Despite a sudden snowfall and drop in temperature, the third annual Winter Lights Festival still brought out families to watch John Peake Park light up on Nov. 24.
“We had an excellent turn out, frosty is here but it’s not stopping, people still attended which was wonderful,” said Chestermere Events Coordinator Nancie Huneault.
Throughout the evening families enjoyed a wide variety of activities including ice princess performances, fire spinner performances, stilt walkers, sleigh rides, little toot train rides, food trucks, and ginger cookie decorating.
For Huneault the turning on of the Christmas lights display is always a special part of the Winter Lights Festival.
“Watching the anticipation, everybody comes together,” she said.
For Chestermere resident Kiran Mangat it’s important to attend the Winter Lights Festival because of her daughter.
“It’s really nice every year,” Mangat said.
During the Winter Lights Festival Mangat has the opportunity to interact with new people and make new friends, she said.
She added, “in big towns you wouldn’t be able to do much interaction.”
Although Mangat enjoyed every part of the Winter Lights Festival the snow fairies were her favourite, and she is excited for future years when her daughter is old enough to ride the little toot train.
“Thank you to our Public Works department who worked so hard, they start early in the season putting all of this together,” Huneault said.
She added that, “without the support of the Public Works department doing all of that hard work and having the rest of the community come together and show their appreciation.
“It’s so worth it.”
