Holiday light show heavy on attendance
Lights on the Bay selling advance weekend tickets
Lights on the Bay, the annual display of lights at Sandy Point State Park, is more popular than ever this year. So popular, organizers of the SPCA of Anne Arundel County fundraiser say they’ve moved to advance weekend ticket sales to trim lines stretchingupto 90 minutes since the show opened last month.
Katherine Meley, who coordinates the drive-thru showfor the SPCA, said attendance this year is on track to bust through the annual 20,000 attendance average.
“It’s unprecedented this year,” Meley said. “It’s been a great year for the
SPCA.”
Normally, tickets are sold at the gate to the park, located at the end of East College Parkway. But lines on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights have gotten very long, so starting this weekend, admission will require a ticket purchased in advance from the website, lightsonthebay.org.
Tickets will be limited to about 1,100 cars each night, a number that organizers saymakes the leisurelytwo-mile drive the bright Santas, glowing wrapped presents and more in a timely manner. On some weekend nights, the number of vehicles lining up has stretched to 1,800.
“We’re expecting a breakthrough year,” Meley said.
Tickets will still be sold at the gate on weekdays when lines are only 10 to 20 minutes.
Meley said the best tips for seeing the showare going onweeknights or avoiding peak times on theweekend, 6:30 to 9 p.m.
The show runs from 5 to 10 p.m. nightly. She also recommended checking backup at the gate on a traffic app, such asWaze.
The unusual popularity of this year’s showismost likely tied to the cancellation of many art performances and events because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has restricted crowd size and indoor capacity for arts facilities.
The show takes vehicles through displays ranging from standard holiday images to historic Annapolis and the Naval Academy and more. This year, a new display shows a Christmas tree filled with dogs and cats.
“We’ve gotten a lot of feedback on that,” Meley said.
Admission is $20per car. Large passenger vans, mini-buses and trolleys are $30. Buses are $50. Discount coupons are available through local publications and at many retail locations. Lights on the Bay continues through Jan. 2.
The SPCA has added a second fundraiser this season, a virtual run. Participants in the Virtual 5KDashing through the Snow can register at lightsonthe bay.org/5k.