Light Up Okotoks will ring in the holiday season tonight (Friday, Nov. 22) with a festival straight out of a Hallmark movie.
The seasonal celebration features a host of holiday favourites, from wagon rides and stage entertainment to the lighting of the community Christmas tree and a fireworks finale, drawing thousands to Olde Towne.
Light Up activities, which run from 5:30 to 9 p.m., will stretch along Elizabeth, McRae and North Railway streets, with a S’mores station at one end and a Kids Zone, featuring photos with Santa and a dance party, at the other.
From fire pits to photo booths, there’s much in between, including Olde Towne Plaza where the winner of the Sheep River Health Trust’s Flip the Switch contest will illuminate the tree at 7 p.m. Carolers will take the stage prior to the tree lighting while the fire show from Indigo Circus will heat things up later in the evening.
There will also be activities at the Arts and Learning Campus Plaza, including a mini-market, ice sculpting, dance party and more.
Wagon rides will depart from the plaza area, taking riders along the pathway system by the river before returning via South Railway Street.
Calgary Flames winger Andrei Kuzmenko and defenceman Daniil Miromanov will be at Light Up for a meet-and-greet courtesy of Okotoks GM.
The fireworks show will cap off the night and is set for 9 p.m.
All Light Up activities are free, but those attending are encouraged to bring non-perishable items to Cram-a-Cruiser, an initiative by the RCMP to support the Okotoks Food Bank. A Christmas Charity Truck will also be collecting cash and toys in support of local children's charities.
With parking at a premium, shuttle buses will run from Viking Rentals Centre and Seaman Stadium between 5 and 10:30 p.m.
For more information, visit okotoks.ca/lightup.
