UNTIL THE START OF THE 2026 LIGHTSHOW SEASON · WEATHER DEPENDENT
What Makes It Different
A Show Built With Precision
This is not a collection of lights from a hardware store. Every pixel, every color, every effect is individually programmed — note by note — against the music. The result is a choreographed performance that simply happens to live in a front yard.
01
Music Synchronized
Every light fires in sync with every note. Tune to our FM frequency and watch the full performance come alive.
02
Pixel Technology
Individually addressable RGB nodes. Millions of possible color states. Every pixel independent, every moment unique.
03
Family Made
Every wire run, every controller installed, every prop built — by the Polk family. Zero shortcuts.
04
Always Free
No tickets. No donations required. No catch. Just pull up, tune in, and let yourself be amazed.
05
FM Broadcast
Dedicated low-power FM transmitter. Sit in your warm car. Full synchronized audio. Private concert, public joy.
Tune to 99.9 FM
06
Custom Hardware
Some controllers in this show are built in-house — designed and assembled by the Polk family from the ground up.
07
Year-Round Craft
January teardown. February planning. March through October building and programming. This show is a 12-month labor of love, not a weekend project.
08
Community Pillar
A neighborhood tradition bringing joy to hundreds of families each season. More than lights — it's shared wonder that brings our community together.
Stay Connected
Follow Along on Facebook
Season announcements, behind-the-scenes glimpses, schedule updates, and community moments. Everything happens on Facebook first.
That must be the coolest thing that I have seen today.
M
Martha Washburn Armstrong
Went tonight with my daughter and a friend's baby and we loved it so much we will be back
C
Connie Palfy
We took two little girls last night and they loved it! Didn't want to leave so if you saw a car parked out there for a long time, it was us!
K
Keith Wilkey
A wonderful light show! We went twice!
M
Marsha Robertson Crosby
Thank you for the beautiful lights. We live around the corner and we sure did enjoyed them.
J
Janice Wilson
I went tonight and it was great!
L
Lacy Connelly
We stopped by tonight and it was so fun! My kiddos LOVED it!
T
Tom Lavender
That must be the coolest thing that I have seen today.
M
Martha Washburn Armstrong
Went tonight with my daughter and a friend's baby and we loved it so much we will be back
C
Connie Palfy
We took two little girls last night and they loved it! Didn't want to leave so if you saw a car parked out there for a long time, it was us!
K
Keith Wilkey
A wonderful light show! We went twice!
M
Marsha Robertson Crosby
Thank you for the beautiful lights. We live around the corner and we sure did enjoyed them.
J
Janice Wilson
I went tonight and it was great!
L
Lacy Connelly
We stopped by tonight and it was so fun! My kiddos LOVED it!
Custom Hardware
Pretty FlashingLights
"Built for pixels. Engineered for mayhem."
Custom PCB pixel controllers born from this very show. Designed by someone who runs one — for everyone who builds them.
✦ In the workshop ✦
Pretty Flashing Lights Coming Soon
Custom pixel hardware is being carefully built for its big reveal.
The People
The Family Behindthe Lights
What started in 2013 as a simple idea at my parents' house quickly became something much bigger.
After watching a YouTube video from lighting creator Richard Holdman, I remember telling my dad, "I can do that." He was just crazy enough to believe me — and crazy enough to help fund the very first show.
Back then, it was all about curiosity. Learning how lights could move with music. Figuring out controllers, wiring, sequencing, and software one mistake at a time. There was no grand plan to create one of Statesboro's favorite holiday traditions. The goal was simply to build something fun, creative, and real.
Over the years, that passion turned into an obsession with what synchronized lighting could become.
The show was reborn in 2023 with just 2,224 pixels. Since then, Polk Family Lights has exploded into a display with more than 40,000 pixels for the 2026 season — all programmed, sequenced, and constantly evolving.
But the numbers only tell part of the story.
What matters most are the families piled into cars on cold December nights. Kids dancing in the street. People scanning the QR code to control the lights themselves. Complete strangers turning into returning visitors year after year.
Polk Family Lights was never built from a kit or a shortcut. It was built from curiosity, creativity, late nights, problem solving, and a refusal to accept "good enough."
And somehow, a single idea from 2013 turned into a Christmas tradition that keeps growing brighter every year.
