Monday, August 20, 2012

Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard Illumination Night

Illumination Night, Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard


If the gingerbread cottages of Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard aren't cute enough by day...



...the candy-confection cottages are lit up
one night each summer for Illumination Night.

This celebration is over a century old.



I wasn't able to attend myself but one the Urban Cottage roving photographers was
on the island to capture the event for you.

I'll shut up and let you enjoy this enchanting event.















Thanks to Cynthia for sharing her photos!
(Daytime photos are from Google image search)

If you would like to attend Illumination Night, it's typically held the third Wednesday of August.  I would probably start planning your vacation now as it's quite a popular event.
Posted by at

41 comments:

  1. A Perfect GrayAugust 20, 2012 at 5:56 PM

    so neat. I wonder about the history behind it...donna

    ReplyDelete
  2. DebAugust 20, 2012 at 6:16 PM

    Fun! I love Martha's Vineyard.

    ReplyDelete
  3. LynneAugust 20, 2012 at 6:29 PM

    What fun . . . thanks for the pictures . . . bet it is a site to see!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sunflowers With SmilesAugust 20, 2012 at 6:46 PM

    Beautiful, just love MV!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kerry Steele- Design du MondeAugust 20, 2012 at 7:12 PM

    So adorable! I wanna go.

    ReplyDelete
  6. la maison LaFortuneAugust 20, 2012 at 7:21 PM

    I love Oak Bluffs. My personal preference...all those cottages in the daylight. They are just so quaint and quirky, not to mention beautiful! I'm not a big fan of them lit up at night light like that. I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to see it though :)
    am

    ReplyDelete
  7. Carol@6WilsonBlog.comAugust 20, 2012 at 7:29 PM

    I've never heard of it, but wow, it looks like a beautiful night to be on the island. Thanks for sharing it. I'd be in heaven if I owned one of those babies!

    ReplyDelete
  8. ChristineAugust 20, 2012 at 7:32 PM

    Never been to MV. It looks enchanting! What a lovely tradition, Illumination Night. Thanks for sharing, this is why I love blogs! Vicarious vacations :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. JenAugust 20, 2012 at 7:51 PM

    I've only been to MV once, and I (of course) fell in love with Oaks Bluff. If I went to Illumination night I'd probably never leave!

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousAugust 20, 2012 at 8:09 PM

    I was there the day before. I saw lots of lanterns hanging. no light. alas.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nita StacyAugust 20, 2012 at 9:49 PM

    What a lovely event. Oh...I'd love to start that in my neighborhood.

    ReplyDelete
  12. l o v e l y t h i n g sAugust 20, 2012 at 9:50 PM

    I've heard of this...what a beautiful tradition...and everything looks wonderful in twinkle lights!

    ReplyDelete
  13. UnknownAugust 20, 2012 at 10:21 PM

    Love seeing this and yes it would be fun to start in our hoods wouldn't it.

    Oh those cottages.

    I can see I'm going have to take the ferry over next summer.

    xo Jane

    Apologize for any typos Gus tromping over keyboard as I write.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Susan ~ Southern FascinationsAugust 20, 2012 at 11:13 PM

    Simply beautiful! Many thanks to your friend for sharing the photos and to you for letting us have a glimpse of this lovely tradition. The lanterns seem to each have a story within themselves... would love to know!

    ReplyDelete
  15. The Vintique ObjectAugust 21, 2012 at 12:05 AM

    I never knew of this until now, and goodness does it look amazing. Would love to go to Martha's Vineyard anyway. Now I really want to go!
    Camille

    ReplyDelete
  16. Linda@ Lime in the CoconutAugust 21, 2012 at 1:24 AM

    How FUN and Charming!! I s'pose people just mill around from house to house to house?

    Wonder what started it?

    Roving photographer....you HAVE hit the big time!

    ReplyDelete
  17. From Beyond My Kitchen WindowAugust 21, 2012 at 5:29 AM

    I haven't been to Martha's Vineyard in a very long time. What a good time Illumination Night must be.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Starting Over, Accepting Changes - MaybeAugust 21, 2012 at 7:37 AM

    What a nice event.

