Murrieta's Bainbridge Circle Halts Synchronized Light Display In 2022

MURRIETA, CA — Since 2009, a tiny corner of Murrieta has made the world a bit brighter over the winter holidays. However, in 2022 fans expecting the annual "Bainbridge Falls Holiday Extravaganza" may be a bit disappointed.

In a recent Facebook message, organizers informed followers that Bainbridge Circle will not put on their typical synchronized light show this year.

"In 2022, for various reasons, including the loss of lighting controllers, our lights will no longer be connected/synchronized as accustomed," organizers posted to Facebook.

The issues are not financial, so there is no need to start a GoFundMe.

"I assure you that many on our street will still display Christmas lights, and we are exploring new options, just not in the immediate future," organizers said over Facebook.

Since the neighborhood festivities started 12 years ago, well over 20 houses on Bainbridge Circle would come to life at night between Thanksgiving and Christmas night. Each home would be aglow with lights, all synced to the same musical production by way of an FM radio station. The decorations took over a month to plan and execute for the dramatic light displays. Guests to the free show have described it as "magical" and "breathtaking." The extravaganza has drawn families together and is a part of local tradition as loved ones pile in the car from Lake Elsinore to Temecula, to take in the local holiday spectacle in Southwest Riverside County, even over the bleak 2020 COVID Christmas.

Though the neighborhood began the show in 2009, it was 2012 when resident Ted Weist took three weeks of vacation to engineer the synchronized display. The neighbors expanded the idea and decided upon the Bainbridge Falls moniker after the famed "It's a Wonderful Life" set in Bedford Falls.

Over the course of 22 days, Weist and other residents set up over 220,000 lights that would blaze and dim to the beat of 13 holiday carols.

The rest was history.

Displays would typically launch on Thanksgiving night and run until Christmas night. Many families would come in their "Christmas jammies," drink hot cocoa and share in the dazzling decorations.

In 2021, weather and other issues caused a series of outages, but it is not known if that was the reason for the paring down of the show. Other issues cited on social pages were too much traffic and hot cocoa cups and other trash discarded throughout the neighborhood.

As residents determine what will come next, Bainbridge Circle will still do holiday lights — just not with the typical fanfare residents have become used to in the past dozen years.

What is your favorite Bainbridge Falls memory? Let us know in the comments.