One of our fondest holiday memories of 2019 was a visit to the LuminoCity Festival on Randall’s Island.
We were instantly in awe, immersed into their wonderland of lights — representing different worlds — while soaking in the magic and the creativity created by the makers. It was beyond cool, engaging, and inspiring.
So, I was thrilled to learn that the LuminoCity Festival would be back this year (with several changes and safety procedures) in light of COVID to make this a fun, safe, and enjoyable activity for all.
This started where we lined up based on our time slot and waited, 6-feet apart, for our timed entry into the experience. When it was our time to enter, our temperature was taken where we then followed the guidelines to walk via their one-way path that was also instructed by LuminoCity employees as we entered.
Throughout the space, there was hand sanitizer and one-way traffic indicators, as well as emergency exit points, to direct everyone in a safe and orderly manner throughout the experience.
Once inside the world of LuminoCity, we soaked in the wonder of this reimagined version that followed Lumi’s (the cute little night light/mascot of the experience) journey. This guided us through an illuminated mystery forest, dangerous dunes, the forgotten ruins, a hidden island, and a really beautiful magical moon land, to name a few of the worlds. We were in awe of the spectacle and the imaginative places that LuminoCity created from the small lights to the grandiose.
One of our favorites was the “Pop Culture” area where we saw 12 light sculptures of famous cat and dog – including the influencer Smoothie The Cat – reimagined as the 12 zodiac constellations which play a role in the overarching Lumi adventure story.
Throughout the whole experience, we had time to soak in the beauty, take a few pictures and safely walk through. The whole outdoor experience took us around 40 minutes to complete where we ended up in their outdoor food truck market and Lumi Gift Shop. There were also Christmas Trees and a dinosaur bone area for climbing and picture taking.
Safety procedures from LuminoCity Festival:
Due to COVID-19 precautions, mask-wearing at all times is required. If you or a member of your party feels sick or has been exposed to someone with COVID-19, please do not come onsite. Let me know and we will find an alternate date for you during the festival season to join us when healthy.
The LuminoCity team has worked closely with city and public health officials to prioritize the health and safety of guests while planning the 2020 festival. To ensure a comfortable and enjoyable experience for all, updates to the event’s operations this year include:
- Designated time slots and strict ticket capacities
- Mandatory mask wearing by all visitors and staff
- Daily temperature checks for both staff and visitors
- Maintained physical distancing throughout the park via staff, signage and floor stickers
- Hand sanitizing stations
- Regular cleaning and disinfecting conducted throughout the event each day
- Completely open-air event with the exception of the gift shop, where strict capacity will be enforced
- Single direction pathways and no re-entry
LuminoCity is located at 20 Randall’s Island Park, New York, NY 10035.
Visitors can arrive via bus, walking path, driving, or rideshare / taxi. In order to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all, the shuttle service will not be operating for the 2020 festival. For more information, please visit: https://www.luminocityfestival.com/
We were provided with tickets to experience LuminoCity. All opinions, as always, are our own.
