If you haven’t found your Christmas spirit yet, the Town of Altona can help you with that.
The community’s annual Night of Lights celebration takes place next week Friday, Nov. 24.
The fun begins at the Altona Civic Centre at 6 p.m. with free horse and sleigh rides.
Recreation programmer Brittany Winkler says these rides are a much-anticipated event for Christmas lovers of all ages.
“It’s become a Night of Lights standard that everybody loves. They will go on until 7:30 p.m.”
Meanwhile, the bonfire will be blazing for a free wiener roast starting at 6:30 p.m.
This all leads to the main event: lighting the giant downtown Christmas tree. For the first time ever, this will be accompanied by fireworks.
“The fireworks will go off just as the tree is being lit, just to add to the big celebration,” says Winkler. “It will be about a five-minute show, set off a safe distance away, but high enough so everybody can see them from downtown.”
Following the fireworks, everyone is invited to the Altona Mall to enjoy free hot chocolate and cookies, festive music presented by students from École Parkside School and W.C. Miller Collegiate, as well as holiday tunes performed by a group of alumni.
“I think the Night of Lights is a great way to kick off the holiday season in Altona,” says Winkler. “All the Christmas lights on the streets go on that night as well, including the lights at the Golden West Plaza. It’s been a Christmas tradition in our community for decades now.
“It’s just a fun way to get everybody in the mood for Christmas. It’s a short and sweet event for the whole family, and for many residents and businesses, it’s the event that launches their holiday season. We hope to see you there.”
