A half-million lights keep Titletown District on the bright side during dark days of winter

Kendra Meinert, Green Bay Press-Gazette
·4 min read
More than 23,000 strands of lights give the Titletown District a warm glow during the winter months. The process of wrapping trees begins in late September after the first leaves fall.
More than 23,000 strands of lights give the Titletown District a warm glow during the winter months. The process of wrapping trees begins in late September after the first leaves fall.

GREEN BAY - It feels a little like Green Bay’s version of a Hallmark Christmas movie, except the snow and cold are the real deal and the magic lasts all winter.

Long after holiday light displays go dark, Titletown District’s white lights stay aglow — more than a half-million of them in all.

Each fall, as trees in the Green Bay Packers’ 45-acre development near Lambeau Field begin to lose their leaves, they’re wrapped with about 23,000 strands of lights that transform the park into one of the city’s perennial bright spots, equally spectacular as a backdrop for a skate around the ice rink or a stroll around the park with a cappuccino in mittened hand.

It’s also no accident that when the lights go up each year, Titletown sees a surge in emails from people asking about popping the question in that picture-perfect setting.

All those lights make Titletown look dazzling for the national TV cameras during shots that inevitably pop up during Packers prime-time games, of course, but the idea is to brighten up a time of year in Wisconsin that can, to put it nicely, get a little long.

“Winter is always known as the dreary, dark season,” said Jackie Krutz, manager of Titletown residential and programs. “Because it’s the season with the least amount of light, having a lot of lights kind of gives you the sense of what you find in some of the other seasons, the brightness.”

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Holiday lights illuminate the Green Bay Packers' Titletown District in December.
Holiday lights illuminate the Green Bay Packers' Titletown District in December.

The display has grown substantially since it started with strings on a single large evergreen by the rink and a few other trees when Titletown opened in 2017.

“Over the years, we started realizing just how much joy that it brings to the community,” Krutz said. “It just makes people happy, I think.”

The Packers fields team spends seven to eight weeks transforming the trees into a winter wonderland, beginning first with trees that start to drop their leaves in late September and working their way through the others. There are maples, oaks, birches and more than 40 “Princeton” elms along Lombardi Avenue alone.

With the aid of ladders and a boom lift, branches are carefully wrapped so as not to damage the trees or hinder bud formation come spring.

The installation is completed around mid-November, about the same time Hy-Vee Plaza opens for ice skating. The lights are generally on from 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily through February.

“We call it a labor of love to get this here and make it look the way that it does,” Krutz said.

The white lights of the Titletown District are on from 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily through February.
The white lights of the Titletown District are on from 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily through February.

Visitors will notice only a couple of pops of colors that break from the all-white color scheme. An evergreen by the ice rink is decorated with lights that can change color, so it may be green and gold on a Packers game day or red and pink on Valentine’s Day.

On Glow Nights at Hy-Vee Plaza, multicolored lights illuminate the ice.

The seasonal lights throughout the park start coming down in March with the goal that they’re off before the trees start budding out and green returns as the dominant color at Titletown.

Ice skaters on Hy-Vee Plaza pass by lights on display in the Titletown District. The rink hosts Glow Nights with multicolored lights from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Feb. 23.
Ice skaters on Hy-Vee Plaza pass by lights on display in the Titletown District. The rink hosts Glow Nights with multicolored lights from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Feb. 23.

What's happening at Titletown this winter?

Titletown is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Skating and snow tubing require a fee. Hours vary; visit titletown.com.

There is discounted skating and tubing rates from 4 to 8 p.m. Feb. 6 and 20 for Community Night.

Hy-Vee Plaza hosts Glow Nights from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Feb. 23.

Terrapin Beer Garden is open for Fireside Drinks from 4 to 9 .m. Fridays through Feb. 24 and 3 to 9 p.m. Saturdays on Feb. 4, 11 and 25. Purchase drinks on site; warm up by the fire.

The Titletown Winter Games Presented by U.S. Venture are noon to 7 p.m. Feb. 18 and noon to 5 p.m. Feb. 19. More details to be announced.

Many of the pathways in Titletown are made of heated concrete, so if you’re looking for a scenic spot to walk that’s free of snow and ice, here you go. Leashed dogs are welcome but must stay on walking paths.

The 46 Below Bistro sells hot drinks, including coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

Titletown offers programming 365 days a year, including yoga and zumba classes, family storytimes and a book club this winter. Registration information and complete schedule at titletown.com.

And oh ... if you’re thinking about popping the question at Titletown, you may do it however you wish, Krutz said. Titletown doesn't have a “special package” for engagements.

Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KendraMeinert. 

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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Half-million lights in Packers' Titletown District brighten up winter