{"id":20189,"date":"2022-11-15T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-15T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/?p=20189"},"modified":"2022-11-07T22:57:42","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T04:57:42","slug":"night-light-night-bright","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/night-light-night-bright\/","title":{"rendered":"Night Light, Night Bright: The Incredible Annual Light Show at Mozart’s Coffee"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This story was originally published on December 17, 2018. This season’s light show will run from November 10, 2022 to January 6, 2023. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From late November to late December each year, Mozart\u2019s Coffee Roasters<\/a> in Austin, Texas, transforms its lakefront patio into a glowing wonderland with enough twinkling, carefully choreographed lights (over one million LEDs) to rival a Disney parade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hundreds of thousands of people\u2014kids, parents, grandparents, college students, and even the occasional dog on a leash\u2014flock to Mozart\u2019s every year for its free holiday light show<\/a>, a tradition started by co-owner and partner Katrine Formby. Formby says she\u2019s always loved Christmas lights and started doing lavish Christmas decorations at her home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt became so over-the-top that we thought, why not do this at Mozart\u2019s because then people can really enjoy it?\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illuminate The Shop<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A lavish light show may seem like an unusual choice for a coffee shop and bakery, but Mozart\u2019s has a history of blazing new trails. It first opened in a former boat repair shop on Lake Austin in 1993. In the early nineties, it became one of the first businesses to offer a bottomless cup of coffee, according to Jack Ranstrom, Mozart\u2019s general manager and its original roaster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They were among the first to offer free high-speed wireless internet about a decade later, Ranstrom adds. (Mozart\u2019s remains in its original location, but a remodel is planned for 2019 to expand its interior footprint.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mozart\u2019s hosted its first light show in 2010, and the event has grown each year, adding enhancements like music synced to the lights, gobos (stencils on lights), strobe lights, and sound-triggered lights. This year\u2019s light show features a grand piano built out of Christmas lights with a waterproof electronic keyboard that patrons can play between light shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The light shows used to start at the top of every hour, but they\u2019ve tweaked the schedule to run shorter mini-shows randomly throughout the night for better crowd control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to park and rush,\u201d says Formby. \u201cWhenever you come, you\u2019ll see a show within ten minutes of arrival.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are four rotations with different songs and light configurations each time. While the music changes year to year, the University of Texas-Austin Longhorns\u2019 fight song is a perennial favorite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep The Lights Running<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Preparation for a light show of this size takes up most of the year. Formby starts planning the next light show in January and ordering specially-made items in the spring. During the spring and summertime, she has a part-time person helping her test and replace lights. Then, five full-time people set up the lights for five weeks leading up to the light show, and one full-time person works to troubleshoot any issues between shows. Taking down the lights takes about half the set-up time, and the equipment is stored at her and her husband\u2019s ranch in the off-season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love doing it because I get to be creative, and it\u2019s something that I\u2019ve found pretty much everybody likes,\u201d says Formby. \u201cIt\u2019s a good family thing because children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and everybody can enjoy it together. The community has benefited from it, and it\u2019s sort of Mozart\u2019s gift to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, Mozart\u2019s also benefits from the brisk business during the holiday season thanks to social media buzz and coverage in local media. The nightly event attracts so many extra people they take on 40 additional staff members and set up hot chocolate stations outdoors to handle overflow from inside the caf\u00e9, according to Ranstrom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe go from a $10,000 average sales day to a $25,000 average sales day,\u201d he says, \u201cand the majority of product is hot chocolate.\u201d In the past, they\u2019ve sold 250 gallons of hot chocolate every night, but this year, they anticipate selling 300 gallons per night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Austin grows into a tech hub and new, hip coffee shops continue sprouting around the city, Ranstrom says many still like the friendly, familiar vibe at Mozart\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything is disjointed in Austin [as the city has grown], but Mozart\u2019s is in the middle of everything, and we have the space,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re one of the few places that can pull off an event like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to Mozart\u2019s large outdoor space, the mild winters in central Texas make the light show possible. Since kids look forward to seeing the lights, Formby says the show continues even if it rains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe always run it unless there\u2019s lightning,\u201d she says. \u201cI think the adults kind of understand that we have weather limitations in terms of how perfect it is. The kids don\u2019t care [if it rains or a light or two doesn\u2019t work].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Ranstrom puts it, \u201cthere\u2019s no better branding you can do for the community than a holiday light show. It really brings everyone together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos courtesy of Mozart’s Coffee Roasters<\/em>. This story was originally published on December 18, 2018 and has been updated to meet Fresh Cup’s current editorial standards. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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