SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - The City of Springfield is shining bright Wednesday night, with another season of Bright Nights at Forest Park officially kicking off. Bright Nights is recognized as the premier holiday lighting experience in the Northeast, and the sights and sounds of this beloved holiday tradition continue to bring people back to Springfield year after year. With the flip of a switch, the most wonderful time of the year has arrived in western Massachusetts. The 30th season of Bright Nights at Forest Park has officially commenced! The highly anticipated light show brings out people of all ages on opening night, eager to experience the magic of the season. "I have supposedly come here when I was a kid, but I don't have a memory of it so this is my first time back and it's kind of mind-blowing," says Cameron Jury from Boston. "I had no idea this happened here and it's so lovely." And whether it's your first time or you haven't been in a while, you can expect things to be merry and bright! The 3-and-a-half-mile display features 750,000 LED lights this year! From the Seuss Land and Toy Land displays to the Winter Garden and Jurassic World, there's something for all to enjoy. The beloved tradition is truly a labor of love. Ellen Jury of Westfield told 22News, "I look forward to it every year, and going to school now I enjoy coming home to be able to come to this." The Spirit of Springfield works on it year-round with the setup and takedown totaling more than 100 days. "The New York Times did a piece on us saying it was one of the top lighting shows in America when outsiders adore it, it makes you feel that much better," says Spirit of Springfield President Judy Matt. Every night through January 5th the light displays will go on at 5 pm, and stay on until 9 pm Sunday through Thursday. They'll extend an hour until 10 pm on Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays. That includes Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. To celebrate the 30th season of bright nights, gift bags will be awarded to the 30th, 300th, 3,000th, and 30,000 cars. Since its inception in 1995, over 7 million people have paid a visit to Bright Nights, which will only be closed on December 2nd and 3rd. Local News Headlines Bright Nights in Springfield shines for 30th season Tips to cook turkey safely this Thanksgiving Belchertown police seek public’s help in identifying shoplifting suspects Springfield designer styles jacket for Kelly Ripa on ‘LIVE with Kelly and Mark’ WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.