Deer Park Christmas Display To Be Featured On ABC Show This Week

DEER PARK, NY — A popular Deer Park light show will soon be seen by more than just the local community. Brothers Andrew and Joseph Barbieri have been setting up their show at the 119 Liberty St. home for years.

The show has received so much attention that it will soon be featured on the ABC show "The Great Christmas Light Fight." The episode featuring the local home will air Wednesday at 8 p.m.

It started 40 years ago, when Andrew, then 12, was inspired by a house in Farmingdale. When his parents took him to see the nearby Christmas display, it made him want to make one for himself.

"As the years went on, I started to delivering newspapers to earn money and I bought more and more lights and more stuff," he told Patch.

From there, the two made their own display, which continued to grow over the years. Now, their display features about 90 animated dolls along with several unique touches. The Barbieris say they don't use blow-up dolls, but rather "old-school" homemade pieces. For example, they have a mechanical book, a handmade train that goes around the property and a barn that houses animated reindeer.

The last couple of years, the brother got really into the light show, which is created using about 30,000 computer-driven LED pixel lights. Joseph uses a program called Light-o-Rama to sync the display and the brothers build animations together.

Setting up the display takes about a month, but the hobby continues all year round. The brothers build unique displays every year.

The show typically attracts thousands every day, which Andrew said was part of his dream when he was a child. He says visitors have told him they previously took their children to see the display and now are bringing their grandchildren.

Andrew said filming for "The Great Christmas Light Fight" was the "experience of a lifetime."

Photo courtesy of ABC

"When the show first came out people were saying we needed to go on the show," he said. "Then ABC contacted us and everything fell into place."

While the show will air this week, the display will not be lit until Sunday, Dec. 13. It will continue through New Year's Day. The displays light up around sunset at 5:30 p.m. until about 11 p.m., depending on the crowd and the weather.

The brothers will also be taking precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, they had to cancel the lighting celebration and the Santa visit they typically do on Christmas Eve. They will also post signs to encourage masks and social distancing.