Bright Ideas & Festive Vibes: The Future of the Winter Lights Festival

The Winter Lights Festival in Blacksburg, Virginia on December 6th, 2024 has become more than just an annual holiday celebration- it is the focus of community, creativity, and commerce. The festival showcased a unique flare from many other festivals in the New River Valley, reflecting the innovation trend among the local entrepreneur community. The Winter Festival has been an ongoing tradition for the city for over fifty years. The Winter Lights Festival is a part of the TUBACHRISTMAS concert and events, which was created in 1974 by Harvey Phillips.

The agenda of the Winter Lights Festival consisted of the holiday market starting at 3 p.m. and ending around 8 p.m. with the celebratory Christmas parade that takes place on all of North Main Street. Traditional Christmas music is performed throughout the festival along with the opportunity to bring your euphonium to participate in the emphasis Blacksburg tradition.

From sustainable jewelry to authentic crystals the Winter Lights Festival had something to offer for everyone. One eye-catching vendor, Sammie Boyer created her sustainable jewelry business, “Mae,” during COVID-19. She has attended the festival for the second year in a row as a full-time student on College Avenue. “I’m passionate about environmental sustainability so everything I make is upcycled,” Boyer stated. Her approach follows the demand for eco-friendly products that are striking amongst festival goers.

For others, like Lindsay Hentz, who runs an authentic business called “La Lunatiques,” the Winter Festival was an experience to connect with people who were seeking meaningful, unique gifts. “This is my first Winter Lights Festival. I’m just trying to get more well-known in Blacksburg,” she expressed highlighting the ongoing interest in spiritual and holistic gifts during the holiday season.

As the Winter Lights Festival continues to rise, organizers and vendors are looking for ways to make it more inclusive and innovative. Events like these give small businesses a platform they would not otherwise have. One idea being discussed is the expansion of vendor spaces to accommodate more local businesses and artists. This year, there was not much of a turnout for student entrepreneurs, so expansion could be the way to influence more college innovators to participate. As many enjoy the wholesome intimacy of the festival, the overall goal is to grow the festival to create a bigger turnout such as “Steppin’ Out,” which is a very well-known festival taking place in the city of Blacksburg each year.

As lights were twinkling in the frigid air with festive music being performed live, the Winter Lights Festival this year proved that it is not just about celebrating the Christmas season- it is about the celebration of the people who make the Blacksburg community shine. The Festival has become a place for innovative vendors and the diverse talent of the community. With sights set on the future, the annual tradition is a beacon of opportunity for entrepreneurs to express themselves as a source of inspiration for all of the attendees.

Photos of the event on Instagram are found here!

#blackbsurg #winter #festival #virginiatech #tubachristmas

Dylan Ever is a graduate student attending Virginia Tech. Dylan participated in the Winter Lights Festival in Blacksburg, Virginia. They set up shop on College Avenue writing custom poetry. “I used to be a part of the Poetry Club during my undergraduate years here at Virginia Tech,” they informed. Dylan specializes in writing poetry for friends, and family, and even poems for oneself. They decided to create poems for small businesses as they realized they were talented in their craft. Throughout the Winter Lights Festival, Dylan began to gain much more traffic than the other business vendors who were also in attendance.

“The Poetry Club at Virginia Tech was honestly a desolate wasteland for me,” they admitted. Dylan explained how not many people would come to their events or meetings throughout the school year compared to the many other organizations that are on the Virginia Tech campus. Dylan began brainstorming on how to make a change within the creative arts community to get more traction and better marketing tactics to create more traffic flow within the organization. “I decided to thrift this typewriter and the rest has been history,” they expressed. Dylan purchased a vintage typewriter that was manufactured in the 1950s.

One of the attendees at the Winter Lights Festival approached Dylan to ask them to create a poem as a gift for “Secret Santa.” This was her first time doing a Christmas game as an associate professor of practice in the Philosophy department at Virginia Tech. She expressed how the student she was chosen to gift give to was a student from India who was struggling with being in Blacksburg. She mentioned to Dylan also that her favorite colors were purple and white. “When I write my poems for people I always try my best to be as genuine as possible,” they expressed.

Another encounter Dylan Ever came across at the Winter Lights Festival was a young man who was a junior Multimedia Journalism major attending Virginia Tech, asking for a poem about his beloved grandfather. He mentioned his grandfather passed away about six months ago and how he was feeling some regret for not talking to him much before he was gone. He asked Dylan to focus the poem on the grieving that he is experiencing within. “I honestly enjoy the wholesome experience I get out of writing for people, especially people who have trouble healthily navigating their emotions and feelings,” they expressed.

Heading 3

As Dylan set up shop at the annual Winter Festival in Blacksburg they did not have much of an aesthetically pleasing setup like the other vendors at the event. Dylan hand-made and painted signs with wooden planks, brought a suitcase, a lawn chair, and then the star of the show- the typewriter. Dylan used the briefcase as a form of a tip jar with a piece of paper with their cash app and Venmo QR code taped to the top. “I don’t have a set price for my poems, I truly am just grateful for whatever people decide to pay me for my work,” Dylan stated.

“I like to believe that I am providing people with not just a service or a product, but a true experience that they will always remember,” Dylan explains. Shown in the picture above, was an undergraduate student at Virginia Tech hoping to leave the festival with a sentimental gift for their partner. At this moment, the attendees were expressing to Dylan how they felt about their partner and some characteristics that she wanted to be mentioned in the poem. Dylan mentioned the key traits that caused the student to fall in love with their partner. It was safe to say that the attendee was left satisfied with Dylan’s work.

When asked to write about the word “Phoenix,” Dylan spent only three minutes writing out the poem. “I try to use words or phrases that resonate with me deeply in my writing,” they said. The main words that were brought up frequently in the poem were “persistence” and “resilience.” Written on the picture is: “spreading molten wings, unstoppable ever-reawakening, ever risen, what creature has renewal genetically written in every fiber of their being? Just this one that knows even if fleeting persistence is lifeblood is meaning, we bear the weight the load ready to rise again, let it all unfold, before sharper, smarter eyes better than the last time every time.”

As this was Dylan Ever’s first time at The Blacksburg Winter Lights Festival the expectations were not necessarily set at an all-time high. “I would love to come back to the Winter Lights Festival and I can say that this was such an amazing experience and opportunity for me to put myself out there,” they expressed. In addition to writing poetry on the street and in their free time, Dylan is a frequent Blacksburg Farmers Market goer. Dylan explained how there would be long lines at the market just to receive a poem from them. Compared to the other vendors at the Winter Festival, the Custom Poetry line remained steady with intrigued customers.