Giant Nutcrackers Star in Brightmoor Lights Holiday Festival
What would Christmas be without the holiday classic “The Nutcracker”? In Detroit’s Brightmoor neighborhood, more than 20 nutcrackers will be displayed through Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, as part of the Brightmoor Lights Holiday Festival on Darcy and Burgess streets and the Etheldra Mae Williams Park.
This second annual holiday festival will feature the nutcracker creations of 12 Detroit-area artists. The Williams Park Alliance presents the Brightmoor Holiday Lights Festival. The alliance works to reimagine blighted urban spaces as recreational areas daily. The alliance’s manager, Michael Williams, told The Detroit News that the festival aims to shine a light on Brightmoor’s future potential.
“Brightmoor was effectively forgotten by the city, and we want [people] to feel uplifted when they come into the Brightmoor community and see not only the light show but this spectacular display of nutcracker soldiers,” he said.
Last year’s inaugural event showcased a series of ornaments celebrating holiday traditions worldwide. This year’s nutcrackers will serve as both decorations and fundraisers. Each will be auctioned off, with 80% of the proceeds returning to local parks.
Each nutcracker displayed is made from donated or recycled materials and shares the same two-tubed base provided by Recycle Ionia on a 12-foot-tall wooden post. Artists could select from various materials donated by Detroit-area organizations such as Pingree Detroit, Murray Lighting & Electrical Supply, O’Brien Custom Interiors, Home Depot, Lowes, and recycled objects.
Artist Rutanie Robinson’s Michael Jackson-inspired Nutcracker features a 1970s-era orange patterned suit fashioned from old carpets and fabric. Dione Tripp’s creation bears spray-painted shapes and a gaudy pink dress. Every participating artist will enter a contest, and $500, $250, and $100 prizes will be awarded to the top three winners.
Get more information about the event on the Williams Park Alliance website.
