“Going to Ayala Triangle light show has been our tradition. This is our fifth year!” shared Sam, 28, who recently went with friends to Makati CBD’s Christmas installation highlight this year.
Sam works in Ortigas, but she said she had never missed one show since she first saw it five years ago. “This is like a nice treat to those who work here in Ayala,” she enthused.
Every year since 2010, thousands of families and friends gather at the Ayala Triangle Gardens to enjoy the spectacular Christmas lights and sound show. Dazzling lights up on trees and around the 20,000-square-meter garden shine and dance to the beat of Christmas medleys.
The Festival of Lights has, in fact, made it to the coveted list of Conde Nast Traveller’s Seven Most Spectacular Lights in the World, alongside Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Champs-Elysées in Paris, and Kobe Luminarie in Japan.
“The Gallery of Lights by Ayala Land is the highlight of our year. It’s our way of giving back to the community and making the holidays more meaningful for many Filipino families,” Cathy Bengzon, head of corporate marketing of Ayala Land, said in a statement.
From Filipino fiesta to Disney-themed medleys as well new light designs and exhibitions, Ayala Land has always presented new ways to delight “Makatizens” and those who travel from other parts of the metro to watch the show and bond with loved ones after.
In a bid to “make the event even more memorable than the last,” there's a couple of new additions to the whole production such as illuminated art installations.
This year’s Gallery of Lights is all about shapes and lines with polygon clouds—perhaps a nod to the triangle-shaped garden—that form a canopy of lights and bright noodle lights lining tree trunks and branches designed by lighting directors Voltaire de Jesus and Luther Gumia.
Tivoli and laser lights dance to three beautiful medleys starting with the techno-inspired number by Tris Suguitan; a Big Band medley by Mel Villena which consists of jazz-inspired tunes that feature brass instruments; and a Filipino medley by Von de Guzman that showcases popular Pinoy Christmas tunes with a mix of cheerful and sentimental melodies.
A 3D video mapping show, dubbed "The Carol of Lights," by Epson Philippines adds a visual treat to spectators. Light projections of images inspired by church ceilings and stained glass windows designed by G.A. Fallarme and conceptualized with Henk-Gert Lenten, will be shown for the first time on the dome of Tower One and Exchange Plaza.
The Gallery of Lights happens every night from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., from Nov. 12 to Jan. 12, 2020.
