It's Beginning to Feel a lot like Christmas at Drusillas Park
Along with the first sighting of the iconic festive Coca Cola advert or the influx of number one hopefuls into the charts, it is a sure sign that the holidays are finally on their way when Drusillas Park, East Sussex starts to assemble their magical Winter Wonderland Illuminations.
Throughout November, the Estate team have been constructing the light show ready for the Grand Switch On by Hello Kitty on Saturday 29th November 2014.
Located in the Events Arena, the impressive Winter Wonderland scene takes approximately four weeks to assemble. Between 60–70,000 LED lights are used to create the display specifically chosen for their low energy consumption and environmental benefits.
Introduced to the zoo for the first time in 2012, the Winter Wonderland Illuminations have proved a popular Christmas attraction. Synchronised to festive music, the dazzling display incorporates a host of magical creatures including reindeers, penguins, seals and polar bears. There are also mini trees, a 20ft mega tree and an LED waterfall and running stream – all of these need to be carefully choreographed in thier place.
Since February, a technical team have been working to sequence the lights to this year’s chosen playlist of festive songs, taking up to five hours to input just one minute of music. The 2014 show promises to be the best ever with a selection of Christmas classics guaranteed to get visitors in the festive swing. However, there’s a mountain of work to do still before this year’s ice-capped kingdom finally comes to light!
The concept of animating lights to music was originally founded in the USA, although it is still very rare in the UK. Work on the display will be complete in time for lighting up on Saturday 29th November. Hello Kitty will meet visitors throughout the day before performing the Grand Switch On at 4.30pm. The Illuminations will then run every day until Sunday 4th January, lighting up at 3.30pm with a light show at 4.30pm.
The Grand Swith On event will mark the official start to Drusillas Park’s Christmas Winter Wonderland 2014, which will see Father Christmas return to the zoo and the opportunity to meet Santa’s reindeer and hug a husky on specific days. For more information regarding Christmas events at Drusillas Park please visit www.drusillas.co.uk.