Elation lighting envelops Mount Rushmore in a spectacular display of light and pyrotechnics

Illuminate took part in Freedom 250, providing lighting for two of the country's most prominent celebrations, including the July 3 event at Mount Rushmore, where an Elation Professional lighting system accompanied a spectacular fireworks display.

The celebration was a powerful tribute to 250 years of American independence, set against the backdrop of one of the country's most iconic monuments. It also marked the return of fireworks to Mount Rushmore for the first time since 2020 and included a keynote address by President Donald Trump, military honors, historical presentations and tributes, military bands, aviation flyovers, and a patriotic fireworks and light show.

Illuminate and Pyro Spectaculars

Pyro Spectaculars handled the fireworks design and production, while Illuminate's Caleb Franke designed and programmed the complementary lighting show. Illuminate collaborated with Pyro Spectaculars on a 20-minute presentation that integrated lighting and fireworks into a carefully choreographed visual narrative, rather than treating them as separate elements.

We worked to make the fireworks and lighting complement each other. It was a patriotic show with a storytelling element, featuring fireworks, moments with lighting alone, and others where both elements worked together. It all came together in one highly impactful show, Franke explains.

Illuminate became involved in the project through its long-standing relationship with Pyro Spectaculars, a company it works with each year on the Space Needle New Year's Eve show in Seattle. Pyro Spectaculars had also produced the 2020 Mount Rushmore fireworks display, and its experience using lighting to complement pyrotechnics at the Space Needle helped establish the concept of incorporating lighting into the Mount Rushmore event.

Lighting an american icon

Working in one of the most popular National Parks in the United States presented a series of unique challenges. Access, environmental considerations, and the need to protect both the monument and the surrounding terrain meant that Illuminate had limited opportunities to test the design on site.

"Working in a National Park is complicated", Franke explains. "Because Pyro Spectaculars had worked there before, the Park really trusted them, which also helped them trust us. Working with the Park was a very smooth and straightforward process".

Elation gear

Illuminate made a significant investment in Elation equipment for the Freedom 250 projects and deployed a combination of high-output wash, beam, profile, and panel fixtures at various locations across Mount Rushmore.

A key element of the design was 16 Proteus Brutus fixtures, positioned at different locations along the Presidential Trail, which leads to the Grand View Terrace, where visitors can enjoy a close-up view of Mount Rushmore. These powerful 75,000-lumen LED wash/FX fixtures were used to illuminate the four presidential faces from multiple angles.

"We had the Brutus fixtures positioned approximately 91 to 183 meters from the faces, so output was a major consideration during the design process", Franke explains. He adds that, due to limited opportunities for advance testing, he initially had some concerns about whether the fixtures would provide enough power at those distances.

The math seemed right, but reality can be different. I was a little concerned, but when we got there and shone them onto the faces, I could see they would work perfectly. They almost had too much power. It was actually perfect, he comments.

Six Proteus Atlas fixtures were also positioned along the trail. These ultra-long-throw beam FX fixtures created aerial beam effects that complemented the fireworks and interacted with the pyrotechnic smoke. Thanks to their laser-pumped phosphor light engine and highly concentrated beam, the Atlas fixtures gave Illuminate the reach needed to create visible aerial effects across such an expansive site. "The impressive thing about Atlas is its beam: it seems to go on forever", says Franke.

Illuminate also deployed 10 Proteus Lucius LED profile fixtures along the trail to illuminate the rock surrounding the presidential faces, incorporating color, gobos, and animation effects to create different textures across the monument.

Up on the mountain

Getting the equipment into position presented another logistical challenge. A specialized rigging team enabled the crew to transport the equipment up the mountain. At each of four positions above the monument, six Proteus Excalibur beam fixtures and three Pulse Panel FX fixtures were installed, interspersed with the pyrotechnic equipment.

The Excalibur fixtures generated powerful aerial beam effects from positions above the presidents' heads, while the Pulse Panel FX fixtures were used to illuminate the smoke from the fireworks.

Behind the presidential faces is a small canyon from which the larger aerial fireworks were launched. The lower, shorter fireworks were positioned directly on the mountain, meaning that smoke from the aerial shells frequently drifted directly in front of the lighting positions.

"All the aerial shells were being fired in front of the lights and generated a huge amount of smoke", Franke explains. "With the Pulse Panel FX, we were able to illuminate that smoke really well and highlight the incredible atmosphere created in that space above the heads. It worked well".

The positioning of the fixtures also allowed Illuminate to create spectacular effects without distracting the audience from the monument itself. "From most perspectives, you couldn't see the lenses of any of the fixtures", Franke explains. "You could only see the beams in the air or the color projecting into it. It worked really well".

Obsidian Control Systems equipment was also used on the project. Illuminate deployed Netron EN12 Ethernet-to-DMX nodes and DMX10-5 splitters to distribute lighting control data across the site.

Patriotic color and texture

Color played a key role throughout the show. Illuminate used red, white, and blue looks across the monument.

We used a lot of red, white, and blue on the faces, and being able to pull those colors directly from the color wheel looked fantastic, Franke explains, adding that there were also moments when CMY color mixing was used.

The Proteus Brutus fixtures also provided animation effects, while the Proteus Lucius units added texture through gobos and animation.

A spectacular new look

The event lighting presented Mount Rushmore in a very different way from its everyday illumination. Rather than visually flattening the monument with uniform lighting, Illuminate's design cast light onto each face from different angles and controlled the shadows to give them a much more dramatic appearance.

"It had a somewhat more intense atmosphere than the lighting they use on the faces every day", Franke explains. "It gave it a slightly eerie look, you could say, or a more theatrical appearance, which I thought was a good thing. We were a little concerned that the bottom-up lighting might create certain shadows, but in the end everything looked just fine".

Lighting and fireworks tell the story

The entire show was created using previsualization and coordinated between Illuminate and Kevin Gilfillan, fireworks designer at Pyro Spectaculars. This collaboration allowed both disciplines to create moments in which the lighting enhanced the fireworks and others in which it took the visual focus on its own.

"We're always looking for creative ways to use lighting to bring a concept to life, and on this project we worked to make everything come together with the fireworks", Franke explains. "Kevin and I worked to make sure there were moments for both. It's not just about firing a million shells for 20 minutes: the show tells a story".

A special project

The Mount Rushmore project represented one of the most important and memorable projects in Illuminate's history, combining an extraordinary location, a historic event, and the technical and logistical challenges of working within a National Park.

Being part of America's 250th anniversary celebration at Mount Rushmore is an extraordinary honor for all of us at Illuminate Production Services. There are few places that represent the history, scale, and spirit of this country quite like Mount Rushmore. Our team has spent decades helping bring ambitious ideas to life, but contributing our work to a moment of this significance is something special. I am incredibly proud of the men and women of Illuminate who brought their talent, professionalism, and commitment to this project, and grateful for the opportunity to play a small part in celebrating 250 years of America. I also want to thank the National Park Service and the State of South Dakota. This event would not have been possible without their leadership and vision, commented Rick Franke, President of Illuminate.

Caleb Franke added: "We love our country, so being part of such a historic day was both special and a real honor. There were probably five or six major, high-profile shows during the July 4 celebrations, and for us to be involved in two of them is a tremendous honor. On top of that, the Elation fixtures performed great, with no issues, and the client was very happy both with the result and with the way we took care of and respected the National Park".

In fact, Illuminate received considerable praise both for the finished show and for the care taken in working within the National Park's requirements. The company even received a letter from the U.S. Department of the Interior expressing its appreciation for the event.