‘It’s putting Delco on the map’: The Festival of Lights returns to Media this week

Rose Tree County Park in Media will once again transform into a winter wonderland this holiday season for the 50th annual Festival of Lights.

Starting Thursday, some 300,000 lights will adorn over 125 trees at the center of the 118-acre park, which will also play host to vendors, musical performances, and food trucks on select nights during the festival’s run through Jan. 3.

More than a beloved tradition, the free festival is “putting Delco on the map,” says Delaware County Parks and Recreation Interim Director Anne Stauffer. The festival drew about 97,000 visitors last year, according to Visit Delco data, and Stauffer expects more than 100,000 this year.

Over the past few years, the festival has significantly grown its footprint. While it used to largely attract residents from in and around Media, a major change in 2021 helped attract more visitors from across the region.

Using funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, organizers grew the number of lights on display — including extending it to the park’s tallest trees — and added pop-up shopping elements, a format that has been replicated each year since. With a refreshed display, the festival went from a local event to a “regional draw,” Stauffer said.

Now, the annual festival is one of the park’s biggest undertakings, with work beginning in mid-October.

This year’s festival will see a return of many favorite displays, like a lighted archway, Snoopy and other Peanuts characters, a gingerbread family, and Santa and his reindeer. A Visit Delco selfie station featuring a giant Adirondack chair will be moved to the front of the park. There will also be musical performances on Delco’s Fare & Flair nights, along with a selection of food, drinks, and other vendors.

New this year will be the unveiling of a “Delco Bell,” which will make its debut at 4 p.m. Thursday, and remain on display through next December, even after the festival wraps up. It’s one of many bells being displayed statewide as part of America250PA’s “Bells Across PA” initiative, which began rolling out in April in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“I think it’s a beautiful opportunity to be able to show the public artistry and history,” Stauffer said.

This is also a milestone year for Rose Tree County Park, which opened in 1975 and is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Festival of Lights:

This year’s festival kicks off on Dec. 4 at 5 p.m., when the entire park will be lit up for the first time this season. As part of the festivities, the Springton Lake Middle School Select Choir will perform seasonal songs, and Santa will help light the park before zipping around on one of Delaware County Parks and Recreation’s electric ATVs. He’ll remain on site until 8:30 p.m.

In addition to the ceremonial lighting, opening night will also be the first of this year’s Delco’s Fare & Flair Nights, which include music, food, drinks, and other local vendors.

From Dec. 4 to Jan. 3, the park will be lit nightly at 5 p.m. and remain lit until 9:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

There will be vendors, food, drinks, and live entertainment on Delco’s Fare & Flair Nights, weather permitting. These will take place Dec. 4, 6, 7, 13, and 14 from 5 to 8:30 p.m.

Expect a selection of food and drinks vendors each night, including Albie’s Fresh Burgers and Crabcakes, Auntie Anne’s, Brick & Brew, Calaveras Street Tacos, DonutNV, Dos Gringos Mexican Kitchen, The Munchy Machine, Napoletano Brothers, Owl’s Water Ice and Treats, Pizzeria La Familia, Rollin’ Phatties BBQ Smokeshack, and Savannah’s Southern Cuisine.

Artisan vendors will also be selling goods including clothing, home decor, and candles.

On Delco’s Fare & Flair Nights, local bands will perform at 5 p.m., followed by a DJ spinning tunes until 8:30 p.m.

You can see the vendors attending each Delco’s Fare & Flair night on the county’s website here.

While visitors will find a similarly festive display to years past, there will be a few additions for 2025, including one celebrating the nation’s semiquincentennial. A Delaware County-themed bell will be unveiled at 4 p.m. on Dec. 4, and remain on display through the festival and next year.

Delaware County Park Police will be directing traffic on Delco’s Fare & Flair nights, with parking available in the main lots at the front of Rose Tree County Park, closest to Nether Providence Road. The rear lot, near the Hunt Club building, will have additional parking on nights when Delco’s Fare & Flair is not taking place. There will be overflow parking on the grass, as weather permits.

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