Illuminata: What a Holiday Hit!

We're thrilled that over 2,000 neighbors from around NE Seattle attended our drive-through holiday display of lights and storybook characters at last Friday's Illuminata. This event, normally an indoor holiday concert event each year for Villa students and their families, simply wasn't possible with the pandemic restrictions.

In a case of creating something entirely new out of adversity, this year's Illuminata was created. Current families attended on December 10, and on December 11, we opened the event to the surrounding community.

Far from simply a display of lights, Illuminata had a wonderful theme from the children's book "The Mitten," by Jan Brett. Families could "read" the book in video format—as narrated by Villa librarian, Karen Strand—then drive through campus to be greeted by large, artistic versions of the characters, thanks to the creative talents of parent volunteers.

As one attendee from the neighborhood wrote, "Wow! The Illuminata was such a fun experience. Ms. Strand’s reading of The Mitten was beautiful; from her animated reading to the video capture of the pages. And then driving through campus and finding the creatures - what lovely paintings and so many lights! Thank you for creating and sharing such a bright winter evening for us. Villa continues to shine as a school and community.”