L.A. Lights Up the Night With Third Annual Holiday Festival

It was a dress rehearsal, but Frosty the snowman did his job Friday night at Griffith Park. He lit up the sky and looked out on a pleased crowd with a smile.

Frosty, actually a 12-foot-tall bulbous figure bathed in white light, was one of the main attractions at a kickoff for the third annual Griffith Park Light Festival.

The festivities started with a reception for city luminaries and officials from the event’s primary sponsor, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The reception was sponsored by The Times.

At 7:30 p.m., in what festival organizer Mike Monasmith called a “practice run to make sure all systems are go,” the lights were turned on. Hundreds of people from the reception and the public strolled through the park for a preview of what will be a 3 1/2-week celebration of the holidays.

What they saw was a mile-long kaleidoscope of color, sound and lights. With holiday music and movie themes serenading them from hidden speakers, the visitors toured the display on the park’s Crystal Springs Drive.

They were surrounded by a twirling mix of color--reds, yellows, blues, greens and white--that danced in the air and created a sense of the surreal.

Both ends of Crystal Springs were marked by cantilevered archways filled with colors, hailing the holidays and paying tribute to the unique flavor of the Southland. There were menorahs, Christmas trees, Santa and his reindeer and tiny elves, a container ship meant to symbolize Los Angeles Harbor, dunking basketball players and a tricolored movie set.

“Look, there’s Rudolph, the one with the big antlers and the red nose,” said Lucy Tew, 7.

The festival, which is free, officially opens tonight and will run from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. until Dec. 29. People can view the festival by car or walk along the eucalyptus-lined horse trail and footpath.

Also this weekend the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks will hold a free two-day Winter Holiday celebration at the north end of Crystal Springs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The event will feature an arts and crafts fair, an ice rink and an area full of snow.

Monasmith said he expects about 400,000 people to tour the festival. “It’s a chance for families and friends to get out and experience something that really starts the holidays with a special feeling,” he said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Griffith Park Light Festival

When: Today through Dec. 29, 5-10:30 p.m.

Location: 1-mile section of Crystal Springs Drive between the Los Angeles Zoo parking area and an archway of lights just past the Griffith Park Ranger Station.

Driving directions: Exit Golden State Freeway (5) at Los Feliz. Go west on Los Feliz and turn right onto Crystal Springs Drive. The entrance to the light festival is on Crsytal Springs.

Walking directions: Park at the Los Angeles Zoo and walk south on Crsytal Springs Drive.

Information: Call (323) 913-4688, Ext 8