The Big, Bright Lights have been on in downtown Rochester for 17 nights. And they'll be on for 17 more — the official ending of the nightly light spectacle is Jan. 1.

Regardless of how old or new they are, they still seem to have the ability to draw a crowd (as evidenced by downtown retailers' report of the busy holiday season.)

The show is 1.5 million LED lights strung over the buildings lining downtown's Main Street. They turn on every night from 6 p.m. to midnight.

They inspire photos, like the ones our readers have been sending, and also artwork — like this one, created by 6-year-old Will Gage as part of an art class assignment. (We especially love Will's depth perspective!)

The lights also have the ability to amaze.

Twitter traffic about the lights picks up on weekends; here are some recent references to Rochester's lights:

• @Its_MattWilson: I think a cool first date with a girl would be to take them to dinner and a walk down the streets of downtown rochester with these lights
• @madelinekayes: @PureMichigan: Fill in the blank: My favorite part about Michigan this time of year is the lights in Downtown Rochester
• @jmacemore Took the little man to see the lights of Rochester earlier tonight. He loved all the colors. #holidays
• @themexican87: Lights show in Rochester! So beautifoo :) twitpic.com/7rmwn6
• @TennisChicaEMU Watching Christmas vacation with the parental units to end my day! Love this movie! Rochester lights put me in the Christmas mood

For more about the Big, Bright Light Show, see our special section on Patch.