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Boathouse Row lights in Philadelphia come back on March 7 after LED upgrade

Philadelphia's Boathouse Row will be relit March 7
Philadelphia's Boathouse Row will be relit March 7 00:29

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - After the lights at Boathouse Row were shut down, they will finally be back on Thursday, March 7 - about 12 months after they began their maintenance hiatus.

The lights were shut off last March to allow for a major upgrade to the lighting system.

The $2.1 million project sparked by Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation intends to help limit the number of outages and build a better resistance to inclement weather. 

According to @Boathouserowlights' Instagam post, the new custom light display includes 6,400 programmable LED bulbs with 16 million color combinations to shine across the 12 historic buildings that line the Schuylkill River.

Video posted by HughE Dillon showed the display being tested in January.

The official return ceremony on March 7 is meant to be a community celebration. Philadelphians can bring a chair or blanket and enjoy the new and improved display.

The event is free to the public.  

Once back on, the lights can be booked and programmed for special events, sponsored shows.

Boathouse Row's lights are a backdrop for photos at the Fairmount Waterworks and seen in the movie "Rocky" as well as the episode intro to the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" TV series.

Check out any updates on the display via Boathouse Row's Instagram, @boathouserowlights.

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