How Often to 'Show'

[mjdamico23]

This is going to be the 1st year for the Christmas Light Show and people have always commented on my lights prior to and stop by when I'm decorating to see what's new - so with that said, I do have a few questions......

 

How often and how long is the average light show that most of you do?  How many times a night do you do it, or do you let it run all night (that might drive people crazy after a while, no?). 

 

I've seen on sites where people have signs up to tune in to the FM station (I have the FM transmitter), but how do you let people know what times if you schedule it or do you just wait for people to show up and stop by?

 

I would assume after first year or 2 people would expect a show every year and know to come by.

 

As usual, all advice is welcome!!!

 

 

[dougd]

Well most of us create a "show", that show consists of how ever many sequences we have. Most shows last from 20 minutes to 2 or 3 hours. I start my schedule at 6pm and ends at 10pm weekdays and 11pm weekends. The scheduler will play your show continuously during your scheduled hours.

 

Most of us have a sign telling visitors what channel to tune to listen to the music. It can be as simple as just a sign, some do lights that spell out the station, some of us have created a matrix to be able to scroll any message to want.

 

The easiest way to let your guests know information about your display is to do a voiceover. You would record a message and it would become part of your show that will play every so often. In that recording you would give the hours your display is running for. The demented elf will record these messages for you for a small fee, it is a very good value. 

[Brian Mitchell]

This topic comes up often and you will find answers all over the map.  The best thing to do is to do what you would want to see and then see how it works out with traffic and your audience.

 

I run an 8 minute show on every quarter hour with slowly changing lights and music in between.  I rotate through 8 different shows and about 20 songs.  The music between shows does not repeat all night.

 

I think some of my peeps would like to see flashing lights all night long.  I tried that once and it drove me nuts.   I like the breaks between shows and it helps move traffic along on busy nights.

[Don]

Brian is right, you will find answers all over the map on this one. It usually depends on the traffic patterns at your display, how much it may (or may not) annoy your neighbors, or as Brian mentioned, how much it bothers you.

 

I run my shows all night. Depending on the traffic outside, I reduce or increase the number of songs in rotation. More traffic = fewer songs.

[LORi P]

This will be my 3rd year with an LOR-controlled display.  The first year I ran 3 songs back to back for the entire time my lights were on: usually about 5:00 - 9:00.  Last year I ran 5 songs back-to back.  This year I will run (probably) 7 songs the same way.

 

Some nights last year the traffic got a little congested.... but overall not too bad.  I plan to do the same this year unless the congestion gets too bad.

 

Last year many people stayed for all 5 songs to play through twice.  I'd like people to stay for as long as they like.... as long as things stay under control. 

 

I went to one display last year where cars were lined up for 2 or 3 blocks.  The line crept slowly and each car only stayed directly in from of the house for a song or less.  (Though you could see the display for several houses away.)  I don't ever want to have that happen at my house.  I like people to be able to stay as long as they want.  I live in a small town, so I hope that will be do-able.

[plasmadrive]

I started out two years ago and I put up 5 or 6 songs (can't remember).  Last year I stared with 7 songs and the traffic got so bad on some nights that I went down to a 3 song rotation to get people to move on.  There is no way for us to have more than about 10-14 cars watching at any one time.. and that is really really crowded on both sides of a narrow country street.  The 3 song rotation helped out dramatically. 

[k6ccc]

Here is a slightly different perspective (and then I'll give a different answer)...

 

My evening light show starts when it get dark (on a light sensor) and runs until 10:00 during the week and 11:00 on the weekend 365 days a year.  After the evening show, the overnight show just keeps a few lights on overnight.  The "show" is a 4 minute cycle of a bunch of the lights fading up and down.  When I finish the RGB conversion, it will likely be a longer cycle.  This is for my landscape lighting.

 

Now for Christmas.  Last year I built a pixel tree that ran (animation only) during the evening landscaping show.  It also ran for a couple hours in the morning - I think I started it back up at 05:00.  The tree was about a 7 1/2 minute rotation.  It will be longer this year.  Like plasmadrive, I can't support a large number of people, but last year that was not a problem.

[Dave Batzdorf]

The show days and times are solely dependent on your area.  Unfortunately we only have one way in and out of our neighborhood.  So we do the shows 6-10PM Thurs thru Sun and static on Mon and Tues from the Saturday ofter Thanksgiving.  This gives the neighborhood a break and me as well - I pass out candy canes at the end of each show.  It also gives me some time to replace burned out lights.  But the week of Christmas I do nightly.  We also collect for the town's food pantry.

 

here is my Tune To sign.

[mjdamico23]

I started out two years ago and I put up 5 or 6 songs (can't remember).  Last year I stared with 7 songs and the traffic got so bad on some nights that I went down to a 3 song rotation to get people to move on.  There is no way for us to have more than about 10-14 cars watching at any one time.. and that is really really crowded on both sides of a narrow country street.  The 3 song rotation helped out dramatically.

Hmmm, good call! I'm kinda on a country road leading into the village and didn't think of a traffic build up. I might be able to get away with a 3 song rotation. Thank You!!!!!!

Thanks to everyone else who gave their input as well.

[TJ Hvasta]

I use between 7-9 songs/pieces that run every 30 mins with a minute or two fading up/down lights at the beginning and end.

Edited September 3, 2013 by TJ Hvasta

[PaulXmas]

I live across from a school so there are no flashing lights to annoy the neightbours.

