The historic property collaborated with 3. Fromme Design on developing a comprehensive master plan for a distinctive holiday light show experience. Goals include establishing Cheekwood as a year-round destination; continuing a tradition of combining art and gardens; and invigorating a period of typically slow visitation.

The master plan established a seamlessly choreographed sequence of artful light installations, visitor amenities, and wayfinding elements starting with the automobile arrival sequence and leading through the enchantment of the property. Each show element celebrates and allows people to perceive the estate in new ways: the Mansion, unique garden spaces, expansive landscape, and majestic specimen trees.

The show opened in 2015 and reached record attendance in 2019. Fromme has continued to collaborate with Cheekwood on show refinements and new features, including the choreographed Starfield (2018) on the Mansion Lawn; the animated “dancing” Pinnacles of Light (2019) in the Color Garden; and the glowing Weaver Walk (2019). He also led the redesign of the majority of the show’s eastern extent in response to the opening of the Bracken Foundation Children’s Garden in 2020.

Photos courtesy of Cheekwood Estate and Gardens