Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor

When software engineer Matt Johnson decorated his house for Christmas in 2015, it wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill display of shine and twinkle. It was a fancy, computer-controlled, musically synchronized light show that ended up on TV.

“ABC saw our YouTube video of the house and approached us to ask if we wanted to be on their Great Christmas Light Fight reality TV show,” said Johnson. “After that, I started getting calls from all over the world from commercial venues that wanted to do something similar. So, in the past few years we have done a lot of consulting on various light shows, including drive-through shows. Then we decided to do our own.”

The result was the first Lights Alive Drive-Thru Light Show, which premiered last year right here in San Antonio, the first such event in Texas. And now Johnson and his team are offering a repeat performance, a nearly mile-long drive through a Christmas wonderland like none you’ve seen before. All along the drive visitors will be surrounded on both sides by Christmas trees and other Christmas characters, symbols and emojis bathed in kaleidoscopic swirling lights.  And there are tunnels of lights that produce special effects.

But these are not the kind of lights you may see at other holiday displays, pointed out Johnson. These lights are RGM pixels with embedded computer micro-chips, that are controlled by 78 computers to create the myriad of smooth changing effects visitors will experience. Needless to say, it’s a huge programming task. So, the work on the show begins early in the year, like in January, when Johnson and his helpers develop the complex programming and synchronize the light effects to the music, which is also an original soundtrack. The building of the physical structures that line the sides of the road started in September, he noted.   

“I have a software development background but I never thought I would be doing this kind of work,” he explained. “It just happened because of the exposure we got nationally and internationally. It has grown so much. We did a light show on the River Walk, one at Sea World and one at the zoo. The drive-through event is the biggest project and it’s taking the technology to the next level.”

Last year, about 12,000 families (cars) drove through the displays during the run of the show but more are expected this time, since the season has been extended from 26 to 40+ days, and the company has improved its promotional outreach. “Also, with COVID and the quarantine and social distancing, what we are doing is perfect. It’s inherently the type of entertainment that you can do while being isolated in your vehicle,” said Johnson, adding that most other entertainment venues had to shut down due to the pandemic. “I think that people are entertainment starved right now.”

The soundtrack that the lights are dancing to is a mix of styles, from traditional Christmas songs to hip-hop, electronic dance rhythms, movie clips, and more. The intent is to have the light dance “represent” the music, noted the designer/producer, pretty much as a choreographer would shape the dancers’ steps and movements to harmonize with the music composed for a particular piece. The soundtrack is programmed to last 37 minutes which is considerably longer than the 25 minutes that it takes visitors to drive through the displays, meaning people will not hear repeat music as they make their way from entrance to exit.  

So, what is the biggest attraction on the ride? We asked.

“Probably the tunnel,” ventured Johnson. “Everybody likes the tunnel.  It’s about 400-feet long and about 9-feet High and 9-feet wide. If the lights are shooting toward you, it makes you feel like you are flying through space. If the lights are spiraling around you, it makes you feel like you are moving instead of the lights. There are different types of animation that make you feel immersed.”

Once they exit, families can park, and continue to have fun exploring the Winter Wonderland, where they can create holiday crafts, shop at vendor booths, take pictures with Santa (modified this year) and enjoy various treats. And they may witness a marriage proposal by the 50-foot light-animated Christmas Tree that’s part of the Wonderland. There were several such proposals last year.

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The 2020 Lights Alive Drive-Thru Light Show: Nov. 20-Jan.3; National Shooting Complex grounds, 5931 Roft Rd., 78253, near Alamo Ranch off 1604 West near Culebra Rd.; Advance tickets per vehicle $30 if purchased online in advance, $35 at the gate. www.seelightsalive.com