If you want something to do to get in the holiday spirit without breaking the bank, why not stroll through Airdrie’s Festival of Lights?
The Festival of Lights is Western Canada’s largest free, outdoor walk-through Christmas light display. It runs from 6 PM to 9 PM, starting on December 1 and ending on December 31.
To kick off the event, Airdrie is hosting its Light Up The Night from 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM. During the event, visitors are invited to gather around the tree to sing Christmas carols with the Airdrie Community Choir.
Carols are followed by a tree-lighting countdown, marking the official opening of Airdrie’s 29th Festival of Lights.
Come with an appetite, and don’t forget your sweet tooth! Free hotdogs will be available starting at 6:15 PM on December 1 while supplies last.
Airdrie’s Candy Cane Rush is also returning this year. The local fire department is handing out candy canes to attendees.
During the event, visitors can walk through Nose Creek Park and enjoy over 500,000 lights, including 13 prominent light displays and over a thousand smaller displays.
The Festival of Lights is a feast for the eyes, providing endless photo opportunities. If you plan on attending with your partner, expect multiple photo stops!
If you are lucky, your partner will thank you with a miniature train ride afterwards.
The event’s three miniature train rides follow two separate paths, allowing riders to enjoy the light displays from different viewpoints.
The train rides are suitable for all ages and pets, too. Children under the age of two can ride free with the purchase of an adult ticket, which costs $2.00.
Mark Your Calendar
Airdrie’s Festival of Lights offers visitors many activities, some of which are only around on specific dates. On December 7, Ambition Performing Arts Inc. is hosting a performance from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM.
December 13 is one of the Festival of Lights’ busiest days, so plan accordingly! Although the event usually starts at 6 PM, the park will open at 5 PM to welcome the CPKC Holiday Train.
The CPKC Holiday Train is bringing performances by Magic! And Sofia Camara from 5:30 PM to 6 PM.
Afterwards, Vesta Properties hosts Vesta Fun Night inside its heated tent, filled with activities and contests for kids. Visitors can also score free miniature train ride passes!
On the same night, visitors are invited to socialize with local heroes, including staff from the Airdrie Fire Department, RCMP, EMS, Airdrie Health Foundation, and STARS Air Ambulance.
Staff members are filling out volunteer positions throughout the event, so make sure to stop and say thank you! They are also setting up booths where you can learn about the essential services they provide.
You don’t want to miss the Festival of Lights’ Victorian Skating Party on December 14, hosted in collaboration with the Nose Creek Valley Museum.
If you do miss it, don’t sweat it. Family Skate Night is on December 31 to ring in the new year.
The Victorian Skating Party welcomes visitors to skate across the pond. The Victorian Society of Alberta members also attend, donning their finest Victorian garb and singing carols.
The on-site skate shack offers free rentals if you need skates. Before you get any ideas, hockey is not permitted.
When you need a break from skating, cozy up at one of four fire pits with a drink, hot chocolate and apple cider are available at nearby concessions for $2.00 per cup.
If you have had your fill of screaming children, why not let loose at Airdrie’s third annual 18+ Afterglow Party from 9 PM to 1 AM?
Here, you can enjoy a selection of local craft beers, wine, and mixed cocktails. This year, two new craft beers are joining the party. Tickets can be bought in advance for $15.00 and include your first drink ticket. Tickets at the door cost $10.00, and each drink ticket cost $6.00.
After attending the Afterglow Party, you might need a wholesome experience to cleanse your palate. On December 21, the Festival of Lights is hosting Family Fun Night.
The evening is for families and children, but who doesn’t want to meet Santa? The big man himself is making an appearance along with his reindeer.
You can ask Santa questions that have been eating you up for years, like how much weight a reindeer can pull or how Santa fits down a chimney. Seriously, how?
Santa will make multiple appearances throughout the Festival of Lights. The dates are on the event’s website!
History and Community Impact
Airdrie’s Festival of Lights is the largest event in Western Canada, but that wasn’t always the case.
The Festival of Lights was created by Airdrie Alderman Stan Softley in 1996. He wanted to transform Nose Creek Park into a Christmas light display unlike any other that would put the city on the map.
The community shared his dream, rallying to raise $70,000 toward the project’s overall price tag of $250,000.
He believed that transforming Nose Creek Park into a light display would generate thousands of dollars for retail merchants, draw in tourism, improve the city’s image, and benefit non-profit organizations by sharing revenue. Softley believed this dream could be achieved without taxpayer dollars.
He was right. To this day, the Festival of Lights is entirely volunteer-run. Better yet, more than $450,000 of revenue generated by the event has been donated back into the community. Volunteers are the heart of the event.
“It’s around 1,500 hours to set up, and we have two weeks to do that. Then, in December, we run 31 nights with 15 or so volunteers per night. We are certainly always looking for volunteers,” Michelle Pirzek, Airdrie Festival of Light Society (AFOLS) Coordinator, told Town and Country Today.
The AFOLS is an independent, non-profit society run by a volunteer Board of Directors. These volunteers work together throughout the year, meeting monthly to plan the Festival of Lights.
For almost thirty years, the AFOLS has provided funding and support to countless local groups, including food banks, the RCMP, and social services.
One of the society’s biggest goals is to support our youths and encourage them to give back to the community.
“We believe the spirit of volunteerism lies within our youth population, and work very hard to mentor those youth, helping them appreciate that sense of giving back within their community. When our youth contribute to their community, they connect with their community,” writes the Festival of Lights website.
Youths are invited to volunteer through fundraising programs for local youth programs and other not-for-profit organizations in exchange for volunteer hours.
If you are on a tight budget or need something to get you in the holiday spirit, the Airdrie Festival of Lights is one of many great things to do before Christmas. You could even volunteer!
