Wednesday’s warm summer evening in Santa Clarita transformed into a luminous celebration as the city unveiled its newest public art installation, “River of Lights,” during a community-wide illumination ceremony on Wednesday night at Central Park.

Thousands of residents gathered on the lawn with picnic dinners and blankets as the Santa Clarita Symphony Orchestra performed a live score, setting the tone for a magical unveiling of the River of lights. 

The highlight of the night came at 8:30 p.m., when nearly 200 embedded lights tracing the park’s walkways and staircases flickered on for the first time, evoking the shimmer of flowing water and echoing the colors of a Santa Clarita sunset.

At the center of the River of Lights is “When Cloud Met a Cloud,” a 14-foot sculpture by artist Sujin Lim. This features steel clouds and raindrop-like rods. 

14-foot art structure ‘When a Cloud met a Cloud’ with exercise stairs seen in the background (Sophia Lesseos KHTS)

Its placement, where you can look in between the clouds and the park’s staircase, adds a celestial quality, an image Santa Clarita Mayor Bill Miranda likened to a “stairway to heaven.”

“I think it’s spectacular,” Miranda said. “We worked on this for the last three years, finding the right architects, the right designers and it all paid off in a spectacular fashion.”

The evening was more than just a visual experience, it was a celebration of community spirit. 

Families enjoyed a “Pop-Up and Play” area filled with games and hands-on activities for kids. A ceremonial color guard presentation by the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department accompanied a flag raising high above the park.

“Even though the flag is a long way up the stairs, you can still see it from here,” Miranda said. “It shines. It’s spectacular, like a stairway to heaven.”

More than 2,000 people attended the ceremony, according to the mayor’s estimate. But what stood out most to him wasn’t the size of the crowd, it was the diversity.

“It’s every age group, seniors, children, and all cultures,” Miranda said. “Santa Clarita is a multicultural city, and this art expresses that. The lights change colors. They’re different. And we’re saying hello to all of our cultures. It’s beautiful.”

Opening night of the ‘River of Lights’ with the 14-foot sculpture “When Cloud Met a Cloud” by artist Sujin Lim (Sophia Lesseos KHTS)

Artist Sujin Lim flew to New York for the unveiling. Her work, she told attendees, was inspired by the connection between water, nature, and people and she was proud to see children interacting with the sculpture up close.

“I was very happy to see all these kids playing with the sculpture before we started this ceremony,” Lim said. “I really hope this cloud structure will become a joyful landmark for the years to come.”

As the lights danced along the walkways and music floated across the night air, Mayor Miranda had a message for those who missed the event:

“Come on out, or as they say, come on down. In this case, come on up to the clouds. To the stairway to heaven!”

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