‘Deck the Hall Light Show’ ends after 6 years on the west side of City Hall

The nighttime hours on the west side of City Hall look a little less bright this holiday season. But the building will soon have more lighting year-round.

The “Deck the Hall Light Show” didn’t return this year because the sponsorship that funded it was not renewed, according to the Center City District.

The light show, which had become a winter holiday staple since 2017, used to run at the top of the hour from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., typically from late November to the new year. Lights and animations were projected on City Hall’s facade to holiday music, free to watch for passersby and people enjoying the annual holiday market.

The light show was made by Philadelphia-based Klip Collective and sponsored by Independence Blue Cross. In a statement, the health insurer said it assesses its sponsorships regularly and in 2022 let the Center City District know that the year would probably be its last sponsoring the show.

The Center City District was then left with a choice, according to its spokesperson JoAnn Loviglio.

“As we thought about whether to find another sponsor for that six-week event, or to seek funding for new lighting to illuminate City Hall year-round, we decided on the latter,” Loviglio said in an email.

The Center City District was able to complement its own funds with additional city funding and a state grant for “new, permanent lighting of City Hall and the Dilworth Park transit headhouses,” said Loviglio.

The LED lighting is slated to be similar to what is seen on South Broad Street, with the ability to remain white or take on other colors.

It’s the latest in a series of lighting projects the CCD has taken on “to enhance public safety, animate the city at night, and create visual excitement,” according to its website.

City Hall already has many of its features illuminated as part of the group’s efforts to make downtown brighter. As recently as 2015, the CCD spearheaded a project to install four pairs of gates at City Hall and flood them with light.

Loviglio said work for the new lighting has begun and is set to be completed next year.