DENVER (KDVR) — A popular Christmas light show in Loveland isn’t coming back this winter, but the community is trying to keep the tradition going.
Visit Loveland, a lodging tax-funded destination marketing organization for Loveland, announced that the Winter Wonderlights Festival won’t return to Chapungu Sculpture Park this season. The festival had been going on for eight years with entertainment, themed activities, live reindeer, ice carving and a holiday market, until Thursday’s announcement.
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The light show started with grant funding to bring more overnight visitors to the city, according to the organization. But after a study, surveys and other data from past years, Visit Loveland decided to shift its focus to marketing strategies for longer-term benefits rather than one-time events that create “short-term excitement.”
Visit Loveland said it wanted to benefit the community beyond a single event and boost off-season tourism with marketing, but it did try to keep the tradition going. The organization said it tried to look for other community organizations and businesses to continue the lights, but there wasn’t a “sustainable path.”
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After posting about the decision on social media, the community spoke up about their tradition with the lights and how this was the second event to go after the Fourth of July fireworks…