Old Westbury Gardens launches outdoor walkthrough light show, Shimmering Solstice
Catholic Health signs on as presenting sponsor of inaugural event designed to immerse visitors in a spectacular outdoor experience
Next month, Old Westbury Gardens will unveil a first-of-its kind nighttime light show event. SHIMMERING SOLSTICE at Old Westbury Gardens, presented by Catholic Health, will offer visitors the opportunity to behold a series of magical light displays as they walk along the beautiful meandering paths through Old Westbury Gardens’ Walled Garden, Rose Garden, South Lawn, and Allée.
Tickets are on sale now. The event opens November 20, 2021 and runs through January 9, 2022. The admission time starts at 5:30 p.m. and the last admission is at 9:30 p.m. The gates close at 11 p.m.
“We are excited to offer this brand-new experience for our visitors to enjoy,” said Nancy Costopulos, President and CEO of Old Westbury Gardens. “This walkthrough lightshow has been designed specifically for Old Westbury Gardens and offers a one-of-a-kind experience that we intend to become a new annual holiday tradition. We are also thrilled to have Catholic Health as our presenting sponsor for this inaugural event. Their commitment to the communities they serve mirrors our own, and we welcome their support as we bring this spectacular event to Long Island.”
SHIMMERING SOLSTICE is a completely custom-built show that has been uniquely designed to highlight the features of Old Westbury Gardens. The design phase took approximately a-year-and-a-half to plan.
“Catholic Health is proud to be Old Westbury Gardens’ SHIMMERING SOLSTICE presenting sponsor,” said Patrick M. O’Shaughnessy, DO, MBA, President & CEO of Catholic Health. “This experience will bring families, friends, and communities together in a beautiful setting to reflect and make memories. Catholic Health cherishes the value of families and communities, and we continue to be humbled in contributing to moments in life that matter.”
The event was developed out of a desire to creatively adapt the land and gardens around Westbury House into a visitor location that can be enjoyed during the fall and winter holiday season and that would remain consistent with the mission of Old Westbury Gardens.
“This is a celebration of our space,” said Maura McGoldrick-Brush, Director of Horticulture at Old Westbury Gardens. “Instead of flowers, the gardens will be blooming with light. This is truly an enchanting combination of the beauty of the gardens and the magic of the season.”
Old Westbury Gardens worked with Lightswitch, a collective of internationally recognized lighting, media, and visual designers to create the show with the intent of celebrating the Gardens’ history and environment during the fall and winter seasons.
“The design will truly embrace the Gardens,” said Warren Kong, principal at Lightswitch. “The goal is to create something that is unique. We wanted to give people something they can’t see down the street from their homes and create a new family tradition for the region.”
Some examples of what visitors will see include both the formal Rose Garden and Walled Garden blooming with beautiful light and twinkling in lively rhythmic patterns. Other unique features include enormous dandelions which will line the edge of the pond and a giant Christmas tree, made of lit globes, that will be displayed in front of Westbury House. Many other impressive light displays will be found throughout the iconic garden areas for visitors to discover.
This event is something people of all ages will enjoy. The walk-through portion of the show is designed for visitors to explore at their own pace. For the exciting finale, visitors will be dazzled to see the south facade of Westbury House come alive as they become immersed in a magical and wondrous sensation of lights and sounds, celebrating the spirit of the season.
For more information, visit the SHIMMERING SOLSTICE website: https://shimmeringsolstice.com/
See video here.
About Old Westbury Gardens
Built in 1906 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Old Westbury Gardens is the former home of John S. Phipps, his wife, Margarita Grace Phipps, and their children. Today, as a not-for-profit organization, Old Westbury Gardens welcomes visitors of all ages for a wide range of historical, cultural, artistic, educational, horticultural events. Old Westbury Gardens seeks to inspire appreciation of the early 20th century American country estate through faithful preservation and interpretation of its landscape, gardens, architecture and collections. For more information, visit https://www.oldwestburygardens.org/
About Catholic Healh
Catholic Health is an integrated system encompassing some of the region’s finest health and human services agencies. The health system has nearly 17,000 employees, 6 acute care hospitals, 3 nursing homes, a home nursing service, hospice and a network of physician practices. For more information, visit https://www.chsli.org.
