The Meatpacking Business Improvement District announced that its iconic holiday light display will return to the neighborhood with even more engaging elements. Back by popular demand, the District’s festive installation of lights, seasonal planters, iconic Snowpeople, the illuminated colonnade and more that are ripe for photo-ops will descend on the neighborhood’s streets starting Thursday, December 8 through mid-January 2023.
Below are a few images from the 2021 Holiday installation.
The larger-than-life Snowpeople, who debuted last year to fanfare and social media fame, return, marking the only destination in New York City where visitors can take a picture with figures on this scale. This year, they will be adorned and embellished in customized accessories that are right at home in Meatpacking, as the district is known to be a destination for luxury and innovative design, even home to many of New York Fashion Week’s hottest events.
“The Meatpacking District isn’t a place you automatically think of when it’s the holiday season, so we do things a bit differently,” said Jeffrey LeFrancois, Executive Director of the Meatpacking Business Improvement District. “This installation, thanks to our partners at Theresa Rivera Design and re-ply, brings a well designed flicker to our corner of the city and captures the spirit of the District. We’re excited to bring lights back to the cobbles and showcase some of the District’s distinct offerings through shopping, dining, and accessorizing.”
With numerous light installations cascading down Ninth Avenue between 14th Street and Gansevoort Street, those who visit the Meatpacking District this winter will be greeted by neon lights in abstract shapes on Gansevoort Plaza, larger-than-life light-up snowpeople, and planters filled with glowing dandelions. This year, the installation has an additional frosty photo opportunity. Two illuminated giant geometric frames will be located along Ninth Avenue, perfect for visitors to pose inside of for a holiday card-worthy snap.
The magical elements will be once again brought to life by Theresa Rivera Design, a New York-based production and design studio whose partnership with the Meatpacking District traces back to the beginning of the pandemic.
The display will culminate in Gansevoort Plaza. Visitors will find another experiential element as the District’s a colonnade returns in a new shape, draped in freeform neon lights bouncing shapes off the mirrored tunnel. There is seating along the outside for visitors to sit and enjoy a hot beverage. The colonnade structure, built by re-ply, a pop-up outdoor dining architecture firm born during the pandemic, first arrived in the Meatpacking District during the L.E.A.F. Flower Festival in 2021.
The Meatpacking District takes pride in creating an environment that is welcoming and accessible to all. Using public spaces to curate compelling attractions and programming is one way the BID is prioritizing a people-first approach to the community’s growth.