Reindeer and a sleigh may Santa Claus’ usual mode of travel, but he and Mrs. Claus used a helicopter to arrive at Indio’s Empire Polo Club on Thursday Nov. 16. They were greeted by hundreds of cheering children—and adults—who asked for selfies.
Their arrival was part of the opening ceremony of Magic of Lights, which will be open daily at 5:30 p.m. through Sunday, Dec. 31. Last year’s inaugural event attracted more than 100,000 visitors, said Mark Girton, the vice president of operations and special events at the club—and he anticipates even larger crowds this year.
Girton, dressed for the occasion in multi-colored holiday gear (including light-up shoes), led the crowd in a countdown, after which holiday music started to play, and colored lights lit up the night sky as the crowd started to sing along.
“I’m in the special events and memory-making business,” he said later. “At the end of the day, you want people to have a good experience, and if people walk away happy, then it’s mission accomplished.”
Following the opening ceremony, the first visitors drove through the 2-mile course, featuring more than 2 million lights on the different displays and themes lining the road. Those displays include “Winter Wonderland,” “Twelve Days of Christmas,” “Toyland” and “Elves and Reindeer Road,” along with life-size dinosaurs, nativity scenes, a menorah and a blue-and-gold Star of David, a mosque, flashing colored lights in tunnels—and a 32-foot-tall Barbie waving goodbye. The drive ends at Jolly Holiday Village, where attendees can enjoy hot chocolate and games. They can also visit Santa every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Two million-plus lights and miles of cables—how long did it take to set it all up? Girton said it takes nearly 20 people about a month to put it together.
“It was a collaboration of people with different ideas, not a piece of big art designed by one person,” Girton said. “I like different opinions; none of us is as smart as all of us put together. I wanted everyone to feel great about the final decisions, which I ultimately had to make on the logistics of the displays.”
Daisy Esquerra, an Indio resident who went last year with her three children (ages 13, 5 and 4), was a fan. “My youngest daughter especially loved Barbie. She couldn’t help herself; she kept saying, ‘Mommy, Mommy, it’s Barbie!’ Listening to the holiday music, seeing all these lights and seeing my kids happy put me in the holiday mood, and I felt peaceful.”
This is the kind of feedback Girton said he wants to hear. “I see that everyone who goes through it ends up smiling at some point, even if they’ve had a bad day,” he said. “It brings out the kid in all of us.”
Magic of Lights is open from 5:30 to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday; and 5:30 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, through Sunday, Dec. 31, at the Empire Polo Club, 81800 51st Ave., in Indio. Advance tickets for Monday through Thursday are $25 per standard vehicle; or $30 for any day. Standard-vehicle tickets are $35 to $40 at the gate. For advance tickets or more information, visit MagicOfLights.com/CoachellaValley.
