LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — As first reported last month, Acadiana’s first drive-thru Christmas light show at Bridge Point Farms opened for business on Thanksgiving Day, but it is closing a week before Christmas.
The light show is spread across 24 acres of land located on U.S. 167, and this location has presented problems for the popular business.
“This summer I had the idea of setting up a Christmas light display on my property to add a little Christmas spirit to our town and our community,” Deanna Head, owner of Bridge Point, said. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think it was going to be so popular.”
The popularity of the light show led to a long line of cars each night, anxious to drive through. The extended lines on a U.S. Highway created unsafe conditions for drivers, leading to multiple accidents, Deidra Druilhet, DOTD public information officer, said.
“DOTD we were notified of an amount of crashes that were related to some long standing traffic queues that were basically a mile in length,” Druilhet said. “We did reach out to the owners of the event to make them aware and that they would need to meet certain conditions in order to ensure the safety of the traveling public.”
The conditions include a temporary occupancy permit for U.S. Highway 167. Without the permit the business is unable to stay open. Head says Bridge Point Farms will not claim their permit and reopen before the end of the week.
“I’ve been working diligently since that time to address the request, but it has become clear now that the stipulations being required by DOTD, I simply don’t have time to obtain it by Christmas,” Head said.