I run a 20 minute show run continuosly Sun to Thur 5-9 Fri and Sat 5-11

Christmas eve starts 5:00 and ends Christmas Day at 11:59:59 (I know it is dumb running during the day but its what I do)

I have created some shorter shows just incase traffic becomes a problem but I have never had to use the shorter show.

My Tune to sign is made out of Yellow C6 LED that fade up and down during the show..

Watch and if traffic becomes a problem shorten the show.

[RaZZlo]

This will be my 2nd year with LOR, but based on what I ran last year, I run from Thanksgiving Day until Christmas Day.  5-6 PM is a "Pre-Show" with a sequence that repeats itself during this time, along with a music track with all of the old standards.  I used Audacity to create the hour long music from the various songs. 

 

During the week, Sun-Thurs 6-10 is the main show, and Fri and Sat until 11.   I found that at least in my area folks will come by several times...

 

This year I am adding an EDM transmitter, as I think the neighbor across the street, was getting "tired" of the music... (Well, the wife said to turn it up so people in the cars can hear it...  )

 

Good luck, and just have fun with it...

[dgrant]

Last year was my first year. Being this is a busy neighborhood street, I ran my show continuously from 6:30 till 10Pm. With 28 songs/sequences, it pretty much guaranteed that each time someone here would drive by, they would be hearing/seeing a different song/sequence. One family told me later, each time they drove by, they stopped and watched a couple of songs and they never heard a repeat. Since that was my first year, not many new about it here till they saw it. Another house a short way from here but different neighborhood altogether, is well known for his show and he's got people backed up for a mile to see. I saw traffic increase the final week before Christmas and even one tour bus stopped. This year, who knows. Also, I ran from the day after Thanksgiving to New Years Eve then shut it down. I'm adding a second megatree and two more arches this year but that's it.

[MikeA]

The last thing I want is people sitting out there with nothing going on.  Most have young kids who will get restless.  I tried the first year having a 5 minute pause in between shows only to watch people drive off.  Now it is just a 1 minute pause with all the lights on and music.

 

I also can't imagine having more than a 5-6 song show that lasts more than 15-20 minutes.  I want people to know they saw every song I do with nothing left out.  I went to a local house who has the 20+ song show and it got real boring after 6 or 7 songs but I stayed thinking I would see an end...I never did and I left out of boredom.

 

I use only up beat songs as again, most cars have kids and I am not trying to put the to sleep.  I also cut all my songs down to 2 to 2.5 minutes.  A whole TSO song of 5 minute gets repetitive.

 

To each his own but there are my 2¢

[Steven]

The last thing I want is people sitting out there with nothing going on.  Most have young kids who will get restless.  I tried the first year having a 5 minute pause in between shows only to watch people drive off.  Now it is just a 1 minute pause with all the lights on and music.

I agree, a 5 minute pause would be too long.

 

I also can't imagine having more than a 5-6 song show that lasts more than 15-20 minutes.  I want people to know they saw every song I do with nothing left out.  I went to a local house who has the 20+ song show and it got real boring after 6 or 7 songs but I stayed thinking I would see an end...I never did and I left out of boredom.

I think this depends on factors such as your local population density. Since you are in the suburbs, you may get many visitors who only show up once per season, so a "show" is a better experience for them. Since I have many people living in my vicinity, and since this is California where everyone spends a lot of time in their cars, I get many repeat visitors, who like seeing something different every time they visit. (I know this because of feedback I get.)

 

Therefore, I treat my display more like a continuous display, with the lights flashing to a "radio station". I even leave the lights on between sequences. When a song fades, the lights fade to a state that is at the start of each sequence.

 

I use only up beat songs as again, most cars have kids and I am not trying to put the to sleep.  I also cut all my songs down to 2 to 2.5 minutes.  A whole TSO song of 5 minute gets repetitive.

Me too, except I have a slow song ("Christmas Canon", chopped to 2:49), where I turn on all of the lights, and "Blue Christmas", where the whole display turns blue whenever Elvis says "blue".

[Santas Helper]

I run about 8 to 10 sequences from 6pm to 10pm (11pm on weekends).

If I see multiple cars sitting towards the end of the show, I might extend the time to another 30 minutes.

I have no dead spots or pauses. It's one song after another till the end of the night.

Reason being, I always had neighbors tell me that when in a rush they just wanted to catch a couple minutes of the show (any song) before heading off to their destination and was glad they didn't hit any pause and have to wait. Some will sit for several songs if they have time. Folks during the holidays are always in a rush (except Christmas eve/day) so making them sit around with no show isn't my cup of tea.

Anyway, it works for me, and my neighbors/visitors.

[ItsMeBobO]

My show runs nearly all the time which I believe reduces the congestion in prime time.   Having a clear show start and end with a pause will encourage people to be there for the start.  If they miss the start they may wait through the pause to hear the missing opening.  So my show starts 30 minutes before dark and runs without pauses.  There is never anyone here at that time so there is no opening.  Runs until everyone leaves.  If there are still people here I will extend the end as happens a lot Christmas week.  Giving guests more viewing hours helps prevent them from being bunched up during prime time.   Last year I had a request show running all night which could be activated on my website.   Someone started it at 2am on many nights.  No neighbors said a word about it. 

[LORi P]

ItsMeBobo only turns his show off when *I* am watching.

[Santas Helper]

LORi P

 

Maybe you can bring your laptop and highjack his show bypassing his computer.

Then it will be YOUR show on HIS expense.

[ItsMeBobO]

ItsMeBobo only turns his show off when *I* am watching.

I showed my repulsive face and you ran off.