Celebration in the Oaks

Access Control, Customized Tech Development, Experiential RFID Experiences 

  • 185,000+ visitors
  •  40,000+ cars
  •  Over $2.3 million in fundraising
  • Customized platform 
  • Value-add activations for attendee experience

How do you make an out-of-this-world holiday experience smack dab in the middle of a pandemic? Next-generation event technology.

About Celebration in the Oaks: Celebration in the Oaks is the New Orleans holiday tradition. As one of the most spectacular holiday lights festivals in the country, more than 185,000 visitors from around the world come to the Park to see the magical winter spectacle. An annual tradition that began in the late 1980s, Celebration in the Oaks is a family-friendly event that spans over the course of 37 days and fundraises to maintain the park for years to come.

Managing bumper-to-bumper lines. In total we had 45,000 cars and 185,000 people attend the holiday event. 

Doubling fundraising goals. City Park raised close to double their fundraising goals due to the success of our technology system and the ability to donate at time of purchase. Their fundraising goal for 2020 was $700,000 and, with the help of WRSTBND technology, they were able to raise $1.4 million in total. This was especially important during COVID-19, when they did not have the ability to host private events and weddings.  The funds were used to maintain the park that has provided access to abundant natural and cultural resources to residents of the region and tourists from around the world for over 170 years. 

Bringing peace of mind. In past Celebration in the Oaks events, attendees had issues rescheduling and canceling their reservation. We received 5,000 reschedules for the 2020 event alone. Our tech platform allowed for these attendees to reschedule and cancel reservations on their own - saving time, money, and reducing customer service costs. This also generated additional donations for City Park as change fees and differing ticket costs were factored into the rescheduling process. 

Creating a customized experience.  Our WRSTBND tech scanned cars and accessed their passenger names before reaching Santa's “Naughty or Nice List” digital signage. As the cars passed by this “list” parents' names were on the naughty and kids’ names were on the nice - creating a one-of-a-kind magical experience for each family that attended (and lots of surprised laughs along the way). 

Ready to make some fundraising magic of your own? Reach out to us at info@wrstbnd.com or fill out the form HERE.