More than 100 families turned away at Nights of Lights due to traffic, long wait times
After more than 100 families were turned away Wednesday night from WRAL Nights of Lights at Dix Park, changes made by the sponsors and the city made the ride a more pleasant one for those who turned out Thursday night.
Posted — UpdatedJoseph Voska, program supervisor for Dorothea Dix Park, estimated about 12,000 tickets were refunded.
“We felt horrible about making that decision," he said. "We know families have been looking forward to this event, so we are really sorry we have had to take that experience away.”
WRAL and the City of Raleigh are co-sponsors of the event and issued this statement Thursday morning:
"We would like to apologize for the traffic tie-ups and delays that motorists have encountered as they’ve made their way to the evening winter wonderland of lights in Dorothea Dix Park. While many have expressed gratitude for a wonderful light show and festive event, we know that many of you have been disappointed with the experience. For that we are truly sorry. Our goal was and continues to be to provide a socially distanced, safe, family-friendly experience to celebrate the holiday season."
Traffic backed up for hours Wednesday night along Western Boulevard in Raleigh, and many families made the difficult decision to give up on the opportunity to see the lights show. Because of the number of tickets sold and the desire of each family to slowly enjoy the 1.3 miles of festive light displays, some people waited up to four hours to get to Dix Park.
As families from near and far lined up, some had creative ways to endure the wait.
"We packed a picnic dinner and got out here early," said Linda Henderson.
Sallie Wintz, with a timed ticket for 6:30 p.m., got in line at 5:30 p.m. and still waited more than three hours. And she was among the lucky ones.
“Just the massive number of people behind us. We knew there was no way they were all going to get in," she said.
Voska said planners projected that the route could accommodate about 1,000 cars per hour and allotted 500 tickets for sale in each 30-minute time slot. On Wednesday, he said, about half that many – 600 cars – made it through the event each hour.
After 10 p.m., the city and Raleigh police on site closed the park and turned around those still in line.
“They sold too many tickets. That’s obvious," said Keith Joyce. He waited nearly three hours to get down Western Boulevard only to get turned away by Raleigh police when they shut the event down around 11 p.m.
“I wasn’t real happy to basically waste the entire night for no reason," Joyce said.
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