Saks Fifth Avenue cancels holiday light show
Credit: Matt Kieffer on Flickr
For the first time in nearly two decades, Saks Fifth Avenue’s holiday light show—a beloved New York City tradition—will go dark this year. As first reported by the New York Post, the festive experience, which attracts hordes of holiday shoppers and tourists to Midtown, has been canceled this year to save money during what has been a “challenging year” for luxury stores, according to the company.
“For many years, the holidays at Saks Fifth Avenue included a light show at our flagship store, and, for some time we have contemplated changing our approach,” the spokesperson told the Post.
“In our 100th year, which also marks the anniversary of the flagship, we are celebrating the season by honoring the architectural significance of this iconic building, elegantly illuminating the façade and framing the holiday windows, as well as highlighting the fashion for which Saks Fifth Avenue is known.”
According to the Post, the department store “acknowledged that it has been a challenging year for luxury, and, like others, we are carefully managing our business to ensure the company is best-positioned for the future.”
The decision to cancel the show was only made in recent weeks.
While they may not live up to the holiday cheer of the light show, the Saks holiday windows will still be on display later this month, featuring luxury brand pieces set against vibrant snowflakes, “dichroic vinyl,” and silver harlequin flooring, according to a press release.
Located across from the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, the annual light show was first held in 2004 with a modest display of 50 giant snowflakes that twinkled to “Carol of the Bells.” In 2010, the show implemented digital projections, before blending both physical and digital effects in 2015.
Last year’s show, “Dior’s Carousel of Dreams at Saks,” debuted with an extravagant fireworks display. The light show featured 300,000 LED lights spanning 10 stories of the building, synchronized to holiday tunes in a dazzling display of holiday-themed visuals.
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