Visitors come from all over the globe to gawk at the
fabulous Fifth Avenue holiday window displays.
Each store tries to outdo the next by dripping their facades with
holiday lights, laser shows, extravagantly dressed mannequins, and art
installations. Above it all hangs a
giant 23 foot tall snowflake known at the UNICEF Snowflake.
The lighting of the UNICEF Snowflake heralds in the holiday
season for most. It hangs above the
intersection of 57th and Fifth, illuminating the night sky with
lights and baccarat crystal. The
snowflake was donated to UNICEF. The
original snowflake was owned by the Stonbely family and first shown above the
city in 1984. It was donated to UNICEF
in 2002. In 2005, a new snowflake
designed by Ingo Maurer, comprised of 16,000 crystal prisms making it the
largest outdoor chandelier in the world, was donated to UNICEF. Since the new snowflake was donated, UNICEF
has hosted a Snowflake Ball celebrating the lighting of the snowflake. This ball has raised over $18,000 for UNICEF
over the past eight years. This years
Snowflake Ball will take place on December 3 at Cirpriani on Wall Street. Tickets start at $2,500. Special guests this year will include Danny
Glover and Katy Perry.
You can be a part of the Snowflake even if you don’t have a
ticket to the ball. UNICEF sells off
individual crystals of the Snowflake for a gift of $500 or more. This will get your one crystal on the
snowflake with a name of your choice engraved on it as well as a replica
crystal that will be sent to your home or the home of your snowflake
honoree.
UNICEF is the United Nations Children’s Fund. It’s goal is to work towards a world where
zero children die of preventable causes and assure every child has a safe and
healthy childhood. The Snowflake is
meant to shine above New York City as a beacon of hope towards achieving this
goal. http://www.unicefusa.org
No comments:
Post a Comment