Note: Authored by David Menconi, this piece has been produced in partnership with Raleigh Arts. Menconi's latest book, "Oh, Didn't They Ramble: Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music," was published in the fall of 2023 by University of North Carolina Press. His podcast, Carolina Calling, explores the history of the Tar Heel State through music.

Out of necessity sometimes comes new traditions. One example is downtown Raleigh’s Illuminate Art Walk, now in its fifth year as a free, self-guided on tour.

On display through Jan. 6, 2025, the event is a series of light installations across downtown Raleigh that make for a nice holiday season public art display. And it dates back to the darkest days of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic lockdown, when the Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) worked to figure out how to lure visitors back downtown.

^{Brian Brush - The Anti-Spectacle}

“It was tricky to be inside at public gatherings,” says Bill King, president and CEO of Downtown Raleigh Alliance. “So we came up with this as symbolism of light in darkness, with light displays in some empty storefronts just to get people walking around. And even though we just kind of threw it together, it went way better than we thought it would with a lot more foot traffic than anyone unexpected.”

^{The TUNNEL a BIG ART Work © BIG ART}

Encouraged, the DRA enlisted sponsors for follow-up years (Wake Technical Community College is 2024’s presenting sponsor) to bring in more elaborate works. In the years since, it has attracted up to 25,000 people some weekend nights as part of a downtown experience that pairs with THE RINK at Red Hat Amphitheater, events at Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts and nearby shops and restaurants.

This year’s highlight is 2024’s showcase piece “The TUNNEL.” Occupying City Plaza (the 400 block of Fayetteville St.) and created by Canada’s BIG ART, it’s an interactive display across a 100-foot-long expanse of mirrored, 12-foot-tall LED bars.

“We do an international piece every year, and this year it’s ‘The TUNNEL,’” says King. “Overall it’s a bit different, not the standard holiday light show because we want downtown to stand out as a bit different. So it’s a bit artsier and less holiday-oriented, although there are still traditional elements if you’re looking for that.”

^{Oliver Lewis - Up Next}

A number of pieces are in or around Lichtin Plaza outside the Martin Marietta Center. There’s Mosca Design’s “Tinsel: A Walk Through Ornament,” a 16-foot-high Christmas ornament with 2,460 lights; Brian Brush’s LED light circle “SONARC”; and the DRA’s Christmas tree. Nearby is Tomas Sayre’s iconic “Shimmer Wall” on the Raleigh Convention Center’s west-facing exterior wall, upgraded with new more advanced lights.

Several pieces are also in the Glenwood South district, just over a mile away, including Nate Sheaffer’s neon light mural “Disco Alley” at 410 Glenwood Ave. King calls that a way to connect Glenwood South to the rest of downtown Raleigh, as well as advertise the other pieces in the central district.

“Part of what we’re trying to do is get people comfortable with coming downtown and walking up and down Fayetteville St., seeing that it’s a fun and safe place to be,” says King. “It’s free and open to all, accessible to everybody. And you can do it in 20 minutes.”

The Illuminate Art Walk is free and self-guided, with works on display in downtown Raleigh through Mon., Jan. 6, 2025. For details see downtownraleigh.org/illuminate.