On November 23, Saks Fifth Avenue will unveil its Snowflake Spectacle, a sound and light show on the flagship store's facade. The show features 50 giant snowflakes illuminated with a total of 72,000 LEDs supplied by Philips Electronics.
The installation required 8000 feet of steel and 24,000 linear feet of lighting, as well as 15 color-changing uplights, 40 strobe lights and 13,000 feet of cable.
If put end to end, the LED lights would stretch almost from one tip of Manhattan to the other - a distance of some 2 miles.
Erik Bouts, CEO of Philips Lighting, said, "Our LED technology used to illuminate the snowflakes, while being technologically advanced, will provide New Yorkers and tourists alike with a spectacle that truly reflects the simplicity and beauty of a snowflake."
Fifth Avenue and 57th Street
The Saks snowflakes are not the only such use of LEDs in town. If you find yourself at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street in New York City in the next few weeks, look upwards.Not only that, but the 17-foot structure contains 12,000 five-faceted prismatic Baccarat crystals. It has been described as "nearly priceless".
The snowflake, made in Germany by the lighting designer Ingo Maurer, replaces a 20-year old structure illuminated by hundreds of 11-watt bulbs.