Wintertime in Canada has always meant decorating both our interiors and exteriors with colourful, sparkling, twinkling lights served up with lots of holiday music and get-togethers with family and friends. It’s part of most Canadians’ tradition. There are ways to experience the lights and celebration both live and virtually – this is set to be an ongoing event anyone can visit or tune into for some seasonal fun and excitement!
Beginning December 8th and scheduled to run until January 8th, 2023 we can all tune in to see the 38th Winter Lights Across Canada program (previously known as Christmas Lights Across Canada).
The program in all its bright and colourful glory celebrates Canada’s winter season and features events such as a multimedia projection on Parliament Hill and the Pathway of Lights in Ottawa with links to monuments and sites throughout the rest of the country.
Make December 21 a Special Evening
You’ll definitely want to tune into IllumiNATION, a TV show which will showcase Canadian talent and seasonal entertainment. It’s co-produced by Rogers TV Ottawa and Canadian Heritage and will feature a variety of performances from across the country.
The program will air on December 21st at 8 p.m. (ET) on Canadian Heritage’s YouTube channel as well as Rogers TV and OMNI Television at 8 p.m. (local time). All the video clips will be available on the Canadian Heritage YouTube channel and the Winter Lights Across Canada website.
Join In On the Experience
The free Multimedia projection on Parliament Hill will play on a loop from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. and will combine digital imagery and music designed for all to enjoy. Scheduling is as follows: Thursday to Monday, from December 8, 2022, to January 8, 2023. There’s no show on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
If you’re in the Ottawa region, attendees can visit the site live on Parliament Hill. There will be opportunities there for everyone to take pictures of themselves along with family and friends in the vicinity of the illumination area and share the experience and excitement via their social media connections.
In addition to the Pathway of Lights along Confederation Boulevard in Ottawa and the Gatineau region, hundreds of lights will illuminate historical sites and monuments across the country, symbolically uniting everyone in Canada.
As well, all Canadians can tune in to see not only theirs but also other province’s capital city’s winter displays and celebration of lights at Discover the lights across Canada’s Capitals too.
It’s the Season for Making Connections
“The Winter Lights Across Canada program showcases our culture,” said Minister of Heritage Pablo Rodriguez. “The multimedia projection on Parliament Hill gives us an opportunity to come together, and in many cities across the country, monuments and sites will be lit up so that Canadians from coast to coast to coast can participate.”
What an exhilarating way to get primed for the holidays and make some memories! Sounds like fun for everyone!
