event will run on weekends from Thursday through Sunday, leading up to Christmas and possibly the week after. The dates are not finalized, and traffic will enter from I-45, Mikeska said.
What this means
Mikeska said the event will not replace Christmas on Main or the city’s annual downtown tree lighting. Instead, the new attraction is intended to complement existing traditions and draw visitors from across the region.
Council members and officials also raised ideas for sponsorship opportunities, nominal car entry fees and community partnerships such as canned food drives or donations to the animal shelter. Other ideas, such as adding a carousel wheel and ice rink, were also discussed.
