Dig out the decorations and get the eggnog ready – a month of winter festivities are on their way to Stony Plain! Due to COVID-19, this year’s holiday celebrations have been modified to create a safe and family-friendly festival throughout the month of December. This year’s Winter Light Up will include a number of festive activities including a virtual lighting of the Town Christmas Tree, a decorating contest, an advent calendar featuring local businesses and daily festive activities, and a drive-in New Year’s Eve fireworks show. Did we mention there is a grand prize draw at the end of the event too?

The month-long celebration will kick off with the lighting of the Town Christmas Tree. With restrictions in place this year, the tree light-up will be a virtual event. Residents can join the celebration by tuning in to Town social media accounts on December 1 at 7PM for a special video presentation.  

“With everything going on, we wanted to keep the holiday magic alive. The idea behind Winter Light Up was to merge our annual Light Up and Family Fest in a way that was not only fun for the community, but also safe,” says Community Services Coordinator Tevra Graham. “We’re really excited to see residents participate in this year’s festivities!”

There are a few new additions to the holiday celebrations this year. Residents are invited to light up the Town by participating in a community-wide decorating contest. The contest will run from December 12 to 25 from 6PM to 10PM daily. Participants can enter the contest by registering their address with the Town. Registered houses will be included in a public map guiding community members through Stony Plain for a festive tour of lights. Residents can vote for their favourite decorations through the Town website (please note the voting will be restricted to one vote per household). Each submission will be entered into the grand prize draw. The top four entries will each win a winter family photo shoot session with a photographer provided by the Town. Online registration for the decorating contest will open on November 20 and close December 1.

The Winter Light Up will also feature a unique activity advent calendar in partnership with local businesses. From December 2 to 25, a local business will be featured on the Town Calendar each day along with a festive activity. Residents can visit the spotlighted business for a special treat and an entry into the Winter Light Up draw for a chance to win one of three grand prizes. Kinsmen Christmas Hampers and Light Up Your Life donation bins will be set up at each location and everyone is encouraged to donate to this year’s hamper programs.

To cap off the month of celebration, a drive-in fireworks show will be hosted at Heritage Park on December 31 at 9PM. While the show is free, space is limited. Participants will need to register for the event to save their spot – there will be no pedestrian access to the grounds. Registration for the show will open at 12PM on December 12.  

Ready for the hustle and bustle of the holidays? To stay up to date on this year’s Winter Light Up, visit our website for festival information and online registration forms. Don’t forget to share your family’s winter adventures on social media with #WinterLightUp!

With COVID-19 guidelines in place, all community members participating in the festivities are reminded to practice physical distancing and adhere to the Temporary Mandatory Face Coverings Bylaw.

FB Twitter Graphic