For the fourth consecutive year, the Californian city of Paramount’s annual Tree Lighting Celebration was brought to life by the expert production team at Ambient Pro, LLC. Once again transforming a section of Paramount Boulevard into a festive community gathering space, the event combined live performances, seasonal spectacle, and a dramatic lighting reveal – all supported by a comprehensive deployment of ADJ lighting and atmospheric solutions.
Following the success of previous editions, Ambient Pro once again relied heavily on ADJ luminaires and effects to illuminate the main stage and create a magical moment when the city’s Christmas tree was officially lit. With Ambient Pro principal Victor Nava serving as Project Manager, the production continued to evolve, scaling up both creatively and technically to deliver an even more immersive experience for the thousands of local residents who attended.
Snowfall on Paramount Boulevard
A defining highlight of the celebration came at the moment the tree lights were switched on, as a flurry of artificial snow filled the air above the crowd. ADJ Entour Snow machines were once again tasked with delivering this crowd-pleasing effect, but this year the scale was increased significantly.
Sixteen of the snow generators – double the number used the previous year – were mounted to the main stage as well as truss pillars dispersed throughout the audience area along Paramount Boulevard. The increased coverage allowed Ambient Pro to create a far more immersive snowfall, enveloping the crowd and ensuring the effect reached every corner of the closed-off thoroughfare.
A New Atmospheric Addition
Among Ambient Pro’s more recent investments are two ADJ Entourage touring-grade haze machines, which made their debut at this year’s tree lighting celebration. Positioned at either side of the stage, these powerful atmospheric generators were used to create a thin, even haze that allowed lighting beams and aerial effects to remain clearly visible in the open-air environment.
“I’ve been very impressed by the Entourage,” comments Victor, “haze is essential to create nice sharp beams and ensure the lighting really stands out, but filling an outdoor stage can be difficult. With two Entourage units we were able to generate a nice even coverage, and I don’t think we went above 15% output. They are very powerful and also very consistent, which I like. The inbuilt fan really pushes out the haze, so it can easily cover a wide area. I also like that it’s built into a flight case, so there’s no worry of it being kicked and damaged on stage. These machines have been a great investment for us all round.”
Lighting the Stage and the Crowd
Lighting for the event was centered around a versatile and powerful moving-light rig designed to deliver everything from bold aerial effects to detailed GOBO projections and performer-friendly washes. A floor-standing truss structure enclosed the stage, which was used to rig the lighting fixtures both in front of and behind the performers on stage.
Six ADJ Focus Spot 6Z automated luminaires were installed across the downstage truss, where they were predominantly used to generate dynamic aerial beams shooting out into the audience. Complementing these, six Focus Spot 7Z fixtures were positioned along the upstage truss, tasked with filling the stage with beams, textures, and GOBO projections that added visual depth throughout the performances.
“The Focus Spot 7Z is a really powerful and versatile fixture,” enthuses Victor. “I like its brightness and clarity but also the way it can serve a wide range of purposes, from GOBO projections, to soft-edged washes, to aerial effects. I like the fact that the GOBOs are replaceable and that the CTO flag allows for dialing in the perfect color temperature for flattering skin tones. It means we don’t necessarily need tons and tons of lights to do everything we need as the Focus Spot 7Zs can cover multiple bases.”
Additional visual impact came from four ADJ Jolt Panel FXIP fixtures, which provided punchy strobe hits, color washes, and eye-candy effects on stage. Meanwhile, four Focus Wash 400 automated wash luminaires were used to deliver smooth, even illumination on the performers.
Wireless Control Simplifies Setup
With a large site footprint and multiple lighting and effects zones, wireless DMX played a crucial role in simplifying setup and maintaining reliability. An Aria X2 Bridge connected directly to the lighting console transmitted DMX wirelessly to fixtures on stage that feature integrated Aria X2 transceivers, including the Focus Spot 7Z and Jolt Panel FX units. These fixtures then served as distribution points, feeding hard-wired DMX to other luminaires without built-in wireless capability.
To manage control reliably across such a large area, Victor opted to run the snow machines on a separate DMX system, eliminating any risk of accidental triggering during the show. Three additional Aria X2 Bridges were used exclusively for snow control, with one unit transmitting wirelessly from FOH to receivers positioned within the audience area. From there, hard-wired connections distributed DMX to the Entour Snow machines located both at the front and rear of the crowd space.
Despite operating on a large outdoor sight, with lots of congestion, the Aria X2 wireless system performed flawlessly. It not only reduced cable runs across the stage and audience area but also helped streamline setup and teardown on what proved to be a very long day for the production team.
A Long Day, Worth the Effort
Victor and his crew arrived on site at 9am to begin building the event and didn’t leave until 1am the following morning. Despite the long hours, the effort paid off, delivering a joyful, visually striking celebration that delighted families and community members throughout the city.
With the organizers at the City of Paramount already discussing plans for next year – and even hinting at going bigger for 2026 – Ambient Pro’s continued use of ADJ lighting and atmospheric solutions looks set to remain a key part of the event’s success for years to come.
