Louisville Outshines Paris

Move over, Paris — the planet has a new City of Lights.

For the next few weeks Possibility City will be aglow with a totally brilliant array of holiday opportunities, illuminated by the mother of all light events, KaLightoscope.

KaLightoscope Christmas
For the first time ever in the U.S., KaLightoscope Christmas premiers in Louisville at the Galt House Hotel. Chosen as one of the Top 10 Holiday Festivals and Events for 2010 by the Kentucky Tourism Council, KaLightoscope features larger-than-life sculptures made of painted fabrics, each enhanced by lights and color and displayed in 12 imaginative settings — some that tower over two stories high. Holiday music, aromas, and little surprises make it an unforgettable experience for anybody. And it’s all inside a temperature-controlled pavilion.

As a Friend of Lou, you can click here to fill out a form and get a great discount to KaLightoscope. Enjoy!

Get All Lit Up with the Family
There are few cities that balance coolness and quality of life as well as Louisville. This holiday season you can pick from a host of incandescent options:

Although the 30th Light Up Louisville took place last weekend, the magic will continue for the rest of 2010 with a special high-tech light show that runs hourly between 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. “Music, Magic & Lou-minations: A Fantasy in Lights” is a 14-minute animated light display synchronized to holiday music on Metro Hall.

For the more adventurous, don’t miss Lights Under Louisville, a subterranean light spectacular at Mega Cavern that you can drive through in your own vehicle. Load the kids up and take a 30-40-minute ride through part of a 17-mile series of underground passageways that feature over 500 lit characters with over 2 million points of light, all themed to holiday music.

The second annual Holiday Lights and Wine Tour lets you enjoy the city’s most spectacular light displays — including Old Louisville, Downtown Louisville, Jeffersonville, and a life-sized Gingerbread House — on an almost-two-hour trip, all from the comfort of a heated luxury bus with a glass of complimentary wine.

And make sure you check out Louisville Science Center’s IMAX film “The Light Before Christmas,” which is showing until January 02, 2011. Before the closing credits, enjoy a tour through the film workshop where “The Light Before Christmas” was made.

Lights!! . . . Which Means Cameras and Action
Take advantage of living in one of America’s scenic cities. From bustling neighborhood scenes to gorgeous architectural details to a shimmering waterfront, Louisville by dusk and night is a photographer’s dream. Grab your camera and head out to shoot some pictures of what’s possible when the sun sets. Upload your best shots to our flickr page and help keep Louisville radiant.

How Bright Are You?

• The public saw an electric light for the first time in Louisville. Thomas Edison introduced his incandescent light bulb to crowds at the Southern Exposition in 1883.
• 90% of the United States’ disco balls are produced in Louisville each year.
• Lights Under Louisville is the only underground light show of its kind on earth.
• In 1838 LG&E was created to provide gas-fired street lighting . . . in order to deter crime.

Louisville for the Holidays

Bright Ideas in Downtown Louisville — Friday, November 27
It’s Thanksgiving in Possibility City again, and Louisville officially kicks off the holiday season in grand style with Light Up Louisville. Downtown bursts into light at 8:30 PM, but get there earlier and enjoy the Winter Wonderland Parade, the Run Run Rudolph fun run, or visit Santa in his workshop and sit on his lap. Click here for more info.

You want more?
Enjoy free-flowing hot drinks, wearables, Louisville Originals restaurant gift certificates, entertainment / attraction advice, and more at the Louisville Visitor Center’s City Sampler. Click here for details.

The Friend of Lou Glow-In-the-Dark Offer
As a Friend of Lou, you can get into the holiday action with special discounts and offers by heading down to 4th Street Live! from 3:00 ‘til 9:00 PM. There’ll be the regular (and outstanding) selection of dining and and shopping opportunities — plus there’ll be lots of other stuff to score too: Cool Friend of Lou t-shirts and access to the Louisville Photo Booth, for example. All free-and-fer-nuthin’ to Friends of Lou. Visit the booth beside Hard Rock Cafe and tell ‘em Lou sent you.

Speaking of Bright Ideas
There is only so much you can do with leftover tukey, right? Well, that’s not what we think here in Louisville – home to the invention of the Hot Brown. Click here to see what’s possible with those leftovers. (Thanks, Betty!) And with leftovers taken care of, the next best thing about Black Friday is the deals. Click here for a great Derby Package offer.

Here’s wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving.