Who We Are
Magical Winter Lights (MWL) is a spectacular, larger-than-life festival that presents a fresh multicultural take on traditional holiday light shows. This 45-day holiday celebration occupies 20 acres of outdoor space featuring Texas-sized lantern masterpieces using Chinese lantern-making techniques, some of which are 60-feet high. The festival has succeeded in becoming Houston’s largest holiday celebration and the nation’s largest lantern festival of its kind.
Our History
2019 – FIFTH YEAR OF MWL
- Continued for the fourth year at Gulf Greyhound Park and fifth operational year in a row
- Continued memberships with the Texas City – La Marque Chamber of Commerce and Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Continued partnerships with City of La Marque, Visit Houston – The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Obtained title sponsor City of La Marque for the fourth consecutive year
- Contestant in the nationally broadcasted holiday contest – The Great Christmas Light Fight “Heavy-Weight” division on ABC to be aired in Dec, 2019!
2018 – FOURTH YEAR OF MWL
- Continued for the third year at Gulf Greyhound Park and fourth operational year in a row
- Continued memberships with the Chambers of Commerce for La Marque, Galveston and the Woodlands
- Joined VisitHouston, the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau as a member
- Received AMA Houston’s Crystal Awards for the third year in a row, in the TV Commercial, Point-of-Purchase, and Single Event Promotion categories
- Received a grant from the Tourism Incentive Program (TIP) Awards
- Placed third in the Eventex Awards, a world-wide competition, for “Best Festival”
- Hosted our “Panda Pop Up” Event at Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, CA
2017 – THIRD YEAR OF MWL
- Continued for the second year at Gulf Greyhound Park and third operational year in a row
- Sponsored by the City of La Marque
- Participated in City of Houston’s 68th H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade and the 98th Mayor’s Holiday Celebration and Tree Lighting
- Received AMA Houston’s Crystal Award for the second year in a row in the Single Event Promotion category
- Joined the Chambers of Commerce of La Marque, Galveston, and the Woodlands
- Provided remote lantern exhibits to popular entertainment and shopping venues such as CityCentre, The Woodlands’ Market Street, Discovery Green, and Saengerfest Park in Galveston
- Partnered with Galveston Food Bank
- Created a winter wonderland lantern exhibit to Saengerfest Park’s “Galveston Holiday in the Park”
- Launched the first MWL “12 Days of Giving” campaign with partners, such as Kendra Scott, JW Marriott Downtown, Alley Theatre, Saint Arnold, and more
2016 – SECOND YEAR OF MWL
- Relocated to Gulf Greyhound Park in La Marque, TX
- Sponsored by the City of La Marque, Boost Mobile, and Life Storage
- Participated in City of Houston’s 67th H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade and the 97th Mayor’s Holiday Celebration and Tree Lighting
- Received AMA Houston’s Crystal Award for the first year in the Single Event Promotion category
- Debuted “Alice in Winterland” lantern exhibition at The Queen Mary’s “CHILL” holiday festival in Long Beach, CA
2015 – THE LAUNCH OF MWL
- Magical Winter Lights made its debut at Sam Houston Race Park and became the largest lantern festival in the US. The inaugural year of MWL was a resounding success.