2020 HOLIDAY DECORATING EVENT

HOLIDAY HOUSE DECORATING EVENT

Do you love to decorate your house for the holidays?  In place of our annual Electric Light Parade (cancelled due to COVID restrictions), this year the City of Long Beach and the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce are inviting residents to join in the Holiday House Decorating Event and light up this special season! This is a community wide socially distanced project to promote holiday spirit and a perfect way to provide a fun, safe event for the entire family to enjoy!

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So pull out your lights, reindeer, wreaths, Santa’s, nativities, menorahs, kinaras and creativity! Let’s see who will win bragging rights for the best decorated house. We want to know who will be the Clark Griswold of Long Beach?   Registration to participate opens Tuesday, December 1. Simply fill out the online application by clicking here, decorate your home and be sure to “light it up” during the judging period.  See rules and important dates below.

We encourage all our residents to drive around town starting December 14th using the digital map below, which will post on December 14^th at 5pm.  This event is all about Holiday Cheer during this pandemic year!

In addition, the Long Beach Chamber Annual Business Window Decorating contest will also be taking place.  Click for more info.

Be sure to vote for the “People’s Choice” decorated house online at www.facebook.com/LongBeachNewYork.

Whether you are decorating your house as a family or riding through town, we hope you will find the spirit and glee of the holiday season here in our “city by the sea”. 

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RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR PARTICIPANTS

• Participation is open to all City of Long Beach residents.
• Entry is FREE but you must fill out the online application.
• Entry applications must be received via longbeachny.gov/lights no later than 5:00pm on Saturday, December 12, 2020.
• Contest is for exterior decorations only, including decorations in windows that are visible from the exterior. Judging will be done from outside the home only.
• Judging will be based on “curb appeal” as viewed from the street only. Therefore, only those decorations located on the street side of the property will be judged (corner lots will be judged from both streets).  Judges will not enter the property to view back or side yards.
• Houses professionally decorated will not be accepted.
• Houses must be accessible to cars driving by.  Some dead end streets may be omitted from the map but not judging.
• Participants agree to have one or more photos of their decorated residence exterior to be used on social media.
• Participants agree to have their address posted on the digital location map of decorated homes which will be placed on the City’s and Chamber’s website and social media.
• Judging will take place from 6 pm to 9pm on Thursday, December 17.
• Participants should ensure that all lights, animations and decorations are in place and activated for the judging period.
• Judging criteria will include:
  • Unique design and creative use of lights and decorations
  • Story-line or theme
  • Display and placement of decorations
  • Overall presentation
• Winners will be announced on Monday, December 21st.  The top three winners will receive bragging rights, a custom certificate and recognition on social media on the City’s and Chamber’s  website.
• People’s Choice winner will be determined by the amount of likes received between December 17 and Noon on December 21, 2020. www.facebook.com/LongBeachNewYork
• Participants are asked to keep your homes decorated through January 1st so that the community can enjoy them by following the digital map.

Let’s spread the cheer during this pandemic year! Be creative, be festive and have fun!

 

SAFETY GUIDLINES FOR THOSE VISITING THE DECORATED HOUSES

The safety and well-being of our community is the City’s first priority.  In order to safely experience the holiday lights, we ask that you:

• Please stay in your car while viewing the Holiday House Decorating Contest homes.
• Please do not congregate in front of the homes participating in the contest.
• Please extend courtesy to the homeowner by keeping a safe distance and do not enter the property of the homes participating in the contest.
• Obey traffic laws.

HOLIDAY HOUSE DECORATING EVENT TIMELINE

• Tuesday, December 1, 2020: Registration opens.
• Saturday, December 12, 2020: Last Day to register to participate
• Monday, December 14, through December 16, 2020: Participants should have their decorations completed and house lit to be photographed
• Monday, December 14, 2020 Interactive map of decorated homes posted at 5pm
• Thursday, December 17, 2020: Judging will take place from 6 pm to 10 pm
• Thursday, December 17 through Monday, December 21, 2020 at 12 Noon:  People’s Choice Judging via facebook www.facebook.com/LongBeachNewYork
• Monday, December 21, 2020 at 3pm – Winners Announced on the City and Chamber Facebook page and Website.

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