Red Rock Fantasy will return for its 20th anniversary.
With the recent buyout of bankrupt ILX Resorts by Diamond Resorts International, some Sedona residents and visitors may have wondered about whether the huge annual holiday display would light up Los Abrigados Resort again.
Due to impeding buyout, Red Rock Fantasy coordinator Lori LoDuca said she was uncertain whether Diamond Resorts would want to continue the tradition. She has been coordinator for the last 11 years.
“ILX told us to proceed,” LoDuca said.
In May the contestants randomly drew their individual sites for their displays. Toward the end of the summer, contestants submitted written plans to LoDuca and a committee of contestants for review and approval.
Contestants are not allowed to duplicate themes nor repeat them from previous years.
Each contestant is given 15,000 multicolored lights and must use them all in the display. They are given $100 for materials like plywood, foam and paint, and allowed to spend up to $400 of their own money for additional supplies. Contestants are allowed to substitute clear or LED lights, but still must use 15,000 lights per display.
This year, 22 contestants will set up displays to compete for the top prize, which has yet to be announced. Last year’s first-place winners decorated the Stone House, the site of the area’s first historical lodging, and are excluded from the competition.
One of the beneficial changes has been in the amount of advertising Diamond has provided. ILX budgeted about $2,000 a year to advertise Red Rock Fantasy, so organizers had to get creative, LoDuca said.
“I say that as a former ILX employee, we didn’t have that much money to spend on advertising,” she said.
Diamond has provided much more and hired an outside advertising agency to handle marketing. LoDuca didn’t specify the amount of the advertising budget.
“Diamond said, ‘We recognize what kind of community event it is,’” LoDuca said.
This week, LoDuca was in Las Vegas promoting the event on KTNV’s “The Morning Blend,” and Edd Zielinski from Los Abrigados was on television in Phoenix.
Red Rock Fantasy has also garnered sponsorship from the Sedona Lodging Council and help from the Sedona Chamber of Commerce.
The more attendees, the more hotel rooms filled in Sedona and more money put back into
the local economy, LoDuca said. Roughly 50,000 people attended last year’s Red Rock Fantasy.
“We’re hoping for more this year,” LoDuca said.
To guarantee a high-quality event during the buyout transition, LoDuca invited back all of last year’s contestants.
This year’s contestants include Sedona Charter School, a contestant from Tucson, one contestant from California and 19 from the Phoenix area.
The contestants will arrive Saturday, Nov. 13, to set up. Because the displays must be ready by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 18, most of the contestants have already built or are building their displays.
Display themes include “A Nickelodeon Family Holiday,” “Survival Tips for the Holidays,” “Avatar: Pandoran Holiday,” “Princess Tiana’s Christmas Jubilee” featuring characters from Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog,” and Sedona Charter School’s “Matisse Navidad,” based on the work of French painter Henri Matisse.As in previous years, Sedona area nonprofits will “sponsor” a night.
Nonprofit organizers will host a booth at the entrance, solicit donations and volunteers, and offer information about their nonprofit’s work. At the end of Red Rock Fantasy, $1 from each ticket on the sponsor nights will be added to a pool and split across all the nonprofits, LoDuca said. If one nonprofit’s night is ruined due to bad weather or a cold snap, they can still benefit from the whole of the event.
Members of the Lions Club volunteer as greeters and patrollers. At the end of the event, their hours are calculated as though they were paid employees and the total is donated to the club.
LoDuca said there are also plans to bring back the light show on the trees at Los Abrigados’ creekside area. In the past, holiday lights were wrapped around the trees and synchronized to Christmas music.
Removing the lights every year was labor-intensive, so ILX had left them up year-round, but the lights began to strangle the still-growing trees. Diamond may restore them, put on a laser light show or some other project to enhance that area, LoDuca said, though not this year.
The Red Rock Fantasy lights come on at Los Abrigados Resort on Thursday, Nov. 18.
Tickets for adults are $5, seniors $4, children ages 4 to 12 $2, and those younger than 4 are free.
Greeters will give attendees a map and ballot on which they can vote for their five favorite displays.
Red Rock Fantasy will be open nightly at 5 p.m., depending on weather. The show closes at 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday.
For tickets and more information call (877) 444-8044.
