Branson’s Area Festival of Lights

The public is invited to join city leaders at the free reception as they ‘flip’ a 10-foot light switch. Everyone that attends will receive a complimentary visit, provided by Ride The Ducks, to the Festival of Lights Parkway, the area’s centerpiece drive-through lighting display. The BAFOL Parkway extends for two miles along Branson Hills Parkway near Hwy. 65 and Bee Creek Rd. More than 500,000 lights adorn dozens of animated displays along the Parkway including the ever-popular “12 Days of Christmas,” Santa and his leaping reindeer, sailboat races, a nativity scene, a Victorian Christmas scene, and many others.

In addition to the Parkway, guests visiting the area during Ozark Mountain Christmas can see more than 280 lighted displays lining the famous stretch of Mo. Hwy. 76 from downtown Branson to the western edge of town.

The Branson Area Festival of Lights Parkway is open from 5 p.m. through midnight seven days a week November 1, 2004 – January 1, 2005. Admission is $7 per family vehicle and $50 for each commercial bus or motor coach. Unlimited admission passes are $15 per family vehicle and can be purchased at the Parkway or at the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce Welcome Centers, which are located at the intersection of Hwy. 248 & Hwy. 65, and at the intersection of Hwy. 160 & Hwy. 65.

Universal Concepts, the nationally known company that built many of the displays in the Parkway has also created lighting displays for Walt Disney World, the Centennial Olympic Park, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Myrtle Beach, Dollywood and Anheuser Busch. “This community has put a lot of effort into enhancing the holiday experience for visitors. Branson offers spectacular Christmas shows, millions of lights, and countless shopping options, plus dozens of other ways to be entertained with friends and family,” said David Arney, president and CEO of Akers and Arney Insurance Associates and chairman of Branson Area Festival of Lights Committee. Last year, an estimated 30,000 family vehicles and 1,100 commercial vehicles toured the parkway