Parking and Street Access:
Bayland, Highland and all cross streets between Norhill and Florence, including Watson, will be closed from 5:30 to 9:00 pm on December 8th. Please ask your guests to allow extra time to find parking on nearby streets. Of course, if you live on the route you will be allowed access to and from your property; however, you will not be permitted to park on the event route streets. Also, please have your driver‘s license or a utility bill with your street address to show to the officer. Keep in mind, as this event has become increasingly popular, congestion is a problem. No Parking signs will be in place and illegally parked cars will be ticketed. Please avoid parking on Highland and Bayland on Friday evening, and Saturday morning December 7th and 8th, to accomodate city street cleaning.
Lights In The Heights Decorating Contest
Get out your ladder, unpack those outdoor decorations, and get in the holiday spirit! Everyone on Highland and Bayland is automatically on the decorating contest list.
For those of you off the route, email your nominations to Tony Maluski at [email protected] by noon December 6th.
On Friday December 7th starting at 7 pm judges will be reviewing the event route and emailed nominations for winners in the following categories (subject to change):
Pick of the Night Most Traditional Most Creative Most Wattage (1st thru 3rd)
Best Theme Best Children's Theme Most Colorful Best Single Color
Most Religious And Any Other Category We Can Come Up With!
Ready to Bake Holiday Cookies??
Love to bake? Want to make this years Lights in the Heights® event great? LET'S GET BAKING!!!
As always volunteers are needed to bake cookies for the homes and porches of the the Lights in the Heights® sponsored entertainment. Get out those aprons and yummy recipes and get into the holiday spirit!! Keep in mind that most cookies can be baked ahead of time then frozen in gallon freezer bags— no need to cram all your efforts into one week of furious baking right during the holidays.
Chevonne Greaser (832-524-5816); [email protected]) needs volunteers to help bake cookies and deliver baked goods.
•Cookies need to be delivered to Chevonne by Thursday evening, December 6th.
•Four volunteers are needed on Saturday morning, December 8th, from 9:00—10:00 am.
•Volunteers under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult to drive for deliveries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time are streets closed?
The police start bringing out the barricades at around 5:00pm to close off surrounding streets. The barricades come down at 9:00pm, You cannot park on the closed streets.
Now that streets are closed, where should we park?
Residents are encouraged to park their cars off the street closures (Bayland and Highland) if at all possible. Encourage your friends and neighbors to park on cross streets or streets parallel to the festival route and to come early! Remember traffic is VERY heavy during the event.
If my house is on the route, can I leave during the event?
Yes. We encourage people to wait until after the event if possible, but if you need to leave you may do so at any time. Please remember to take your driver's license, as police officers will be checking addresses when allowing access to cars returning to the route area. However guests to parties will NOT be allowed access to closed streets.
What if it rains?
We have not scheduled a rain date for Lights in the Heights ®. The event will not be cancelled unless it is raining heavily at 6 p.m. In past years, residents along the festival route were gracious enough to allow luminaria to be stored on their porches until the early afternoon rain passed.
Will there be bathroom facilities on the route?
Yes, there are port-o-lets located on the Norhill Esplanade and along the route.
What if we have an emergency and need to get onto a blocked street?
In case of emergency, proof of residency (your driver's license) will allow access onto Bayland and Highland from 6-9 p.m.
I'm having a party. Where should my guests park?
Encourage your guests to come early (prior to 5 or 6 p.m.) and to park on the streets parallel to the festival route.
How can I keep uninvited guests from coming into my private party?
A sign saying "Private Party" should do the trick and this year we are selling them!!! Go to our Merchandise page.
Any others? Contact the Committee Chairs, Terri Guerra or GlenSementelli.