Currently located in the Great Mall parking lot, Imaginarium is an immersive light show experience that is not to be missed. Made up of over 5 million lights, this visual spectacle is a unique, one-of-a-kind, family-friendly event.Ā
Every day at Imaginarium, there are three 30-minute circus performances, which include jugglers, contortionists, and hula hoopers. The signature element is a rose garden, where 20,000 lit LED roses are on display. There are also immersive 3D experiences across nine infinity rooms, along with a laser maze and projection rooms for kids to interact with.Ā
Lulu Huang serves as Imaginariumās CEO and Event Creator. It was back in 2011 when she brought her first light show event to the Bay Areaā¦
āAfter I had two kids, I wanted to do something for families,ā Huang told The Beat. āI remember beautiful light shows I saw in China. I thought, maybe I can bring that to the U.S.āĀ
Her first effort was called Global Winter Wonderland; it debuted at Great America in 2011. Right off the bat, it was successful. A total of 419,000 people came out to the show.Ā Ā
āSince then, weāve been traveling to many cities including places like Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Sacramento,ā said Huang.Ā Ā
Starting in 2021, Huang and her team rebranded their event and began calling it Imaginarium. Instead of just being limited to holiday time, Imaginarium became a year-round attraction.Ā
āAnd we made it a different design from the Global Winter Wonderland,ā shared Huang. āWe added so many colorful things. Weāve changed and improved it.ā
Imaginarium was actually set to leave the Great Mall site at the end of April. But since it has been really popular at its current location, Huang told The Beat that they are keeping it at the Great Mall until May 27. After their Milpitas run is over, they will launch a new setup in Pleasanton.Ā Ā
Before Imaginarium opened at the Great Mall, Milpitas resident Juliette Gomez saw them constructing and building it in the parking lot. She approached them to find out what they were doing. When she learned about what Imaginarium was, she asked if they would be able to offer a discount to Milpitas residents.Ā
āI thought to myself, what a great way to get folks out and experience something this amazing in our own backyard,ā said Gomez.Ā
Soon enough, the Imaginarium team approved the discount, and it is currently available to all Milpitas residents.Ā
Regular adult admission is $21. Kids and seniors are $16. And with the Milpitas resident discount, itās $4 off.Ā Ā
The hours are: Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday-Saturday: 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Imaginarium is closed on Mondays. Their entrance is near Marshall’s. Residents must bring a valid ID to get the discount.Ā
āHaving my two babies, I felt like I could see the world through childrenās eyes,ā said Huang. āAnd I thought to myself: How can we make the world better instead of people seeing all this negative stuff? And how can we plant that imagination seed in their heart when theyāre young? Thatās why I brought Imaginarium to the United States.āĀ Ā
Go here for more information about Imaginariumās Great Mall run.