As if Sedona’s red rocks weren’t magical enough, Sedona Northern Lights returns for the second year, Dec. 13-16. At 6, 7, 8 and 9 p.m., the 182,000,000-square-foot face of Camelhead Rock will be transformed into the largest 3D projection-mapping project ever performed on a natural canvas in the U.S. The projection tells an approximately 10-minute holiday story coordinated with music broadcast by KAZM 780AM. The show can be seen – and heard – from homes, businesses and sidewalks in Uptown, Gallery Row and some spots in West Sedona. Jennifer Wesselhoff, president and CEO of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau, the organization that is presenting the show in conjunction with the City of Sedona, says there will be some changes to this year’s event.
“Last year, we were really excited to showcase the effects and power of technology,” says Jennifer. “This year, we’ve streamlined the story to keep it themed for the holidays. You’ll see some of the effects from last year, but most of the effects are new. We’ve also enhanced the audio portion of the show so it can be heard from more locations.” Sedona Northern Lights is produced by PaintScaping, a Los Angeles-based 3D projection-mapping company. PaintScaping’s tower houses 12 projectors and is situated 3,000 feet away from Camelhead Rock, making it a true engineering feat. (Most of the shows PaintScaping produces are in confined areas.) Jennifer says the event is one of the most sustainable in Sedona. It was designed to get locals and visitors moving around the area and viewing the show from different vantage points – think cocktails in one location, dinner in another.
“It’s one of the most sustainable events we can offer in relation to the impact on the earth,” says Jennifer. “We also want it to bring awareness to our dark skies. The only reason we can have an event like this is because we are a Dark Sky Community.”
SEDONA CALENDAR: Events, activities, shows, happenings
