Enchanted: Forest of Light

Enchanted: Forest of Light is an interactive, nighttime experience unlike anything else in Southern California, featuring a one-mile walk through 10 distinct lighting displays in some of the most beloved areas of Descanso Gardens. Lighting and visual design firm Lightswitch is the mastermind behind the experience and partnered with 4Wall's Systems and Design division to create custom design features throughout the walking tour. 4Wall also provided a substantial rental package of over 400 light fixtures.

Lightswitch designed "Illumination" at The Morton Arboretum in Chicago for the past 5 years and Descanso Gardens liked that show very much as it aligned creatively with what they were wanting to do. "They were looking for something different than the normal holiday lights display," said LD Chris Medvitz. "They wanted something that was less about covering everything with twinkle lights, and more of a 'nature+light' creative approach."

About 45% of the elements in the Enchanted Forest are custom designed and fabricated for this experience. The show is conceived to run annually in perpetuity, so many of the elements had to be engineered and built to last many years.  This ranged from simple scenic element fabrication to wayfinding signage, to numerous types of custom light fixtures, to engineering interactive sensors and controls. 

Check out the full press release about this project here.