LAKE George At the village board’s special meeting on August 30, Lake George Mayor Ray Perry recommended enhancing the Winter’s Dream light-and-sound attraction in Lake George this winter with an adjacent Christmas lights display.
Perry requested that the village council revive the previous Capital Holiday Lights event, which had made Washington Park in Albany a popular early-winter destination for 25 years until 2021.
He suggested reusing the attraction’s tens of thousands of lights and accompanying infrastructure, which have been in storage since early 2022, to build a new destination in Lake George.
Capital Holiday Lights brought thousands of visitors from all over central New York each year to witness the drive-through attraction of 125 or more imaginative illumination displays, which were open from late November to early January or longer.
Perry said the Capital Holiday Lights and its equipment might be relocated to Charles Wood Park’s Festival Commons, where Winter Realms, a comparable but smaller lighting display, was constructed last year. Winter Realms was a weather-resistant substitute for the iconic Ice Castles installation at the Festival Commons.
Ice Castles made a strong debut during the winter of 2021-2022, hosting more than 90,000 guests in just 10 weeks. However, it bombed a year later when abnormally warm weather transformed much of the construction of massive ice palaces, fortresses, and caves into mush.
Winter Realms earned $150,000 in Warren County financing last winter, and Winter’s Dream, an “interactive” light and sound exhibit set to open in late 2023 in neighboring Fort William Henry, has already depleted its initial budget of almost $3 million in county Occupancy Tax revenue. The latter attraction was created by Moment Factory in Montreal, and the Lake George Winter Coalition oversaw fundraising and execution.
However, Perry stated that the relocated Capital Holiday Lights display will not be supported by the government. He stated that the Winter Coalition, a group of local company owners and managers, might cover its expenses.
The Coalition was intended to repay the county’s forgiven $3 million “loan” used to create Winter’s Dream within five years, but just $50,000 was paid earlier this year in installments.
The financial shortfall was caused by Winter’s Dream’s lack of popularity and revenue, which resulted in the attraction closing weeks earlier than planned, as well as Winter Realms, which will not return to Lake George this winter due to insufficient revenue to cover expenses.
Regardless of Winter’s Dream’s shortcomings, Warren County donated around $500,000 a few months ago to design changes to its themed lighting displays.
Perry stated that dozens of Capital Holiday Lights structures, which covered many acres of Washington Park, may be built in Festival Commons this fall by village government personnel and volunteers.
He suggested that a relocated Capital Holiday Lights attraction could help boost attendance at Winter’s Dream.
“It will be similar to Winter Realms. I believe that would be a great draw,” he added, stressing that a single entry charge could allow tourists and residents to see both the holiday lighting displays and Winter’s Dream.
Perry suggested that the Holiday Lights attraction might brighten up nights in the village between Thanksgiving through February, the month when the popular Lake George Winter Carnival is held over four weekends.
“I think it’s a good idea—aa way to create a better event for the Winter Coalition,” Perry said, noting that adult admission to Winter’s Dream began at $29 but many only stayed for about 20 minutes.
“It’s a way to fill out a family’s evening,” he explained, alluding to his suggestion to create a nearby lighting attraction.
For decades, Capital Holiday Lights has been a successful fundraiser for the Albany Police Athletic League charity.
It was so popular that residents near Washington Park complained about the traffic, noise, and pollution that it caused, leading to its eviction from the park in 2021 when Albany city officials said the park was “overrun” by the attraction and called it “a huge burden,” according to news reports.
Winter’s Dream may require such a neighbor to improve its prospects.
At the Aug. 30 meeting, the village board learned that the Winter Coalition had opted to close Winter’s Dream on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays this winter, rather than keeping it open every night of the week like it did last year.
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