Tag: Christmas Time

Visit Enid, Oklahoma to see the Largest Fresh-cut Christmas Tree

For decades, New York City has been known as the one of the world’s Christmas Capital Cities due to it having the country’s largest Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, but according to this article from Southern Living, the honor of being the town in the United States with the largest Christmas tree now goes to Enid, Oklahoma. So, if you’re looking to really get into the Christmas spirit with a town that goes all out in terms of sizeable holiday spirit, then consider traveling to Enid, Oklahoma this year and marvel at the country’s (and world’s) tallest fresh-cut Christmas Tree.

At 140 majestic feet of length, Enid’s Christmas Tree stands about 75% taller than the world-famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree, which due to its location typically trends about 68 to 100 feet in length from year to year with a recent average of about 76 feet in height. The tree is located in Downtown Enid, which is a city that is only 90 minutes outside of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The Downtown area of Enid is already an area bound with the celebration of the arts with its many community events such as First Fridays, History Makers, and more. During the holiday season there’s also a particularly active ice skating rink, Christmas tree lighting ceremony, and Holiday Window Display contest available to the public.

Enid, Oklahoma’s Christmas tree is a gigantic fir that stands profoundly about 2,000 miles away from its home just outside the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in Big Bar, California. This year, Enid’s tree has been decorated with approximately 20,000 multi-colored LED lights, 10,000 ornaments, and it’s ringed by a forest of 12 smaller trees. Colloquially known as the “Christ Tree,” this Christmas tree is being heralded not only as the country’s tallest Christmas tree but also the world’s as well.

In Enid, it’s also serving as the centerpiece of The one, the city’s 42-day celebratory event featuring a bevy of concerts, plays, and seasoning activities celebrating Christmas. Per The One’s website, it’s stated that “The One is a multi-event experience spanning through the holidays. The keystone of our event is the world’s tallest fresh-cut Christmas tree, measuring at an astonishing one hundred and forty feet tall. With the intention of building community, strengthening bonds and reinvigorating the meaning of Christmas, we hope you’ll join us for an unforgettable holiday season.”

The One is being attributed as the “brainchild” of Enid, Oklahoma entrepreneur Kyle Williams who was instrumental in hauling the tree from California this past October.  In detailing the tree’s harrowing journey to The Oklahoman, Williams stated, “Getting the tree here was probably one of the more difficult tasks, so I confess I was nervous. The thing could sag, it could break, it went through a snowstorm, it went through a thunderstorm, but it finally arrived here on time. I just believe the Lord had a hand in that, in bringing that tree here safely.”

Williams, along with his wife Carol and their four grown children came up with the idea for The One, which intends to highlight the true meaning of Christmas. He stated, “We are excited to offer families an incredible experience, one that will create memories to last a lifetime. Our main goal is to highlight the true meaning of Christmas: our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This tree is a reminder of his greatness and that it’s time we bring faith, hope and joy back into the holiday season! We are also looking forward to embracing visitors to Enid and are confident that they will have an inviting experience.”

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LUNA Fête 2021 Lights up the Night in NOLA

With so many events filing up the holiday calendar during the New Orleans holiday season, one event seems to quite literally outshine the others, LUNA Fête. According to this detailed profile from Nola.com, the annual light-art experience will be lighting-up the new Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Pedestrian Park in 2021 from December 16-19 from 6 pm to 10 pm.

LUNA Fête was initially founded by the Arts Council of New Orleans in 2013, and it was first set in Lafayette Squarenear Gallier Hall before it was held in various socially distanced locations scattered across town in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. LUNA Fête 2021 makes its extravagant return by relocating to the Convention Center Pedestrian Park, which is located along Convention Center Boulevard and is free to the public.

Those unfamiliar with the annual light-show may be surprised by the sheer scale of the event which has previously been described as an all-out “extravaganza” that is also a vibrant “mashup of Celebration in the Oaks and The Matrix.”  LUNA Fête credits its electrical and architectural inspiration to various European light-art festivals, as it features the traditionally decadent holiday lights along with large, radiant sculptures and massive projections.

The end result is described as having a “certain digitized, science fiction vibe,” which is quite appropriate for anyone who has attended the public outdoor event. In fact, LUNA Fête will be taking place at the same time as the annual convention for the American Geophysicists Union, making the intergalactic architecture and settings an appropriate backdrop for convention attendees.

This year, the Arts Council of New Orleans had commissioned the renowned architecture “mapper” Bart Kresa to produce a massive projection on the wall of the Convention Center’s Hall D for LUNA Fête. In electrical architectural circuits, Kresa is likely most known for his work at the 2017 Los Angeles premier for Game of Thrones, where he projected jaw-dropping settings and Westeros-inspired iconography across Frank Gehry’s Disney Concert Hall.

An additional must-see of the event that’s been gaining buzz around the Crescent City is a particular art installation from the New Orleans-based art team known as the Virtual Krewe of Vaporwave. Taking inspiration from psychedelic and cyber-space-adjacent iconography, the krewe is often heralded for its unique interpretation of Carnivale. For instance, the krewe created a “memorably frenetic and fractured rock opera in the Piazza d’Italia” for 2019’s LUNA Fête. This year, the Virtual Krewe of Vapor Wave’s projected production will take place during the December 19th New Orleans Saints game and thus will serve as a tribute to the team.

Not only is attending LUNA Fête free, but festival access to the exhibits is currently unlimited though this is subject to change. Lindsay Glatz, an Arts Council spokesperson told Nola.com that if it’s decided that reinstating social distancing measures is necessary, then access to the events may be scaled back, but the event won’t be scattered across the city as in 2020. This is due to the fact that social distancing is made much more possible at the Convention Center Pedestrian Park rather than Lafayette Square.

Due to the fact that many LUNA Fête exhibits have specifically timed electrical components as a part of their theatrical art installations, many of the art installations are temporary. However, this year’s light festival will debut several sculpture exhibits that will be permanent installations at the Convention Center Pedestrian Park. One of the installations is a tribute to Louis Armstrong created by New Orleans sculptor Rontherin Ratliff, and another is an LED-lit, crescent-shaped bench by internationally acclaimed artist Erwin Redl.

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