OCEAN CITY — There will be a Winterfest of Lights after all this year, but it will look a lot different from the holiday tradition residents and visitors have enjoyed for decades.
Special Events Director Frank Miller presented to the Mayor and Council this week a modified plan for Winterfest of Lights this year because of lingering concerns with the pandemic. The annual holiday event, which runs roughly from the week before Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, typically attracts over 100,000 visitors who ride the Boardwalk tram through massive light displays arrayed throughout the vast Northside Park complex.
However, because of ongoing concerns over the ability to properly social distance, Miller this week presented a scaled-back walk-through event. There would still be the massive Christmas tree with its synchronized lights and music and hundreds of light displays situated around a shortened half-mile loop around the lagoon.
Visitors would walk through the event at their leisure with no time constraints and still visit the traditional amenities. Those amenities include a visit with Santa and a gift shop and photo opportunities along with hot chocolate and other vendors. However, those amenities would be situated within the Northside Park complex building with social distancing, the wearing of masks and other directives observed.
Gone would be the Boardwalk tram loop around the park and the big tent pavilion, but Miller believes the modified event proposed could be an even better experience for visitors, at least for one year.
“Winterfest is not one of those things we want to see go away,” he said. “It’s a great family tradition. You will still be able to come out and enjoy this outdoors with your family and feel safe. The experience is actually enhanced for 2020. We do lose some of the larger displays, but we will light up 200 trees around the lagoon loop in different colors along with the bridge.”
Miller said the traditional tram loop is about a mile long, while the walking loop around the lagoon will be about a half-mile. Those who choose to shorten the loop for any reason can walk across the lagoon bridge. There was some consideration briefly last week at the committee level about creating a drive-through Winterfest of Lights experience, but Miller said the idea was dismissed for safety reasons.
“This park is not conducive for a drive-through event,” he said. “It has many dangerous areas with turns and water. For several reasons, we decided not to pursue that route.”
Miller said the town would take a financial hit either way, but the losses could be curtailed somewhat by producing the modified walk-through event.
“If you get rid of the event, the net loss would be $160,000,” he said. “If you produce this modified event, the loss would be around $100,000, so we’d actually lose less. We’re hoping the losses are less if the weather cooperates.”
Councilman Dennis Dare said when Winterfest was first created, several options were on the table including the current format, a drive-through event and a walk-through event. He said the latter was not considered because it was fraught with risks.
“One of the concerns we had were the risks associated with walking through the park at night,” he said. “There is ambient lights from the attractions, but there are excited kids running around and there are risks with power cords throughout the park. I’d really like to hear from our risk manager before we approve this.”
Dare also pointed out the late fall and early winter weather could have an impact on the event’s bottom line.
“Northside Park might be the coldest place in Ocean City,” he said. “For people to get out of their cars and walk around a half-mile loop, I think we might be overly optimistic about the projected attendance.”
Dare said a town-wide approach to a modified drive-around Winterfest could be considered.
“Maybe we concentrate on the entire town, and not just a half-mile section at Northside Park,” he said. “Maybe we can make it a drive-through event all around town with displays at the 4th Street park, City Hall, the firehouses and other public buildings. Just a thought.”
When questioned about not using the trams at all, Miller said the county health department did not flat out say no, but voiced concerns about the potential for distancing. He said there could be families or related parties in every other row, or there could be circumstances where two people are riding in a space typically occupied by 10 people, for example. He envisioned long lines of people waiting to get on the tram because of the restrictions.
“I don’t see it as functionally possible to handle he crowds and make it a pleasant experience when they have to wait in line for hours,” he said.
Council President Lloyd Martin said he supported the modified Winterfest concept.
“I think it will be a big plus for families,” he said. I think we will have a lot of people out there walking through this event. I hope this is one of those years where we have great weather.”
The council ultimately voted 5-2 with Dare and Councilman Matt James opposed to approve the modified Winterfest of Lights.
