Anaheim’s night-time illuminations enhanced with Pharos upgrade

The US city of Anaheim in California has unveiled an upgraded lighting system that enhances the city’s natural and architectural landscape, powered by technology from Pharos Architectural Controls.

At night, rows of palm trees lining Anaheim’s streets glow with custom RGBW LED uplights, while nearby monuments are brought to life with internal LEDs. Previously, the city relied on a basic control system that offered only limited functionality such as RGB-only control across entire banks of palm trees, with sections run on independent cell modems that frequently dropped offline. The result was a fragmented and unreliable experience that lacked cohesion.

Seeking a more robust and creative solution, Anaheim requested a solution from Pharos Architectural Controls. California-based automation and connectivity specialists Wired Media Solutions (WMS) were commissioned to deliver the upgrade using Pharos technology.

WMS was tasked with designing a system that was not only reliable but also powerful and flexible enough to deliver different aesthetics through actual creative intention. Together with Pharos they selected the Pharos Designer LPC (Lighting Playback Controller) as the central control solution to fulfil the needs of the upgrade, connected to Pharos Cloud for simple, secure remote lighting control and management.

A key part of the upgrade project was the lighting design itself. The city provided a schedule of holiday-themed and special-event shows, with the intention of frequently updating the scenes to keep the displays fresh and engaging. Ensuring smooth, seamless transitions across miles of trees was essential – especially since residents never view the entire installation at once. With palm trees planted in pairs, many looks were designed with symmetry in mind, further enhancing the overall aesthetic.

The Designer LPC provided the perfect solution for the project. Featuring individually controllable and independently running timelines and scenes, it allows Anaheim to change their light shows at any time, while also offering real-time manual overrides for maximum flexibility.

In total, eight LPCs are in operation across the city. Designed by WMS, the network integrates fibre, cellular and 60 GHz point-to-point links – no small feat in an incredibly dense RF environment. Accuracy in distance and line-of-sight calculations was critical, as was ensuring the DMX devices met strict specifications for long-term, maintenance-free operation.

The system runs on several topologies and VPN links to create a transparent, centralised network, accessible through a portal that gives city officials straightforward control.

Michael Grosse (MG), Regional Sales Manager for the Americas at Pharos Architectural Controls, commented: “Anaheim has embarked on a fantastic project to improve its night-time aesthetics, and the illuminated palm trees do look incredible. It’s rewarding to know Pharos could offer a solution that delivers reliability, durability and full autonomy for the city’s lighting scenes and shows.”

Ryan Wilkinson, President/CEO of Wired Media Solutions, added: “It was a pleasure to be brought into this project in our home state and be part of the team to modernise and greatly improve the control and connectivity of Anaheim’s night-time illuminations. The Pharos Designer LPC gave us everything we needed, including putting creative control directly into the hands of the City of Anaheim so they can frequently change the lighting scenes. Working with the LPC provided a fantastic insight into the ease of integrating Pharos technology into a lighting system and network, and we will be sure to look for opportunities to specify this solution in the future.”

Lighting Controls: Pharos Architectural Controls.

Systems Integrator & Lighting Designer: Wired Media Solutions (WMS).

Electrical Contractor: Energy Management Solutions, Frank Kourtis.

Photography: Wired Media Solutions (WMS).