MANILA, Philippines – Last year, a 3,600-square-meter field in Nuvali, Laguna bloomed for the first time with over 5,000 light buds that looked like glowing tulips, and with colors changing and “dancing” to Christmas medleys. The field later bagged the coveted Silver Stevie award for being the first to attempt such an exhibition. This year, the same field glows bright with these colorful light buds, but made brighter with around 50 light spheres which also change colors in time to music. This time, visitors can now go around the field itself and get closer to the light buds.
The show runs daily every 30 minutes, from 6 to 10 pm, and will end on January 8, next year.
According to Magical Field of Lights Director Voltaire de Jesus, the three Christmas medleys of the light and sound show portray different feels: there are the classic Christmas carols like “Joy to the World,” Pinoy Christmas music, with fiesta feels like “Kumukuti-kutitap,” and dubstep, techno music for a more millennial sound. De Jesus is also the director of the annual Festival of Lights at the Ayala Triangle in Makati.
De Jesus said that his concept for the Magical Field of Lights was inspired by fields of tulips in Holland, as well as a similar light installation in Australia. For the music and “dancing” lights, he used his own brand of choreography. Each minute of the 18-minute light and sound show takes De Jesus around four hours to program.
The Magical Field of Lights “dance” in choreography to Christmas medleys.
Christmas music plays all the time around the field, even when people are just walking around between the shows.
Outside the field of lights are twinkling Christmas trees, dandelions, and a 50-meter light tunnel.
All the lights used are LED, encased in re-usable materials, in keeping with Nuvali’s stance on environmental sustainability. In fact, the light spheres used for this year’s light and sound show were also used in shows from previous years of the Ayala Triangle’s Festival of Lights.
De Jesus believes in keeping the lights and materials from shows in good condition for possible re-use, but with a twist, in other shows.
(READ: LOOK: The 2017 Festival of Lights at Ayala Triangle)
Nuvali Marketing Manager Jennifer Chua said that the Magical Field of Lights in Nuvali will be an annual event, with twists and tweaks every year.
Catch the Magical Field of Lights this year. Check out more photos and videos here.
How to get there:
If you are going by private vehicle, drive to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX). Nuvali can be accessed through any of the following exits: Sta. Rosa, Calamba, Silangan, Eton City-Greenfield, or Greenfield City/Unilab/Mamplasan. Actual venue is at the Fields, which is close to Solenad 3 and S & R.
If you are commuting, there are Nuvali-bound buses in BGC and Makati (there’s also the P2P bus) and vans in Alabang Festival Mall. You can also just take a Balibago-bound bus or van then ride a jeepney to Nuvali. Travel time takes around an hour from Makati and around 30 minutes from Alabang with minimal traffic. Allot more travel time during weekends. For bus and jeepney schedules, check here.
Some notes and tips:
1. Admission is free.
2. Check the weather forecast before you go. Shows sometimes get canceled when it rains.
3. Go on a weeknight if you want to avoid the big weekend and holiday crowds. If going on a weekend or a holiday, it will be best to catch the later shows, around 9 to 10 pm. Weekends, though, are a good time to also catch other Christmas shows and events in Nuvali. There is a free open-air night cinema viewing on the Nuvali lakeside grounds, for example, on November 25, December 2 and 3, and December 16.
4. There are food trucks on the venue, especially during the weekends. The mall, though, is just a short walk and street crossing away, where there is also a Christmas fair.
5. There are portable toilets in the venue.
6. This year, the entrance to the venue is via a cordoned stairway. There is, however, a separate sloping entrance for persons with disability (PWDs). You can also ask assistance from Nuvali staff in the area.
7. The light and sound show is not advisable for people with epilepsy.
8. In case of medical emergencies, there is a first-aid medical team on standby.
Watch a brief background on the making and preparations for the Magical Field of Lights below.
– Rappler.com
Claire Madarang is a writer, researcher, and documenter whose work and wanderlust takes her to adventures like backpacking for seven weeks and exploring remote islands and bustling cities alike. Follow her adventures, travel tips, and epiphanies on her blog Traveling Light and on her Instagram.
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