Last Thursday was my first time attending the annual Ladysmith Festival of Lights and the Light Up Parade. Thousands of people from Ladysmith, Nanaimo and Central Vancouver Island flooded the small town to pack the historic main street and watch the extensive Christmas light display and parade that the town has become famous for.
The event started in 1987 when Bill Fitzpatrick and some Ladysmith business owners thought the town needed some more festive street decorations to enhance the town’s heritage and revitalization project.
According to the Festival of Lights website, the last Thursday of November was picked to display an estimated 200,000 lights “so that payday would be the day after Light Up and people would return with their money” to local merchants.
A fireworks display was added in 1989, but was discontinued this year due to “changes in fire and safety regulations.”
The event is so popular that traffic was backed up all the way to the Nanaimo Airport on my way into town and it was only by sheer luck that I was able to find a parking spot and not get stuck in a dead-end side street.
The first thing I saw when I walked up to First Avenue was antique tractors by the Mid Island Vintage Tractor and Equipment Club.
Vintage fire equipment, such as this truck from Salt Spring Island’s Fire Department, also made an appearance at the parade.
The crowd was so large that it was a common sight to see children sitting on top of their parent’s shoulders to get a better view of the parade.
Nick Monroe and his daughter Ava were happy to have clear, if a bit chilly weather, for this year’s parade that allowed him to wear his Star Wars- themed Christmas sweater.
Noelan Koerner, 9, goes to the Light Up Parade every year. “He loves it,” said his mother Brittany Koerner. “He’s non-verbal so the lights and everything just makes him happy.”
The British Columbia Sheriff Service joined in with a carceral Christmas celebration putting Dr. Seuss’ Grinch behind bars along with some naughty children.
As there is a Santa Claus Parade in Ladysmith later this month, organizations were asked not to feature the big man in their floats at the Light Up Parade, but some of Santa’s helpers made an appearance.
Near the end of the parade a BC Transit bus, complete with a blinged-out bike in its bike rack, wished everyone “happy holidays!”
The festival also featured an Arts and Crafts Fair in Aggie Hall where dozens of artists and artisans gathered to sell unique gifts for the holiday season. There were lots of interesting artworks from intricate laser woodcuts to small ceramic snails and holiday prints that people could get for stocking stuffers or put under the tree this season.
As the festivities ended and the streets emptied, I made my way to Bayview Brewing and enjoyed a flight of tasty craft beer and a bowl of chicken curry soup before heading back to Nanaimo full of holiday cheer.
