AMSTERDAM – There is an element of illusion in every winter attraction. That is what makes them so special! Who cannot be charmed by entering a space during the dark days of the year, and suddenly finding themselves transported into a magical wonderland?

Visitors to Het Amsterdamse Winterparadijs know this feeling well. For 18 days this winter, the event turned RAI Amsterdam into an enchanted world that filled 38,000 square meters of indoor space, (plus 5,000 square metres outdoors), with endless out-of-the-ordinary delights, including a market, massive indoor-outdoor ice skating rink, snow play area, Ferris wheel, Apres cross country skiing trail, silent disco, and a variety of food and drink options, as well as on-stage performances by different artists.

Providing the technical production that supported this captivating event, produced by 4PM Entertainment, was Unlimited Productions. For the lighting that was so essential to setting the “winter escape mood” at the attraction, the well-known production specialist relied on over 600 IP65 rated CHAUVET Professional fixtures supplied by Splendit.

Having IP65 rated units for the event was essential to Unlimited Productions achieving its vision for the design. Not only would these outdoor rated fixtures be more reliable, but they would also contribute to the “happy illusion” that is so much a part of any winter attraction’s captivating charm.

“We really wanted to avoid external rain protection such as domes to keep a clean look and not distract from the magical mood of the visitor’s experience,” said Unlimited Production’s Bert Kelchtermans the production manager of the event. “As a result, having the option of a wide range of IP-rated fixtures was a really nice bonus. Of course, reliability was very important, and with the COLORado Quad zooms, COLORado Batten Q15, and COLORado Q40 panel we had no issues in the outdoor area even in harsh conditions of cold temperatures, rain and snow.”

Unlimited Production used 222 COLORado Quad Zoom fixtures in the space, most of them (162 units) were dedicated to creating general atmospheric lighting and accenting scenic elements, while the remainder were positioned in the eating and drinking areas.

Most of the 54 COLORado Batten Q15 linear fixtures were used to define walkways and waiting areas with colorful light, while other units created an eye-pleasing effect on two round shrimbars. The 68 COLORado Q40 fixtures were sprinkled throughout the attraction for general lighting.

In addition to the COLORado units, the lighting package featured 46 Color STRIKE M fixtures. “We used the Color STRIKE M for general lighting,” said Kelchtermans. “It was chosen for its massive output. Since most lights could not be easily reached after they were installed, we were grateful that we could tilt the head of these units to give us some flexibility in focusing.”

Lighting other areas where manually focusing lights was not practical, were 34 Rogue Outcast BeamWash fixtures. Other moving light that figured prominently in the design were eight Maverick MK2 Spot and 32 Rogue R2 Wash fixtures, both of which were used to light performance stages. Also featured in the lighting system were 32 STRIKE P38 units.

The massive event space was divided into different areas for the purposes of lighting. In some areas warm color tones were used to set a cozy mood, while in others, a cool blue tint was used to reflect the spirit of wintery outdoor activities.

A particularly memorable part of the attraction for many visitors was the Apres ski area. “I had a lot of fun designing this space,” said Kelchtermans. “4 PM Entertainment, which had a great vision for this event, wanted a real party bar atmosphere. So, I wanted to create a typical bar look with lights that would be on sound-to-light mode, but I also wanted to have full control. In the end we had the craziest setup in here using 20 Maverick MK Pyxis fixtures.”

As can be expected with a project of this magnitude, setting up Het Amsterdamse Winterparadijs was not without its challenges. The first was to figure out how to provide dazzling illumination, while also limiting power draw at an event that ran 15 hours a day for 18 straight days. Another was to avoid melting the real snow and ice that was used in two of the largest indoor areas. This was addressed by using LED fixtures.

Also, all of the flown lights, had to be above areas such as the ice-skating rink and “snow play” section. In all other areas open to the public lighting fixtures were not readily accessible, which made reliability essential.

Of course, the tens of thousands of visitors who flocked to Het Amsterdamse Winterparadijs didn’t give any thought to these “practical” concerns; they were too busy enjoying the happy illusion of a winter getaway, which like all magical experiences, wasn’t the result of magic at all, but came about through careful planning, hard work, and a lot of reliable IP65 rated lighting fixtures!