Fred Loya Christmas light show 2017 is expecting 60,000 attendees this month

In 2014 the Loya family won a national competition for best holiday light display on ABC’s ‘The Great Christmas Light Fight.

The question now is … can they top themselves?

This is the 13th year the Fred Loya Christmas light show is put on for the public.

Staff members tell ABC-7 they have a bigger crew, more traffic control and a completely different light show

“It takes all year to set up,” said Javier Arriano.

Arriano is one of the engineers behind the Fred Loya light show.

He told ABC-7 they have a crew just for setting up the lights.

“To put this together I’d say about 15-20 people,” Arriano said.

And there are a lot of lights.

“There’s 450,000 lights,” Arriano said.

Arriano said this isn’t the show you might have come to see last year.

“Every year we change whatever we can,” Arriano added.

Now, that just for the lights.

“We have a total of 80 people that work the show in December,” said Erik De Nava, project engineer.

Not only does De Nava overlook the light show but the rest of the staff and support as well.

He estimates about 60,000 people will attend throughout the month.

The crew has also partnered with the city to put up some traffic signs.

“We have about 16 officers on site from the El Paso Police Department and they will help you cross the street,” De Nava said.

“We came last year. It was our first year and we loved it so much we wanted to come again,” Elizabeth Montes said.

First timers and second timers tell ABC-7 this year didn’t disappoint.

“It was intense, loud, you can just feel the Christmas spirit here,” Ewika Hafoka said.

The shows continue through Saturday and Sunday at 6,7, and 8 p.m.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will have shows as well.