No mind-bending holiday light projections on Philly City Hall this year — but a new display is coming to Dilworth Park

The tree is lit, the skating rink is shining and there are dozens of local vendors selling cute gifts, but Philadelphia City Hall will look a little less festive this holiday season: The “Deck the Hall” light show isn’t returning, Technical.ly has confirmed.

After six years illuminating the west facade with colorful, shape-shifting animation, the show was discontinued “due to funding challenges,” according to JoAnn Loviglio, a Center City District spokesperson.

The “Deck the Hall” installation — which debuted in November 2017 and returned each fall thereafter, even during pandemic lockdowns — was the work of Klip Collective, a Bok-based company that uses projections, lighting and sound design to create immersive experiences.

Klip Collective has partnered with organizations such as South Jersey-based Ground for Sculpture, where last month the orgs opened the “Nightforms” exhibit for the third year. Klip Collective is also recognizable for its installations at Longwood Gardens and the Making Time Festival at Fort Mifflin.

At Philly City Hall, the Klip artists used their skills to make projected images look like they were three-dimensional, or part of the building itself. Centered on the middle section of the west side of the 548-foot-tall structure, the projections played off all the intricate details of the French Renaissance Revival architecture.

The show lit up different sections of the building in time with background music. Moving decorations were projected onto the side of the building. At some points, it appeared to be snowing, and the entire section of the building looked like it was encased in ice that eventually shattered.

Here’s a video of the light show from a few years ago:

Crowds would regularly gather to watch the shows, which last year ran for nine minutes at the top of every hour from 5 to 9 p.m. daily.

In the past, funding came from Independence Blue Cross, with support from 6ABC and the Center City District, according to the CCD. Technical.ly reached out to IBX for comment and received this statement from Director of Corporate Communications Grant Gegwich:

“As Philadelphia’s hometown health insurer for 85 years, Independence Blue Cross proudly supports a range of organizations and initiatives throughout Philadelphia and the region. This includes such traditions as the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run, Independence Blue Cross RiverRink, and the Indego bike share program. We assess our sponsorships on a regular basis and had given the Center City District notice in 2022 that it would likely be our last year sponsoring the show. We do not have any insights into the planning for a show this year.” 

There is good news for people who love seeing municipal infrastructure lit up with colors, however.

Permanent, color-changing LED lights are coming to the transit headhouses in Dilworth Park — those big swooping glass structures that rise above the steps to SEPTA’s City Hall Station.

The new lighting display is expected to be completed next month, per Loviglio. We’ll follow up with more details when we have them.