LuminoCity was a light festival that opened it’s doors on November 23rd. It was open for just 29 days during this holiday season. I saw the ads on Facebook and bought tickets for the last day of the event on January 5th. Now that I live in Rhode Island, this also meant 7 hours driving to and from New York City. So Isaac and I decided to make a day of it.
We spent the morning at the American National Museum of History. We didn’t get to the festival until 4 PM when it opened. Getting to Randall Island wasn’t as hard as they made it sound. We took a public bus to save on the $5/person shuttle.
Even though daylight was still short, it wasn’t quite dark enough at 4 PM to enjoy the lights. We spent the first hour getting the lay of the land and enjoying the spectacular sunset over the city. It was below freezing and the NYC winds were extra harsh. We had to hide out in the food tent until darkness fell and we regained the feeling in our toes.
The food tent was everything you’d expect, delicious if not overpriced food. Pizza, dim sum, fried ice cream, hot chocolate, cider and so much more was on the menu. We didn’t get to sample anything, but there were vegan options which was great to see. The souvenir stand was selling Lumi (the mascot of the event) memorabilia for 30% off since it was the last day.
Once it was dark enough, we emerged from the tent ready to conquer the four lands: the Winter Fantasy, the Wild Adventure and the Sweet Dream. My personal favorite was the winter fantasy because it was simple and beautiful. The other two were targeted more at children but we still had fun.
I could tell you more about it, but it would just be easier for me to show you. Check out my two videos of LuminoCity Festival before sunset and after. And to answer the million dollar question, it was worth it to visit as an adult. It was a fun and different experience that didn’t cost much more than anything else in New York City. But it is definitely a must do if you have kids!
