March 01, 2024
Albert Yee/For Fairmount Park Conservancy
In conjunction with the debut of Boathouse Row's new lighting system, the Fairmount Park Conservancy is holding a contest on Instagram. The winner gets to choose the colors the boathouses' lights for a night. The file photo shows Boathouse Row illuminated by its previous light system.
Be it Eagles Kelly green, Barbie pink or something all your own, for one night, you could have the power to pick the colors of the lights illuminating Boathouse Row.
To attract attention to the new Boathouse Row lights scheduled to be unveiled next week, the Fairmount Park Conservancy is hold a contest on Instagram that will give one person the power to choose the color of the light display for a night.
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The new lighting system that outlines each of the 12 historic boathouses on the Schuylkill River is comprised of 6,400 LED lights, and it is capable of 16 million color combinations, according to Fairmount Park Conservancy spokesperson Cari Feiler Bender. The upgraded lights also can sparkle, change colors and illuminate in patterns to create the illusion of movement.
"The possibilities are endless," Feiler Bender said.
Boathouse Row has been dark for a year, since the $2.1 million project to replace the old lights with LEDs began. The new lights are set to make their debut on Thursday, March 7.
To have a chance to pick the color scheme, follow new @boathouserowlights on Instagram, like the post announcing the contest and tag a friend in a comment. Users receive one entry for each friend they tagged and an additional entry for sharing Boathouse Row Lights' post about the contest to their own Instagram stories.
The contest closes at noon Tuesday, and the conservancy will coordinate to determine the date when the winner's color scheme will be displayed. Feiler Bender suggested that the person chosen potentially could have the display lit up in conjunction with a special occasion, like a wedding or anniversary.
If you don't win, you could still get the boathouse buildings awash in the colors of your choice, but it will cost you. There are opportunities throughout the year to create custom lighting schemes, save for some major events and holidays that are earmarked. It costs between $1,000 and $6,000 per day depending on the complexity of the display. Money raised through those sponsorships will helps pay for the the maintenance of the lights, Feiler Bender said.
After the contest is over, the Fairmount Park Conservancy will continue to use the @boathouserowlights account to provide information sponsorships and light displays that take place throughout the year.
