Some South Philly neighbors want to keep Miracle on South 13th Street holiday tradition, but with less traffic congestion and honking

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People who live on the 1600 block of South 13th Street in South Philadelphia take their holiday decorations seriously.

One rowhouse has lit-up icicles lining the fence, railing and windows. Another has a large display of rainbow colored Christmas lights, and a unicorn. One house features a display of various characters from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” That home belongs to Sean Ferrarini.

“Someone got engaged in front of our house last year,” he said. “That was crazy.”

Families walk by and stop to take pictures with the festive and whimsical decorations, which also includes traffic poles wrapped to look like candy canes.

Every year, around 50 houses take part in this holiday display, known as the Miracle on South 13th Street. It’s a holiday tradition that a group of neighbors started almost 20 years ago, and has become an attraction that brings in hundreds of people during weekend peaks. Last year, USA Today named it one of the best 10 holiday light shows in the country. The organizers also host block parties on some weekends, which they use to raise money for charities that neighbors agree on, like Philabundance and Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).

However, the popularity of the display also means more drivers traveling through the streets during the holiday season, prompting a few residents to think about how to keep the tradition going, while also managing the disruption that can come with a sudden influx of drivers.

Some neighbors started talking about this in October, after a fire in the neighborhood damaged two houses, according to Beckett Woodworth. He said he and his wife saw the blaze from their porch.

“Took about eight minutes for a fire truck to arrive. And even with that quick response, two homes were nearly condemned,” he recalled. “We just thought, ‘What if this happened on a busy December night, when the miracle’s at its peak?'”

Another concern is that with so many people driving to see the lights, other drivers get impatient and honk at them, which can be disruptive for people who live there.

Last year, Zoe Fox made signs that said “only a real jabroni would honk at the Miracle” and “honking makes the baby Jesus cry.”

“My problem was that people were outside of my house honking,” Fox said. “Really it was in a frustrated moment of: ‘Let me use arts and crafts to try to solve my problems.'”

This year, Woodworth and Fox started a group called the Friends of the Miracle on South 13th Street. They discussed their concerns with the police and fire departments, and City Councilmember Mark Squilla.

“Everybody is working in concert to try to address those challenges,” Squilla said. “The goal is to alert people to make sure they know there’s going to be congestion. The other thing is to stop the noise and the horn blowing.”

The neighbors who help organize the holiday display say they have been in touch with the fire and police departments over the years, and that the departments say they will be able to respond in time to an emergency. They also say they are happy to listen to the city and other professionals to do what is best for the community.

WHYY News contacted the Streets and Fire departments but did not receive a response.

This year, the friends group, neighbors who help organize the display, Squilla and the city Streets Department all worked together to bring new electronic signs to warn drivers that traffic around the area will be slow. Woodworth and Fox said this has helped reduce the honking.

Looking toward the future, Woodworth proposes further measures like what the Smedley Street Christmas Light Spectacular in South Philly does: designate drop off zones, so people are encouraged to take public transit and walk through the area to enjoy the lights and stop by local businesses. The friends group has put up an online petition for people to suggest more ideas.