top of page
tatiana.jpg
INTRO

The

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS_Long_v1.png

AT THE  BLUE EARTH PLAZA

MANHATTAN, KANSAS

092523_12Years_White_v1.png

Who's ready for the holidays?

The 12th Annual Festival of Lights is going to be bigger & better than ever before! We hope Manhattan is ready for an amazing holiday season... because it's just around the corner!

12th Annual Lighting Ceremony

Friday, November 29th, 2024

7PM Blue Earth Plaza

The countdown is ON!

092524_BIG12SPARKLE_SCENE_FOL Logo_v1.jpg

"Thanks again to our incredible local sponsors each year, you are the ones who

make this possible & the Manhattan Community thanks you."

​

                                                                                          

REVIEWS

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

"The Festival of Lights has become our family's favorite tradition. Every year just after Thanksgiving, we meet at the tree and celebrate the season of giving."

 

—  Patti C., MHK Local

ABOUT US

THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS IS BROUGHT

TO YOU BY LOCAL BUSINESSES 

FOR THE GREATER MANHATTAN COMMUNITY

Whoville, Inc. is a group of local Manhattan business owners and community leaders who love to give back. They formed a not-for-profit collective in order to create the Festival of Lights.

 

Their mission is to bring our community closer together by providing curated events and magical displays that are open to the public throughout the holidays. Since it began in 2013 the Festival of Lights has been embraced by the Manhattan community and has become a place to create family traditions and lifetime memories.  The Festival of Lights is fully funded annually by generous local individuals and businesses.  

ABOUTUS_web (1).png
Whoville_whitesplash4.png

IT ALL STARTED WITH AN IDEA...

It was springtime in 2013, tulips blossoming, trees swaying in the wind...and the foundation at the south end of Manhattan freshly settled. Poyntz Avenue was shaping up with new businesses opening and just beyond, the town had expanded to include a diverse array of new opportunities for our community: The Discovery Center, Hilton Garden Inn, Blue Earth Place, Candlewood Suites and Fairfield Inn anchored the newly named Blue Earth Plaza, and in 2014 were followed by Radina’s Bakehouse, CivicPlus and the Holiday Inn Express & Suites.

​

It was longtime local businessman, Colin Noble, who first had the vision to inaugurate the area with a grand holiday tree in Blue Earth Plaza. He called upon Brad Everett & Gwyn Riffel to expand the idea, wherein Wade Radina joined, ultimately forming Whoville, Inc. It was this group of leaders, together with Ward Morgan and June Schnittker of Master Landscape, Inc. who caused a simple idea of a holiday tree to expand into Manhattan's Festival of Lights! And so the overarching goal in one short year has grown into a commitment by this group and many more to hold an annual event at the beginning of the holiday season to bring our community together in celebration.

THESTORY_web.png
DONATE

Be part of something spectacular!

Our #MHKTraditions are not possible without the help and support from local elves like yourself. Help us continue our traditions and make our 12th year the best one yet!

2024

5
GOLDEN RINGS
$10,000+
ICON Logo_Standard_Full Color Black.jpg
Express & Suites.jpg
Hilton3.png
eagle1.png
FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS_Sparkles_v1.png
4
Calling Birds
$5,000+

Steel & Pipe Supply

Butler Community Fund 

Fairfield Inn

Joann Goldstein Family

Heineken Electric

Master Landscape, Inc.

Foley Equipment

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS_Sparkles_v1.png
3
french hens
$2,500+

Farmers State Bank of Oakley, KS

Radina’s Bakehouse 

Palmer Law Group

Midwest Concrete Materials

Amy Everett – Whoville Express Foundation Fund

Manhattan Wrecker Service

Holiday Display Services

Community First National Bank

Kohlmeier Orthodontics

cw insurance

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS_Sparkles_v1.png

Gina & Gwyn Riffel

Civic Plus

Wynn & Mary Ann Butler

Bayer Construction Company, Inc. 

Bill & Sharon Snyder

The Stolzer Family Foundation

Kansas Fencing, Inc

WTC

Roger Lansbury

JS Signs

Central National Bank

Capital Federal

Manhattan Chamber of Commerce

One Egg Group

Jerry & Belinda Snyder

briggsauto.com

2
turtle doves
$1,000+
FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS_Sparkles_v1.png
Santa's
helpers
$999 & under

Lee & Jackie Borck 

Mark & Ann Knackendoffel

Keith Westervelt

Mark & Pamela Hatesohl

The Trust Company

Servpro Team Marchese

Landmark National Bank

Candlewood Suites

Orazem & Scalora Engineering. PA

Barbara Hayter

Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home

BHS Construction

Mead Lumber

Outdoor Bank

HyVee

Aggieville Business Association

The Fridge

AJ’s NY Pizza

Thomas Signs

Mid-States Recovery

Viktoriya Pottroff

CONTACT
FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS_Sparkles_v1.png
Santa's
helpers
$100 & under

McCullough Development, Inc

Jerry & Betty Banaka 

Transamerica

Caterpillar Foundation

Regina Davidson

Terry & Heidi Francis

James & Mary Genandt

Corinne Lenz & Steve Witte

Marcia & Tim Rozell

Scuilla family

Cynthia Amano

Jelane & John Cook

David (Lewis) Guthals

Katherine Hummels

Mark & Susan Hungerford

Marcella Parillo

Bruce & Rosemary Ramundo

City of Manhattan 

MHK Fire Dept

Riley Co. Police Dept.

82nd Brigade Battalion Group

Wann Towers

Greg & Cheryl Buchanan

Brenda Butler & Joel Woodward

Young Trustees

Gary & Elaine Gordon

Seaton Law Group

Thank you all for your generous support!

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS_PNG.png
bottom of page