Nauticus’ annual event, Winterfest on the Wisconsin, will be featured nationally on ABC’s holiday competition series, The Great Christmas Light Fight. The show’s “Heavyweights” category includes Winterfest competing against Northern California’s Imaginarium and Albuquerque’s River of Lights for a trophy and a $50,000 grand prize. The episode is scheduled to air Thursday, December 18 at 9:00 PM ET and will be available for streaming on Hulu.
“We were absolutely thrilled to be invited to compete on such a beloved national holiday show,” said Stephen Kirkland, Executive Director of Nauticus. “We’ve been preparing for this national TV debut for some time and so as you can imagine, this year’s lights will be completely over the top.”
Winterfest on the Wisconsin is now in its sixth year. The event transforms Nauticus and the Battleship Wisconsin with more than two million lights, live entertainment, themed bars, s’mores stations, and introduces an immersive experience called The Kingdom of the Snow Queen. This year also features a new light trail along the riverfront—the Winterfest Riverwalk—connecting the Pagoda, Nauticus, and Town Point Park.
The event opens to the public Friday, November 14 and runs select evenings through December 31. Attendees can explore both the battleship and museum under extensive lighting displays. Tickets begin at $16 and are available at WinterfestOnTheWisconsin.com.
Winterfest serves as Nauticus’ largest fundraiser each year. Proceeds support restoration work on the Battleship Wisconsin and fund educational opportunities through the Nauticus Foundation.
For additional details about Winterfest or Nauticus programming, visit www.winterfestonthewisconsin.com or www.nauticus.org.
