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Ready to begin! Let the wonder take hold!
And if you want some extra wonder this holiday season, then do we have a treat for you. One family has taken the beloved Walt Disney World Resort fireworks show, Happily Ever After, and has turned it into the ultimate Christmas lights show. And there is still time to see it — more than once — before the holiday season comes to an end.
Credit: Disney
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For years, Ryan Basile and his dad have been creating stunning light shows for the Christmas season, with each year getting bigger and bigger. Then, in 2020, Ryan found himself with a lot of time on his hands because of the pandemic. That’s when he started studying projection mapping, which he thought would be a great addition to the annual Christmas display.
Credit: Lights on Meredith/Ryan Basile
At the same time, Disney parks were forced to shut down and Happily Ever After was put on indefinite pause. So, Ryan decided to bring a piece of Walt Disney World to his hometown of Hazlet, New Jersey. Ryan created a holiday projection and light show that ran the entire length of Happily Ever After — and it was a hit!
Disney Dining spoke to Ryan, who told us that people come from all over just to see his family’s incredible display, and enjoy Ryan’s amazing talent. He said that some people have even come up from Florida just to see the show!
Credit: Lights on Meredith/Ryan Basile
Ryan loves putting on the show every year, and says that it really gives people that warm and fuzzy Disney feeling.
Our display is so unique because it take you on a journey and there is a story behind the whole display. It’s a mix of a static traditional Christmas display also with a light show and a projection show ! There are so many different elements that make it super unique.
Anyone that knows Disney knows there’s a special magic you feel standing in front of Cinderella castle watching Tinker Bell fly across the sky. I wanted to recreate that at my house and we most definitely did !
If you can’t make it to New Jersey to watch the show in person, below is a video of the entire spectacle.
Now, Happily Ever After is not shown every day, so, if you are planning on heading over to Hazlet with your family, there are some important details to know.
The Happily Ever After holiday light show plays every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., weather permitting. However, for this Sunday (Christmas Eve), there will only be one show — which will happen at 7 p.m. It is also important to note that, because of this show’s popularity, you will want to get there early in order to find parking.
Credit: Lights on Meredith/Ryan Basile
According to The Patch, police have cones set up and are asking people to park on adjoining streets.
Police Friday confirmed cones and traffic barrels are out and a light tower to help pedestrians cross Middle Road will be set up. Meredith Way is too narrow for parking so visitors are asked to park on adjacent streets leading up to Meredith Way. There will be cones blocking access to Selma Lane on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for show purposes, the Instagram post says.
Credit: Lights on Meredith/Ryan Basile
Now, an astounding display like this does not happen overnight. Ryan said that he typically begins setting up the hug display as early as September, but he is always thinking of ways to make it bigger and better for the following year.
Ryan is currently a student at Monmouth University and is studying software engineering. He said that his ultimate goal is to one day become one of the people who work on Disney’s beloved castle shows. And we definitely think that he has the talent for it!
Let’s congratulate Ryan on his stunning display, and thank him for bringing his talent to the masses!
