How long is your show?

[TheJackal]

1. How long is your show?

2. How many songs in that show?

3. Is your show the same everyday through the holiday season?

[james morris]

my show runs 4 hours  I use 32 songs per set My show has a different set of songs every day for week then repeats

[Geoff Harvey]

My show for 2012 ran for ~25 minutes as a continuous loop, had 9 sequences including an introduction and was the same every night.

Many visitors stayed for an hour and still returned several times on different nights.

[Mateo]

Last year my show was approximately 45 minutes long and I had about 13 songs which played in a  continuous loop.  I ran my show from 6:30 pm - 11:30 pm M-Sunday.  This year however, I sequenced songs other than Christmas songs and plan to have set days for Christmas songs and set days for other songs.  Same time, from Thanksgiving night to New Years Eve, however this years show(s) will be approximately 1 hour for each segment.  Have fun!

[Brian Mitchell]

I have 10 different shows with about 3 songs each.  Show starts on every 1/4 hour.  The music between shows does not repeat all night.   Other than a tweek here and there, I don't change it during the season.

[plasmadrive]

I started with 7 songs but people were staying to watch them all. This caused a heck of a traffic jam.  I am on a small street that is a very long cul de sac... the traffic jams were just nuts... so I trimmed my show to 4 songs and it helped shorten the wait time by a LOT!   This year I am considering only making one long song that combines the best parts of my favorites.. that way it will be one combo that is about 5-6 minutes long..  That should allow more to see it and help with the traffic.  My poor neighbors.. they support what I am doing, but I know they don't like the traffic when it gets bad..

Edited April 16, 2013 by plasmadrive

[MikeA]

I like Brian's idea best.  15-20 minutes max for show length.  Many people who come to shows have kids with very short attention spans.  I run 6 songs all shortened to 2-2.5 minutes.  The same show runs all season.

I have been to other displays that were way to long...I kept wondering when it was going to end.

[james campbell]

I started with 7 songs but people were staying to watch them all. This caused a heck of a traffic jam. I am on a small street that is a very long cul de sac... the traffic jams were just nuts... so I trimmed my show to 4 songs and it halped shorten the wait time by a LOT! This year I am considering only making one long song that combines the best parts of my favorites.. that way it will be one combo that is about 5-6 minutes long.. That should allow more to see it and help with the traffic. My poor neighbors.. they support what I am doing, but I know they don't like the traffic when it gets bad..

this is great information. I think your show length depends on your location.if you don't have a ton of traffic or traffic is free flowing then you can do a longer show. Edited April 16, 2013 by james campbell

[TheJackal]

I started with 7 songs but people were staying to watch them all. This caused a heck of a traffic jam.  I am on a small street that is a very long cul de sac... the traffic jams were just nuts... so I trimmed my show to 4 songs and it helped shorten the wait time by a LOT!   This year I am considering only making one long song that combines the best parts of my favorites.. that way it will be one combo that is about 5-6 minutes long..  That should allow more to see it and help with the traffic.  My poor neighbors.. they support what I am doing, but I know they don't like the traffic when it gets bad..

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm the last house on a cul-de-sac and there's 9 homes on each side. The entire block is maybe 100 yards long. I have the most frontage being I'm on the end. Also, I don't get home from work until a little after 7:00. So, even getting to my own house will be a task if to many people do show up.

 

Using plasma, Brian and Mateo's ideas, I think I have a good lineup in mind. 3-5 songs/segment, some nights Christmas music, other nights 'regular' songs....should keep the neighbors happy and me a way to get home.

 

Thanks for the advice.....I hope it all goes the way I picture it.

[plasmadrive]

Christmas Eve I came home to find traffic backed up both sides of the street waiting to watch from both directions.. People had gone to the end, turned around and parked on the other side of the street to watch.. others stopped in front of the house watching from there.. and of course blocking the view of the others.  I am about 500-600 feet from the cross street and it took me 10-15 minutes to go those few feet.  it was crazy!   And that was only my second year..  I pretty sure the word has spread a bit more this year and it will be even worse..  

 

Good luck with yours!

[PaulXmas]

Last year I think I had 20 songs programed.

I ran all 20 (about an hour) Mon to Thur.

Cut down the number to I think 10 or so for weekends.

I also had a short 5 song show ready incase traffic got out of hand.

[Tracy West]

My show runs approx 30 mins and loops.

 

Last year I had 6 sequences and this year it will be 5 sequences again 30 min show.

[George Simmons]

1. How long is your show?

2. How many songs in that show?

3. Is your show the same everyday through the holiday season?

1.  My songs loop continuously throughout the evening, from 5:30 until 9:30, usually later on Fridays and Saturdays.  I actually play three different shows but no one on the street knows the difference.  Early show from 5:30 - 7:30, middle show from 7:30 until 9:00 (9:30 on Fri and Sat) and then late show runs until close.

 

2. Probably 20 - 25 in each show.  Last year I used around 60 different sequences.

 

3.  The early show is 75% Christmas songs and 25% other stuff.  The middle show is about 50-50.  The late show is 75% other stuff and 25% Christmas.  The kid's songs get cut way back after the early show.  I'm always fiddling around with the lineups, and every week or so I make major changes so repeat viewers that stop by the same times each visit won't see the same songs. 

 

The first three years we didn't have any problems to speak of.  The last two we were right on the edge of manageability a few times, and like Paul, I've got shorter shows ready to go in case they're needed.

 

Nothing ever goes the way you picture it - be flexible and ready for the unexpected.

Edited April 16, 2013 by George Simmons

[bobschm]

Last year the show was 26 minutes and change.  Shows started at 7, 8 and 9 pm. Silent animation between shows.

 

I should have known better. My years in marketing taught me that most people lose interest at 8 minutes. By 12 minutes, nobody is getting your "message" any more. Of course, music is different. But I did notice that at 15 minutes, chatter began to grow, and some began to drift away before the ending.

 

So. for next year, shows will be fifteen minutes long. Only one slow number per show. No long songs over 3 minutes unless its a medley. And Rollie and Dan will appear between EVERY song. (Kids got antsy. "When are the penguins coming back?")  Might move show times closer together too.

[miaskiewicz christian]

I have over 20 different songs playing in shuffle mode without stopping from 5 pm to 9 pm.

[MikeA]

Last year the show was 26 minutes and change.  Shows started at 7, 8 and 9 pm. Silent animation between shows.

 

I should have known better. My years in marketing taught me that most people lose interest at 8 minutes. By 12 minutes, nobody is getting your "message" any more. Of course, music is different. But I did notice that at 15 minutes, chatter began to grow, and some began to drift away before the ending.

 

So. for next year, shows will be fifteen minutes long. Only one slow number per show. No long songs over 3 minutes unless its a medley. And Rollie and Dan will appear between EVERY song. (Kids got antsy. "When are the penguins coming back?")  Might move show times closer together too.

Good ideas and good info.

"Only one slow number per show"  That is 1 too many in my opinion.....but some older people may enjoy sleeping in their car in your street.

 

I like the idea of knowing that people show up and know they have seen the whole show.  I would really hate to see people "drift off" especially when I know it is only 3 more songs to the end and the last one is the best.  I am sure those long 45 minute to 1 hour shows get people every now and then to stay the whole show but see my above comment about sleeping.

 

I guess my opinion on long shows comes from a couple displays in my town.  One of them was very long with slow songs every other song.  My family was bored after 5 minutes but I stayed.  They were bored after 15 minutes but I stayed.  After 35 minutes I drove off.  The owner of the show came by my display, loved it by the way, and asked me if I saw this song or that song in his display.  The answer to both was no.  He said, "Well, how long tot you stay"  I told him 35 minutes.  he said his total show was 50 minutes long.  Really dude, you expect me to sit in front of your house for an hour with 2 young kids?  he was almost offended when I told him I did not stay for the whole thing.

Just my 2¢

[TheJackal]

Good ideas and good info.

"Only one slow number per show"  That is 1 too many in my opinion.....but some older people may enjoy sleeping in their car in your street.

 

I like the idea of knowing that people show up and know they have seen the whole show.  I would really hate to see people "drift off" especially when I know it is only 3 more songs to the end and the last one is the best.  I am sure those long 45 minute to 1 hour shows get people every now and then to stay the whole show but see my above comment about sleeping.

 

I guess my opinion on long shows comes from a couple displays in my town.  One of them was very long with slow songs every other song.  My family was bored after 5 minutes but I stayed.  They were bored after 15 minutes but I stayed.  After 35 minutes I drove off.  The owner of the show came by my display, loved it by the way, and asked me if I saw this song or that song in his display.  The answer to both was no.  He said, "Well, how long tot you stay"  I told him 35 minutes.  he said his total show was 50 minutes long.  Really dude, you expect me to sit in front of your house for an hour with 2 young kids?  he was almost offended when I told him I did not stay for the whole thing.

Just my 2¢

I like the thought of people coming to see my show. It'll be a balance of keeping it short enough not to cause to much traffic and not to long so people get bored. Now I'm thinking about 3-4 songs, depending on the song length. I sequenced 1 slow song so far (What a Wonderful World by Louie Armstrong). My wife loves that song and if she's happy.......well, you know.

[Wayne K]

I have 11 songs and If I remember correctly about 34 minutes long and loops continuosly from 6:00 PM to 10:30 and then to 11:00 PM on Friday and Saturdays. New this past season I started running my show from 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM everyday (instead of a static on) to give the morning crowd something to see. I had several people tell me that they like seeing this in the morning on there way to work.

I also think location as mentioned above is a biggie, I live on a major highway in a small town, which offers no place for anyone to pull over and watch, But my neighbors are pretty understanding and there are people who park in there drives or in my drive. I also have a Mc d's accross the street and down about a half block and a lot of people park there and watch the show.

I also think your area has a lot to do with it. I live in a small town and where word of mouth travels fast.  

I think everyone has what they think is best for them.

 

So Jackle as you can see there are a lot of different and good answers to your question's.  

  

1. How long is your show?

2. How many songs in that show?

3. Is your show the same everyday through the holiday season?

 

Wayne

 

[Wayne K]

TheJackal, sorry I miss spelled your name above. After I seen it this morning I could not go in and edit it.

 

Wayne

Edited April 18, 2013 by Wayne K

[kiplorenzo]

Howdy all,

 

The rule in any theater practice, whether it is a light show, a person perforrming ETC is to allways keep the audience wanting more and to not bore the audience. 

 

Just my 2 cents.