12/07/2022
Well folks, here is a tough one to write… but we’re wrapping up the Northern Lights Festival early.
We set out with big big dreams: Build a magical light park for the holidays, and use it as a way to leverage a scholarship for refugees to go to college here in Minnesota.
The thing about swinging the bat at big dreams, is sometimes you miss. But you’ll never know until you swing.
The short version of why we’re closing this chapter is because we can’t deliver the kind of experience that we set out to create. We pride ourselves on creating brands and experiences that people walk away from glad they experienced… and for a vision this big to consistently deliver on that requires a bit deeper pockets than we’ve ultimately got and ended up just out of reach for this small business. For a small business that threw every penny and then some at getting this thing going, some of the uncertainty with supply chain issues and rising prices over the last year shattered our budget in ways we never could have anticipated.
And while it’s tough to publicly fold up early, and fail at this specific big dream… I can honestly say I’d do it again. I'd rather publicly fail at something I believe in than never put myself out there chasing the big scary dreams.
Through 18 months of trying to get this thing off the ground, I got a first hand glimpse of some of the best in people. From their creativity, to their hard work, to their generosity.
Thank you for taking a chance on our event. For folks with tickets that were not yet able to be used, they will be refunded. Tickets will be refunded from the point of purchase. Cash purchases made at the Mayo Civic Center Box Office will need to come to the Box Office for refunds. Business hours are Wednesday-Friday from 10am-6pm.
For those wondering specifically about the college scholarship for refugees, that part of the dream is very much alive and well. The Northern Lights Festival was only one piece of my company’s commitment to make it happen, and we’re still as committed as ever to our $100k pledge over the next 4 years to create scholarships for 30+ refugees to go to college.
- Mitch, Organizer of the Northern Lights Festival
