Experience the Lights on Stratford Winter Festival
Published November 16th, 2024
Photography by Jay Kana unless otherwise noted.
Entering its fifth bright year in 2024 Lights On Stratford festival should be on your list of Christmas events.
In a city popularized by its theatre-themed Stratford Festival and a must-visit spring/summer/autumn destination, this festival reminds us that Stratford does indeed have year-round attractions.
Photo by Nunzio Prenna
The Light Trail starts in Market Square with two light art installations.
One is the award-winning EMERGENCE by This is Loop, the collaborative artistic partnership of artists Harriet Lumby and Alan Hayes based in the UK.
It’s built with 75 large mirror units covered on all surfaces with a mirror finish presented in a cylindrical pavilion style structure with three wheelchair accessible entrances and f approximately 14,000 LED pixels.
Photo by of Chalk River Labs / Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.
The second light art installation for Market Square is Stargate, featuring a 12ft square encompassing a circular ring designed to “usher viewers on an awe-inspiring journey through the cosmos.”
Using projection mapping to wrap the entire structure with vivid visuals, visitors can climb into the ring for fantastic photo and video opportunities.
There’ll be free shuttles again this year running every 15 minutes through a partnership with Stratford Transit to bring guests to and from main locations.
Destination Stratford says “The community truly comes together during the festival to celebrate winter with pop-up live music concerts, silent disco parties, glow-in-the-dark curling, winter film festival screenings, light-themed fine art shows, accommodation packages and local restaurant specials with to-go offerings including mulled wine and boozy hot chocolates that can be enjoyed Al Fresco while taking in the lights.”
The festival happens from December 13th through to January 19th, Thursday to Sundays, 5pm to 10pm.
For a full calendar of events, visit lightsonstratford.ca