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Mission
"Polk Family Lights is about bringing people together, sharing Christmas joy, and creating memories with family and friends. We just want to make the holidays feel a little more magical for everyone who stops by."
— The Polk Family
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The Journey
How It All Began
Chapter I
The Spark
One question. Hours of research. A first controller I didn't know how to work. A passion that never stopped growing.
Chapter II
Season by Season
Each year brought more hardware, more sequences, more visitors. The show became a community anchor and a December tradition.
Chapter III
Building Our Own
After years of using off-the-shelf hardware, learning from the lighting community, and one really long conversation with someone doing their own thing — I decided to take a crack at designing my own hardware.
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Gallery
Moments in Light
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By the Numbers
Facts & Figures
600+
Hours Per Season
Programming, installation, testing, and refining before a single visitor arrives.
4+
Miles of Wire
Data and power cabling running through, around, and across the entire property.
1,394+
Hours 3D Printers Are Running
This year alone — and counting. Custom mounts, props, and pixel holders printed in-house.
100%
Family Built
No contractors. No installation crews. Every element built and deployed by the Polk family.
0
Dollars Admission
Free. Always. To every visitor, every night, every season. That's the whole point.
Live Interactive Player
Experience The Show
Vote for songs, track the live queue, and see what's playing in real time. Then tune your radio and let the lights do the talking.
❄
Tune In
Hear the Music
📻
Tune Your Car Radio To
99.9FM
Low-power FM transmitter synchronized perfectly to the lights. Park, tune, experience.
* Only works when you are onsite at the show. Bluetooth, CarPlay, and Android Auto may cause audio lag.
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Schedule
When to Visit
The show runs Thanksgiving night through New Year’s Eve.
Night
Hours
Format
Status
Mon – Thu
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Holiday favorites, Viewers Choice
Running
Fri – Sun
6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Full Show, No Viewer Control
Running
Christmas Eve/Christmas Day
5:00 PM – Midnight
Full Show, No Viewer Control
Running
New Years Eve
5:00 PM – Midnight
Top Hits
Special Event
Rain / Storm
Check Facebook
May pause for safety
Weather Dependent
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Visitor Information
What to Expect
📍 Location
203 Thornwood Ct, Statesboro, GA 30458
🚗 Parking & Traffic
Please be courteous — this is a neighborhood. Don't block driveways and please stay out of our neighbors' yards. Pull forward when possible. Many of the neighbors put up their own decorations too, so on your way in or out take a moment to go admire their hard work as well!
✅ Tips
Tune the radio before you arrive · Take your trash · Photography is welcome · Share on social media!
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Photography
The Show in Images
The Heart Behind the Lights
The Reason We Celebrate
Every sparkling pixel and every song points us back to the greatest gift ever given: the birth of Jesus Christ.
More Than a Display
A Light That Never Fades
We love the music, the lights, and the shared excitement of a December night. But Polk Family Lights is about more than a show. Christmas is the celebration of Jesus coming into the world — God’s gift of hope, peace, and salvation for all of us.
Our display is a small way to share joy with our community and create a place for families to slow down, smile, and make memories together. Above all, we hope its light reminds every visitor of the true Light of Christmas: Jesus Christ.
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“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:11
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What We Hope You Find Here
Joy, Togetherness & Hope
01
Joy
We hope the show gives children wonder, families laughter, and every visitor a little extra Christmas joy to carry home.
02
Togetherness
Christmas brings people together. We are grateful to share a space where neighbors, friends, and families can make meaningful memories.
03
Hope in Christ
Our deepest hope is that, amid all the lights, the story of Jesus’ birth remains at the center of your Christmas celebration.
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From Our Family to Yours
Merry Christmas
Thank you for being part of this tradition. May your home be filled with joy, your heart with peace, and your Christmas with the hope found in Jesus Christ.
— The Polk Family
You’re Invited
Join Us at Connection Church
Whether you are looking for a church home, exploring faith, or simply want to learn more about Jesus, we would love to invite you to Connection Church in Statesboro.
Merry and Bright: Visit the Polk Family Lights for the Ultimate Interactive Christmas Display
Feature article highlighting the Polk Family Lights as the ultimate interactive Christmas display in Statesboro, showcasing the synchronized pixel show and visitor experience.
"That must be the coolest thing that I have seen today."
