Thousands gather in Victoria Park for Lighting of the Lights
It was a steady stream of people heading into Victoria Park over the dinner hour on Friday, and most filed to the bandshell for a little festive cheer.
The thousands on hand were also ready to add their voices to the Christmas tunes, adding an emphatic “hey” during the singing of “Jingle Bells.”
Just before 7 p.m., as the Doug Varty Band was singing, “When The Lights Come on at Christmas,” they flipped the switch and 75,000 lights filled the trees with colour.
There was a lighting of the lights last year but, deep in the throes of the pandemic, no crowds were allowed.
It was a disappointment for Amanda Angus and her family but they were happy to be back this year to resume a Christmas tradition.
"We used to come here when I was a kid,” she said. “We always came to lighting of the lights and went home and decorated the Christmas tree. So I thought it would be great to bring my daughter, and then my nephews are here. The whole family's here. It's a good time."
Crowds walk through Victoria Park after Lighting of the Lights ceremony in London, Ont. on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. (screen grab from video by Gerry Dewan/CTV London)
Two-year-old Jordyn Antoine thought it was a good time, too. She bopped to the music and ran in happy circles. Her family was going to bring her last year but Sharlene Sterkenburg feels she was able to appreciate it more this year.
"She loves to dance. She loves people. She loves the lights,” Sterkenburg said.
About half of those gathered were wearing masks even though Mayor Ed Holder encouraged everyone to be masked, and that message was repeated from the bandshell stage.
Despite that, Holder says vaccines and the outdoor conditions put his mind at ease.
"One of the positives is that we're outdoors and what the Middlesex London Health Unit consistently tells us is that outdoor events are significantly safer than indoor events,” he said.
Holder says a lot of thought went into the decision open this event to the public, "Last year, sadly, it was easier to make that decision to not go because of the pandemic and the number of case counts were so great,” he said. :But, you know, Londoners have earned this. They deserve tonight."
And after the lights were all on many took the time to make the slow walk through the park to take it all in.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Nine suspects arrested in $24M gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport: Peel police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
O.J. Simpson was chilling with a beer on a couch before Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was dead
O.J. Simpson's last robust discussion with his longtime lawyer was just before Easter, at the country club home Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was 'transitioning.'
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.
500 Newfoundlanders wound up on the same cruise and it turned into a rocking kitchen party
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
Liberals must now sell a budget they say will help younger Canadians catch up
It's now up to the federal Liberal government to sell a spending plan it says will help younger Canadians catch up to their elders.
Ontario woman out $30K after investing in mortgage company accused of being unlicensed
An Ontario nurse is fighting to recover tens of thousands of dollars in savings she invested in a mortgage company that has since been accused of operating without a licence.
Canada is expected to win 22 medals at the Paris Olympics
Canada is expected to win a total of 22 medals, including six gold, at the Paris Summer Olympics, which open on July 26.