ONTARIO ELKS LODGE 1150 W 4th St, Ontario, California 91762
Southwest Holiday Lighting Experience Mini
About the Event
Come one, come all to the 2nd Annual Southwest Holiday Lighting Experience Mini! Join us Saturday, August 23, 2025 from 8 AM–5 PM, for a day filled with community spirit and learning as we dive into the captivating world of holiday lighting.
Hundreds have already attended minis across the U.S. — but let’s be honest… some of that magic has dimmed by now. With Halloween just weeks away and Christmas right around the corner, it’s the perfect moment to reignite your skills!
Why this Mini matters:
- Rediscover key lighting fundamentals before the hectic holiday season begins
- Clear any confusion from previous trainings
- Have discussions with enthusiasts, fostering community support
What’s included for just $30:
- Full-day access to every class session
- Breakfast, lunch, and snacks to keep you energized
- Networking with fellow lighting enthusiasts & pros
Brush up before it’s too late! From spooky Halloween spooks to festive Christmas joy, this Mini equips you with the tools, techniques, and fresh inspiration you need to make your animated lighting shine.
Southwest Holiday Lighting Experience Mini Classes
Enhance Your xLights Workflow with AI-Driven Tools — Ron Howard, xTreme Sequences
Discover how to supercharge your xLights sequencing process using cutting-edge AI tools! In this session, Ron Howard will walk you through his personal workflow, showcasing how he uses Moises for audio track separation to create precise, custom timing tracks, and ChatGPT for generating stunning color palettes, themed image references, and creative inspiration. Whether you're a seasoned sequencer or just starting out, you'll gain practical insights into how these tools can streamline your creative process, elevate your sequences, and save you hours of manual work — all without compromising artistic control. Bring your curiosity and get ready to see how AI is changing the game for holiday lighting design!
Perfect Sound Perfect Show, Audio and FM Transmission — Jason Rasmussen
- Your display looks good, but does it sound good? Sound is very important in our displays and often overlooked.
- Do you have poor audio? Distortion? Static? Flat undynamic sound? Audio issues?
- Quality Audio is a lot more than just an FM transmitter.
- Differences in visuals are easy to see, but with audio you need to hear the difference yourself.
- You do not have to spend a ton to have good audio.
- Audio question always come up before the lights go on.
xLights Show-Off: Breakdown of One of My Favorite Sequences — Ron Howard, xTreme Sequences
Take one of your fan-favorite sequences and walk through its layers, decisions, and challenges from concept to final render. This class isn't just a casual “how-I-did-it.” It's a surgical dissection of the thought process, effects layering, blending styles, submodel strategies, color theory, and mapping decisions that bring the magic to life. Ron will walk you through the entire creative journey, from selecting the right song and storyboarding the emotion, to battling render crashes and pixel density nightmares, to final polish and performance. You’ll learn: Why this sequence works (and where it almost didn’t) How to choose and mix layer blending modes to enhance depth and motion Tips on managing effect intensity and transitions without overwhelming your viewers Real-world lessons from mapping this to different prop layouts Subtle tricks that elevate a good sequence to a great one
What About Bob? — Shane Rhem
Move It! Bring your props and characters to life! This class is your introduction to the world of animatronics, teaching you how to design and control movement using motors and servos.
Layer Blending Demystified: Secrets to Smooth & Stunning Sequences — Ron Howard, xTreme Sequences
Great sequences aren’t just about effects — they’re about how you blend them. In this focused session, Ron Howard will pull back the curtain on one of xLights’ most powerful but underused features: layer blending. Learn how to combine effects using Additive, Multiply, Mask, and other blend modes to create movement, depth, and dimension that pop on your display. Ron will demonstrate real-world examples from his premium sequences and show how simple tweaks in layer blending and opacity can transform a good sequence into a stunning one. This is your chance to move beyond stacked effects and discover how to make your lights dance with professional polish.
Adding Water Fountains to Your Show 101 — Jonathan Arendt
Introduction on planning and implementation of water fountains into a light show. Includes a live demonstration!
Interactivity Part 1: Adding Buttons to Your Display — Craig Monson
Ready to take your holiday display to the next level? Join us for an exciting hands-on class where we'll discuss how to add interactivity to your display and build buttons using GPIO pins to turn sequences, effects, and even DMX device like snow and fog machines on! Whether you’re a beginner or experienced enthusiast, this workshop will walk you through everything you need to know to create a more interactive display.
For those that would like to participate in the hands-on portion, please bring:
- A laptop with xLights 2025.06 installed
- A raspberry pi 3 or higher with FPP 7.X or higher installed
We will provide a limited number of small two button kits (free of charge) to make and take, so you can take what you learned and use it when you get home.
Whether you want to wow your neighborhood or just learn a cool new skill, this class will give you the tools and knowledge to light up your home in ways you’ve never imagined.
Interactivity Part 2: Remote Falcon and PulseMesh in FPP — Craig Monson
Looking to make your holiday display more engaging and interactive? This class will introduce you to two powerful plugins for Falcon Pi Player (FPP) that will put your audience in the driver’s seat: Remote Falcon and PulseMesh.
We’ll walk through how to set up and configure each plugin, then dive into how to customize and creatively use them to enhance the viewer experience. From letting guests vote for the next song in your playlist to turning phones into synchronized sound systems, these tools open up a whole new world of interaction—no push buttons or fancy hardware required.
Whether your brand new to FPP or a seasoned pro looking to add a new twist to your show, you’ll leave this class with ideas and inspiration to give your audience a more dynamic, connected holiday experience.
Adding Projection Elements to your Show: Projection Mapping Basics — William Morris
Getting started from drawing your house, using FPP, setting up your projector, and integrating into your show.
Moving Heads 101 — Michelle Kraklow
Basic introduction to Moving Heads. Learning your heads before sequencing or mapping a sequence for better success.
Capture the magic: Our festive photo gallery
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