— Tom Lavender, Facebook
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"Went tonight with my daughter and a friend's baby and we loved it so much we will be back"
— Martha Washburn Armstrong, Facebook
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"We took two little girls last night and they loved it! Didn't want to leave so if you saw a car parked out there for a long time, it was us! Thanks for your efforts!"
— Connie Palfy, Facebook
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"A wonderful light show! We went twice!"
— Keith Wilkey, Facebook
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Media Inquiries
Press Inquiries
Journalists, bloggers, and content creators — we love telling the story. Reach out to arrange a behind-the-scenes visit or obtain assets.
No kits. No shortcuts. Here is an honest look at what it actually takes to design, build, program, and operate a synchronized pixel light show from scratch.
Signal Chain
How the Show Flows
🎵
Music File
WAV Source
💻
xLights
Sequencer
🖥️
FPP
Show Player
⚡
Controllers
E1.31 Out
💡
Pixels
WS2811
📻
FM Broadcast
Your Radio
❄
The Pixels
Addressable Light
Unlike traditional lights that share a single switch, individually addressable RGB pixels each contain their own microchip. That chip receives data from a controller and sets that specific light to an exact color and brightness — completely independently.
The result: tens of thousands of lights that each have a distinct color at every single moment in time, all changing simultaneously in response to the music.
Common Pixel Types
WS2811 Bullet Nodes · Seed Pixels · Pucks
While pixels come in various voltages, everything in our show is 12V.
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Software & Hardware
The Brains
Software
xLights
Industry-standard open-source sequencer. Every effect is placed manually on a timing grid, aligned beat-by-beat to the music track.
Player
Falcon Player (FPP)
Runs on a Raspberry Pi. Handles scheduling, playback, and real-time output to controllers via E1.31 over a local network.
Hardware
Pixel Controllers
Receive E1.31 data and convert it to WS2811 signals. Some are custom Pretty Flashing Lights boards designed in-house.
Interaction
Remote Falcon
Song-voting system that lets visitors request tracks from their phones. Integrated directly with FPP.
Audio
FM Transmitter
Low-power FM broadcast synchronized to the show sequence. Visitors tune their car radios for full stereo audio.
Network
Local E1.31
Dedicated Ethernet network. Each controller knows its universe assignments and responds with microsecond precision.
Streaming
Pulsemesh.io
Advanced mesh networking platform for seamless audio streaming and real-time synchronization when onsite at the show.
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The Creative Process
Sequencing a Song
Step 01
Song Selection
Strong beats, dynamic range, recognizable holiday themes. Choosing a sequenceable track is its own discipline.
Step 02
Audio Analysis
Import into xLights. Mark beat boundaries, phrase changes, and key musical moments by hand or with detection tools.
Step 03
Effect Programming
Place chases, washes, bursts, spirals, and meteors across every element — mapped beat-by-beat to the timing grid.
Step 04
3D Preview
Simulate against a full 3D model of the house layout before any hardware is touched. Refine until it's right.
Step 05
Deploy & Test
Export to FPP. Run it live at night. Walk the yard. Find anything that looks wrong. Go back. Refine. Repeat.
Step 06
Final Polish
A great sequence takes 20–40 hours. Every beat deserves attention. There are no shortcuts to a great show.
The elves are still soldering circuits and testing pixels. Pretty Flashing Lights hardware isn't quite ready for the big reveal—but if you've got the magic words, sneak on in!
Hmm, that's not quite right. Santa's watching...
"Built for pixels. Engineered for mayhem." — Coming soon to a workshop near you.
Pretty Flashing Lights is a custom PCB controller brand born from a real problem: the hardware the Polk family needed didn't exist off the shelf. So they built it.
Designed by people who actually run large-scale synchronized light shows — not by engineers who've never strung a pixel string in December in the rain. Built for the real world, not the spec sheet.
Designed by Show Operators, For Show Operators
Every decision comes from firsthand experience. If it breaks at 9pm on December 23rd, you'll hear about it from us first — because it happened to us first.
🔌
PCB Product Photography
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Capabilities
Features & Specs
Output
High-Drive Pixel Output
Push maximum pixel counts without signal degradation. Longer strings, cleaner data, no injection headaches.
Protocol
E1.31 / sACN Native
Plug-and-play with xLights, FPP, and all major show control software. No configuration drama.
Environment
Field Hardened
Designed for outdoor Georgia conditions — real heat, real humidity, real December nights. Not lab conditions.
