Christmas lights around the globe
Baltimore residents put on stellar displays for the holiday season, from Hampden’s luminous 34th Street decorations to complex Christmas gardens. But how does a “Bawlmer Christmas” stack up against its global equivalents? We’ve rounded up some of the world’s better light displays to find out.
- Christmas lights and decorations are seen in front of the Monte Carlo casino in Monaco. (Jean-Christophe Magnenet/AFP/Getty Images)
- Christmas lights and trees are put on display in front of the Monte Carlo casino in Monaco. (Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images)
- A woman is silhouetted against Christmas lights as she walks down the South Bank area in the rain on December 19, 2012 in London, England. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
- People look on as Melbourne Town Hall is illuminated with Christmas projections on December 13, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
- A person dressed as a gingerbread man is seen during the “Bright Lights Stanley Park” display at Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada. Over one million lights are strung up in the forest for the annual Christmas event, which runs through January 1st, 2013. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
- Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada is illuminated as part of the “Bright Lights Stanley Park” display. Over one million lights are strung up in the forest for the annual Christmas event, which runs through January 1st, 2013. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
- Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada is illuminated as part of the “Bright Lights Stanley Park” display. Over one million lights are strung up in the forest for the annual Christmas event, which runs through January 1st, 2013. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
- Christmas festive lights adorn a detached house in a suburban street in Melksham, England. The lights, a popular festive attraction, have returned to the town after a two-year absence and have raised thousands of pounds for charity for a local hospice, Dorothy House. The display, which is estimated to involve over 100,000 bulbs and cost over 30,000 British pounds, even needed an uprated electricity supply installed to cope with the additional power required. This year, the display took a team of professional electricians five weeks to complete and includes a snow machine. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
- People take pictures of children in front of a Christmas tree and light decorations near the Royal Castle at Old Town in Warsaw, Poland. (Kacper Pempel/Reuters)
- People walk along an illuminated Royal Route in Warsaw, Poland, viewing the Christmas decorations. The Royal Route is made up of a series of streets that feature Warsaw’s historic landmarks. (Kacper Pempel/Reuters)
- Decorative Christmas lights depicting the nativity scene are seen in Zocalo Square in Mexico City. Zocalo is the main plaza in the heart of historic Mexico City. (Henry Romero/Reuters)
- A house is illuminated ahead of Christmas in Buecken, Lower Saxony, Germany on December 9. The house, decorated with more than 400,000 lights, is one of the biggest presentations in Europe, according to the homeowner. (Fabian Bimmer/Reuters)
- A Christmas tree made out of lights is illuminated at Madrid’s landmark Puerta del Sol square on December 12. (Juan Medina/Reuters)
- The “Lights of Christmas” are featured at St. Mary’s Cathedral on December 13 in Sydney, Australia. Produced by Creative Director Anthony Bastic, the stunning illuminations are projected over the 75-meter high and 33-meter wide facade of the sandstone cathedral. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
- The “Lights of Christmas” are featured at St. Mary’s Cathedral on December 13 in Sydney, Australia. Produced by Creative Director Anthony Bastic, the stunning illuminations are projected over the 75-meter high and 33-meter wide facade of the sandstone cathedral. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
- A mother and child look at a decorative bear at a country house estate in the village of Grabovnica near Cazma, central Croatia. The 17.3-acre estate owned by the Salaj family is lit with 1.3 million Christmas lights and turns into a winter wonderland every December, attracting thousands of visitors. (Antonio Bronic/Reuters)
- A woman’s silhouette is seen through Christmas lights at Usaquen Park during the annual Festival de Navidad (Festival of Christmas) celebrations in Bogota, Colombia. (Fredy Builes/Reuters)
- Visitors walk across the Capilano Suspension Bridge, decorated in lights for the holidays, in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Originally built in 1889, the bridge stretches 135 meters across and is situated 70 meters above the Capilano River. (Andy Clark/Reuters)
- Christmas lights adorn the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Originally built in 1889, the bridge stretches roughly 140 meters across and is situated 70 meters above the Capilano River. (Courtesy of Capilano Suspension Bridge Park/MCT Photo)
- A girl looks at Christmas lights and figures on a house in Bagby in northern England. Homeowner Eric Marshall spends three weeks each year setting up the display, which runs throughout December to the Twelfth Night and raises funds for the local church. Marshall has raised nearly 20,000 British pounds over the past 20 years. He started with one Santa and sleigh. (Nigel Roddis/Reuters)
- Christmas shoppers pose for a picture next to a Mickey and Minnie Mouse light display outside a shopping mall in Tokyo. Although Christians only account for around only one percent of Japan’s population, people usually celebrate the holiday by spending time with their sweethearts and exchanging gifts. (Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images)
- A Mickey and Minnie Mouse light display is displayed outside a shopping mall in Tokyo as a part of decorations ahead of Christmas. Although Christians only account for around only one percent of Japan’s population, people usually celebrate the holiday by spending time with their sweethearts and exchanging gifts. (Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images)
- Visitors read an information board on the main alley of the National Zoo in Washington D.C, which is decorated for the holidays. (Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images)
- Visitors take a look at the “Casa di Babbo Natale” (Santa’s house) illuminated with thousands of lights in Melegnano, Italy, some 25 kilometers from Milan. Massimiliano Goglio, the owner of the house, decorates every year at Christmas. (Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images)
- Visitors take a look at the “Casa di Babbo Natale” (Santa’s house) illuminated with thousands of lights in Melegnano, Italy, some 25 kilometers from Milan. Massimiliano Goglio, the owner of the house, decorates every year at Christmas. (Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images)
- Visitors take a look at the “Casa di Babbo Natale” (Santa’s house) illuminated with thousands of lights in Melegnano, Italy, some 25 kilometers from Milan. Massimiliano Goglio, the owner of the house, decorates every year at Christmas. (Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images)
- Christmas lights line the streets of Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast (or Cote d’Ivoire) on December 15, after the launch of the second “Abidjan Perle des Lumieres” (Pearl of Lights) for Christmas and New Year celebrations. (Sia Kambou/AFP/Getty Images)
- A Chinese couple walk past trees decorated for the winter holidays in Beijing. Mathematics has provided an answer for those striving for the perfect Christmas tree, Britain’s University of Sheffield said. Their formula states that a 180-centimeter (roughly six feet) Christmas tree would need 37 baubles, around 919 centimeters of tinsel (30 feet), 565 centimeters (19 feet) of lights, and an 18-centimeter (seven-inch) star or angel to achieve the perfect look. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)
- People visit the Christmas light decorations along Thoroughbred Lane in Rancho Cucamonga, some 40 miles east of downtown L.A. in California. For nearly a quarter of a century, this normally quiet neighborhood comes alive with visitors to see the light displays from neighborhood residents, with some selling snacks and hot drinks in front of their homes. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)
- Christmas decorations in the trees light up the path leading towards the London Eye in central London. Areas of the city are illuminated with festive lights as the British capital gears up for the holiday season. (Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images)