The Big Red Bulb platform was created in 2024 to make it easier to administer and promote a community of holiday light displays year-after-year. The idea was conceived and built by the team that launched the Tacky Light Tour in 2005 when they found dozens of communities struggling to administer using combinations of systems involving social media, spreadsheets, unwieldy e-mail threads and homegrown websites.
Why the Big Red Bulb?
The Big Red Bulb is inspired by the large, lighted trophy created by the Tacky Light Tour affectionately called the Tacky Award. The big red bulb has been a symbol of the very best holiday light displays since 2005. The Tacky Award is a 16″ red lighted Christmas light bulb attached to a wooden trophy base with a plaque announcing the annual winner. It was given to the best Christmas light display on the inaugural TLC Crazy Christmas Lights tv show that aired annually from 2005-2012. So it is the most appropriate symbol for a platform serving the very best holiday light displays around the world.