Service
Field Serviceable
Connectors and board layout for human hands mid-setup. No proprietary tools. No excuses at midnight.
Pixels
Multi-Protocol
WS2811, WS2812B, SK6812 and others. Multiple outputs per board for clean multi-universe deployments.
Value
Honestly Priced
Professional-grade performance at prices that don't assume a commercial budget. Built for serious hobbyists.
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Technical Specifications
The Specs
Protocol Support
E1.31 (sACN), DMX512
Pixel Protocols
WS2811, WS2812B, SK6812
Network Interface
10/100 Ethernet
FPP Compatible
Native — no setup
xLights Compatible
Native — plug and play
Input Voltage
5V / 12V DC (model specific)
Status Indicators
Per-output LED feedback
Enclosure
Outdoor rated
SPECIFICATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE · CONTACT FOR CURRENT PRODUCTION DETAILS
Audience
Built for Builders
🏠 Home Enthusiasts
Ready to go beyond the box of lights? Professional-grade control, accessible to the serious hobbyist.
⚙️ Show Builders
Run your own synchronized display? Built by someone who understands what 11pm on December 22nd feels like.
🔧 Professional Installers
Reliable, serviceable, field-proven hardware for commercial and residential seasonal installation work.
The entry point into professional pixel control. Eight independently controllable ports, each capable of driving thousands of pixels. Perfect for smaller displays or as a secondary controller in larger setups.
Ports8 E1.31 Universes
Pixel OutputUp to 4,000+ pixels
ProtocolsE1.31 (sACN), WS2811/12B
Network10/100 Ethernet
StatusAvailable Now
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⚡
PFL Controller 16-Port
Model 02
PFL Controller 16-Port
The flagship controller designed for serious show builders. Sixteen ports of pixel-driving power with enhanced processing and expanded universe support. Built for displays that demand professional-grade performance.
Ports16 E1.31 Universes
Pixel OutputUp to 8,000+ pixels
ProtocolsE1.31 (sACN), WS2811/12B, DMX512
NetworkGigabit Ethernet
ExpansionSync Port for Multi-Controller
StatusAvailable Now
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Coming Soon
Future Hardware
🎛️
DMX Bridge
Seamlessly integrate traditional DMX fixtures into your pixel show. Coming Q3 2025.
In Development
📡
Wireless Receiver
Eliminate long cable runs with reliable wireless pixel data transmission. Coming Q4 2025.
Prototyping
🔋
Power Distribution Board
Clean, fused power distribution designed specifically for pixel controllers. Coming 2026.
Planning
Questions?
Join the PFL Community
Connect with other builders, get support, and stay updated on new hardware releases.
Polk Family Lights operates a free, family-run synchronized Christmas light display in Statesboro, Georgia. This website shares show information, directions, and community updates. This policy explains what information may be collected when you visit and how it is used.
Information we collect
Information you provide. We do not offer accounts or online purchases on this site. Messages sent through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or other platforms are handled under those services' policies.
Automatic data. Our host and embedded services may log technical data such as IP address, browser type, device type, pages viewed, and approximate location when you load the site.
Third-party services
Embedded or linked services may set cookies and collect data under their own policies:
Meta (Facebook) — Feed and links to facebook.com/PolkFamilyLights
Google Maps — Directions to 203 Thornwood Ct, Statesboro, GA 30458
Remote Falcon — Interactive player at polkfamilylights.remotefalcon.com
Google Fonts — Web fonts from fonts.googleapis.com
Social platforms — YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok when you visit them
Cookies
Third-party embeds (especially Facebook) may use cookies. You can limit cookies in your browser; some features may not work if cookies are disabled.
How we use information
We use data to run the show and website, share hours and weather updates, respond to the community, and keep the site secure. We do not sell personal information.
Children
Our event is family-friendly. This site is not designed to collect data from children under 13. Contact us on Facebook if you believe a child submitted information to us.
Visiting the show
Season dates and any address announcements are posted on Facebook. Directions use 203 Thornwood Ct, Statesboro, GA 30458. Please follow neighborhood and on-site guidelines.
Your choices
Adjust browser privacy and cookie settings
Visit without this website — tune to 99.9 FM on-site during show hours
Ask privacy questions on our Facebook page
Policy updates
We may update this page; the date above will change. Continued use of the site means you accept the revised policy.
Join the Community