New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill Featuring Rainbow Tunnel at Worcester’s Festival of Lights

Photo by @jpjacobs22

New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill is excited to announce it is one of the community partners joining Worcester in reimagining the city’s annual Festival of Lights Dec. 14, 2020, through Feb. 28, 2021.

On the Worcester Common, visitors will experience New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s 200-foot rainbow tunnel celebrating diversity. Visits to the Worcester Common are free and no tickets are required.

“We’re thrilled about this collaboration,” said New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill CEO Grace Elton. “The Festival of Lights is a wonderful opportunity for the public to be inspired and delighted by lights this winter in an outdoor setting.”

Due to the ongoing pandemic, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill canceled its annual light display, known as Night Lights.

Two years ago, Night Lights featured a popular rainbow tunnel as part of its holiday display in Boylston. This year, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s contribution to the Festival of Lights will take inspiration from that rainbow tunnel, though expanded to twice the original’s size.

“We are excited to be able to continue the tradition of Festival of Lights, despite how different this winter will look for us all,” City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said. “Our hope is that, in addition to fostering a festive spirit, the Festival of Lights will bring a sense of normalcy to Worcester families, while keeping their safety as a priority.”

The Festival of Lights expands beyond the Worcester Common to include multiple businesses in Downtown Worcester and several hubs along Main Street in the Main South neighborhood. Main South installations will feature light sculptures by local artists at key nodes and participating businesses. Downtown lighting elements will include a crescendo of multicolored snowflakes on Mercantile Center, as well as 25 LED snowflakes in windows of businesses, which were crafted by Carlos Torres, a member of Technocopia. Creative Hub Worcester will install a large, backlit mural on the windows of The Menkiti Group-owned building at 554 Main St. Also on the Worcester Common, 3D geometric light sculptures by Ivy Orth, head designer of LunoSol.

New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill has deep roots in Worcester, dating back to when the Worcester County Horticultural Society formed in 1842. The society’s buildings were located in the city until it opened a botanic garden in Boylston, 10 miles from downtown. Today, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill is an active member of the Worcester community with activities that include caring for street trees, hosting second-grade field trips from Worcester public schools, and donating fresh produce grown in New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s gardens to Worcester food pantries.

“We are grateful to have so many partners around the city who see the value in spreading joy without spreading infection,” added Worcester Cultural Development Officer Erin Williams. “Creative collaboration is the true tradition of Worcester this winter.”