s e n e c S e h t d Behin at Celebration in the Oaks
by Leslie Cardé
The moss-covered live oak trees are all aglow on the driving tour. 34
DRIVE IT, BIKE IT, ride the train through it, or stroll on foot amongst the festive light show in the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park and New Orleans own Botanical Garden inside City Park. Whatever you choose, you’ll be delightfully amazed at the twinkling spectacle before you, consisting of over a million lights in an array of designs and colors that are a feast for the senses. It’s the annual Celebration in the Oaks which traditionally starts on Thanksgiving evening and runs through January 2, attracting visitors from 48 states, with the largest number of out-of-state visitors (outside the southeast region), coming from California. The event has been a staple of the holiday season since the late ‘80s, and, in spite of last year’s pandemic, 45,414 vehicles rolled through the park, totaling nearly 186,000 people
I n side N ew Orl ean s
that became part of the holiday festivities in 2020. What began as a small fundraiser for The Botanical Garden inside the park has become an extravaganza, which raised over $1.4 million for the park just last year. “The event grew from a daytime tea and cider event to something else entirely, when Paul Soniat (Director of the New Orleans City Park Botanical Gardens) brought in longtime news anchor (now retired) Angela Hill of WWLTV who came on board to promote the event,” explains Casie Duplechain, Chief Development Officer for City Park. “The celebration later expanded to a driving tour, and Entergy also became a large sponsor by providing the bucket trucks and manpower to hang exhibits throughout the ancient live oaks.” Those live oak trees which are the stars of the show