    ReplyDelete
  19. LeeAnn at Mrs Black's August 21, 2012 at 8:23 AM

    Truly enchanting, just love those old cottages. Very fairy tale like. Would love to know the history behind this illumination night, it is a wonderful tradition! x

    ReplyDelete
  20. Pura VidaAugust 21, 2012 at 8:39 AM

    I just love Martha's Vineyard..this makes me crave to go. BUT...when I saw those Chinese lanterns...BINGO..now I know what light fixture I want in my art loft..perfect for the space!

    ReplyDelete
  21. the gardener's cottageAugust 21, 2012 at 8:54 AM

    wow this is awesome. what a fun night it must have been.

    ReplyDelete
  22. annieAugust 21, 2012 at 9:40 AM

    What a delightful event! I most loved the rows of rocking chairs for the watchees to view the watchers from. It's a lovely idea for any party decoration really..

    ReplyDelete
  23. Mark D. RuffnerAugust 21, 2012 at 10:18 AM

    What a lovely tradition! One gets the sense that all the different lanterns are lovingly collected over the years with a special eye for variety.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Cindi MyersAugust 21, 2012 at 11:25 AM

    Wow, that just brought back a memory I had long forgotten! When we were little kids, me and my sister took part in a "Lighted Lantern" parade and this post made me recall it again. Thanks for the flashback. :)
    Nice post!

    ReplyDelete
  25. WindlostAugust 21, 2012 at 2:17 PM

    How fun! Hope to visit some day...

    Terri

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thoughts on DesignAugust 21, 2012 at 3:31 PM

    Awesome!!

    Cheers,
    John

    ReplyDelete
  27. AnonymousAugust 21, 2012 at 4:25 PM

    How beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Acquired ObjectsAugust 21, 2012 at 4:34 PM

    Nuts! We were just out on Martha's Vineyard but missed this event. It looks like so much fun and will definitely plan better nex year.

    XX
    Debra~

    ReplyDelete
  29. MerlinAugust 21, 2012 at 8:05 PM

    We ALL NEED more ILLUMINATION! franki

    ReplyDelete
  30. Ocean Breezes and Country SneezesAugust 21, 2012 at 11:17 PM

    I've never been to MV's Illumination night but Ocean Park in Old Orchard Beach, Maine also has an annual Illumination Night ritual that began in the 1800's, and it's beautiful, I've been many times! You should pop up some year!

    ReplyDelete
  31. DianneAugust 22, 2012 at 7:34 AM

    Charming!

    ReplyDelete
  32. VictoriaAugust 22, 2012 at 7:37 AM

    Enchanting indeed...and good for the business person who sells Chinese lanterns.
    Best...Victoria

    ReplyDelete
  33. Share my GardenAugust 22, 2012 at 5:46 PM

    Lovely both in daylight and dark. Some of the lanterns look very covetable.

    ReplyDelete
  34. anniebAugust 22, 2012 at 6:39 PM

    Enchanting indeed! I love poking around this area when I'm visiting the Vineyard but have never been to Illumination night. Beautiful photos. Thanks Cynthia & Steve!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Woodside ParkAugust 23, 2012 at 11:14 AM

    What a festive and fabulous tradition! I love it when neighbors, neighborhoods, villages, and towns come together to celebrate. Thanks, Steve, for posting this. And many thanks to Cynthia for her photos!
    Cheers from DC,
    Loi

    ReplyDelete
  36. LauraAugust 23, 2012 at 5:40 PM

    I love this. I've always wanted to go, and had heard that the night is not planned very far in advance and it's kind of spontaneous. Maybe it's changed. Very delightful.

    ReplyDelete
  37. ElaineAugust 23, 2012 at 10:14 PM

    I've been 4 times and it is magical. It's fun to watch the preparation during the daytime and the at night it's a different world.

    I highly recommend attending Illumination Night.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Carla AstonAugust 25, 2012 at 8:54 PM

    So cool, Steve. Thanks for sharing. I just love the lanterns.

    ReplyDelete
  39. pve designAugust 26, 2012 at 1:00 PM

    I was on Martha's V. last week and loved it. I did not want to leave. Thanks for sharing the great images.
    pve

    ReplyDelete
  40. AnonymousAugust 26, 2012 at 6:06 PM

    Just saw one of those cute Victorians on Zillow for only $320K. In college, I lived right near the beach in Rhode Island and loved the winters. I wonder how harsh it would be on MV in winter.
    Ginny
    Boulder, CO

    ReplyDelete
  41. SwimrayAugust 28, 2012 at 2:01 PM

    Unreal. I wonder how all this got started. On to Google to find out.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)