By Adam Brazeau
CORNWALL, Ontario – The Alight at Night festival will flip the switch this Friday, illuminating Upper Canada Village for the Christmas season.
With a fresh blanket of snow recently dusting the city and counties, this spectacular month-long event, which transcends all ages, will provide visitors with the ideal backdrop for the holidays.
From Dec. 5 to Jan. 3, between 5 to 9 p.m., upwards of 30,000 people are expected to visit Morrisburg during the festival’s 14th edition.
“The great thing about putting more than a million lights up is they never look the same way twice,” said Susan Le Clair, St. Lawrence Parks Commission manager of customer service and corporate communications.
This year, Alight at Night continues to evolve with a series of new additions, including Saint Nick’s Merry Mansion.
“We wanted to make a strong connection to the Village’s Victorian roots,” said Le Clair.
Old Saint Nick’s got a brand new bag and outfit to match. Three seamstresses worked for weeks to create a luxurious red suit with rich brocade for a Victorian-themed Santa Claus. He’ll be at the Village’s Crysler Hall, newly decorated as his mansion, to hear your Christmas wish list from opening day until Tuesday, Dec. 23.
Santa’s mansion boasts a new light and sound show as well as a large sleigh-like seat, big enough to fit the entire family. Take your own keepsake photo for free or let UCV staff capture it for you. (Pictures come with a frame and are printed on site for $15 each.)
The jolly man in red will also drop in for an afternoon visit at the Harvest Barn on Saturday, Dec. 13. Click here for prices.
Meanwhile, festival organizers reached higher – 50-feet to be exact – to keep it fresh for repeat-guests. Set in the fairground, a new Ferris wheel ride will be included with your admission fee.
Alight at Night tickets are $10 (youth ages 6-12 and seniors 65 and over), $13 (ages 13 and over), and kids under 5 get in free.
So if over a million Christmas lights still doesn’t brighten up your holidays, new laser beam technology lighting throughout the Village surely will.
“We want to offer our visitors a premium experience,” said Le Claire.
In addition, there will be sing-along caroling on select evenings at Christ Church. And on Dec. 18, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Choir from Ottawa will be performing from 7 to 8 p.m.
Romance will also be in the air as Pommier horse-drawn carriages take couples, young and old, on a guided tour of the Village.
For more information, visit www.uppercanadavillage.com.
