Organizers set up lights for the Oshkosh Celebration of Lights at its new location on the EAA grounds in Oshkosh, November 22, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The temporary site of Oshkosh Celebration of Lights will be its long-term home.
The popular holiday light instillation moved to the EAA grounds this past year while unexpected archaeological excavation work was being done at Menominee Park.
Following a record-setting season in 2023, the Oshkosh Celebration of Lights says a finalized agreement was reached to host the event on the EAA grounds through 2028.
“When we approached EAA this past fall because we needed an alternate site for the event, no one realized how this would create such an opportunity to make our great holiday event even better,” said Norm Reichenberger, President of Friends of Oshkosh Parks, Inc., the organizing body for Celebration of Lights. “The site was perfect to expand the possibilities for the event and the high visibility from Interstate 41 certainly helped with the record attendance in 2023.”
More than 22,000 vehicles passed through the Celebration of Lights grounds, created in the EAA’s Camp Scholler area traditionally used for camping during EAA AirVenture. That 2023 attendance total was nearly 60% higher than the previous year. In addition, more than 6,000 youngsters visited Santa Claus at his headquarters established at the EAA Air Academy Lodge.
The annual festival, which runs between Thanksgiving weekend and New Year’s Eve, is an Oshkosh tradition with more than 1 million lights within dozens of displays.
Meanwhile, the archaeological work at Menominee Park is suspended for the winter. City officials say it will resume when the ground thaws. It’s unknown how long it will ultimately take.
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