Christmas is coming early as Dasher’s Lightshow makes it way to the Pittsburgh Mills mall.
The new drive-thru Christmas lightshow will set up in five cities across the United States. The Pittsburgh Mills show runs from Nov. 5 through Jan. 2, 2022.
Dasher’s Lightshow co-owner Clyde Lindsey, a Leechburg resident, wanted to bring the attraction to Pittsburgh Mills because of its key location along Route 28 in Frazer.
“It’s all about the location. Pittsburgh Mills mall was easy and would be available where we wanted to put the show,” Lindsey said.
The other cities are Philadelphia, Houston, St. Louis and Newark, N.J.
Lindsey holds his own lightshow, “Leechburg Lights,” every holiday season. Last year marked his 13th year doing that show. Lindsey is a professional lighting programmer and owns Pixel Pro Displays, based in Leechburg.
Doing a lightshow on a larger scale like the Mills is a dream come true for him. “It’s an incredible chance to do something that I have always wanted to do,” he said.
The company has already started setup of the show, which will run along Pittsburgh Mills Circle, the back half of the mall. Music is synchronized to the lights as the audience moves through the show in their cars. Featured attractions include a 50-foot mega-tree centerpiece and themes such as Candy Land, the North Pole with snowflake characters and the elf shop.
Jon Prebish, managing owner of Dasher’s Lightshow, said the show got its start in Houston last year, under the name Rudolph’s Lightshow. The management decided to adjust the name to avoid intellectual property infringement. The budget for a show ranges from $750,000 to $1 million.
“What we discovered is there is a market for people who don’t want to go to bigger types of events like zoo lights,” he said. “The alternative option is going through neighborhoods” they visit regularly.
Depending on cars’ speed, Prebish said, the show can last anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes along the 1-mile pathway. They expect some 35,000 cars to come through the show during the season, with Black Friday and the weeks leading up to Christmas to be the busiest. Capacity limits are in place to ensure wait time is no longer than 15 minutes.
“We expect Pittsburgh to be a successful season for us,” he said.
Tickets are available at dasherslightshow.com/pittsburgh. Prices vary from $30 to $50 depending on the date and time. Tickets are sold per vehicle.