Alight at Night Festival to Reach Gleaming Attendance Milestone

Upper Canada Village’s Alight at Night Counts 750,000 Guests Enjoying More Than a Million Lights Over 23 Seasons

Morrisburg — The enchanting Alight at Night festival will proudly mark its 23rd season with a brilliant achievement – welcoming its 750,000th guest through the annual dazzling winter celebration. This milestone underscores the festival’s enduring charm and the lasting appeal for guests of all ages, who come together to rejoice in the spirit of the season under the warm glow of holiday lights.

Since its inception in 2001, Alight at Night has been creating magical memories at Upper Canada Village as one of Ontario’s largest outdoor light festivals which features more than one million lights against a picture-perfect postcard setting steeped in holiday magic.

Each year, Alight at Night transforms the historic village into a captivating winter wonderland, providing a fun, festive and family-friendly experience for all ages. While the festival has inspired many other lighted nighttime attractions since it debuted 22 years ago, guests from near and far continue to flock to Upper Canada Village to enjoy the spectacular holiday transformation of the historic site, now an annual tradition for many families, friends, groups and organizations. By the end of this season, the number of guests who have attended Alight at Night over the years will surpass 750,000.

“Alight at Night provides Ontarians and visitors alike with another exciting opportunity to explore Eastern Ontario and get into the holiday spirit,” said Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “Over 750,000 people will have taken in one of Ontario’s largest outdoor light displays by the end of this season, providing a welcomed boost to local businesses and adding to the year-round selection of activities to discover.”

As a family-favourite winter event, Alight at Night plays a key role in extending the tourism season, serving to drive new visitors into the local market and generating significant economic benefits both for the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry area and for the wider South Eastern Ontario region.

“Walking through Alight at Night at Upper Canada Village is a great way to get into the holiday spirit while making memories with the family”, said Nolan Quinn, MPP for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry. “Congratulations to the team at the St. Lawrence Parks Commission on reaching 750,000 guest visits at the beautiful Alight at Night festival. This is an incredible milestone.”

“Alight at Night is a shining example of how we can reimagine a space to provide an additional experience and extend the tourism season; something our teams at St. Lawrence Parks Commission are very good at,” said SLPC Chair, Hon. Bob Runciman. “Alight at Night has become a beloved holiday tradition for many, as 750,000-lifetime attendees attest. This successful festival continues to bring magic, warmth and economic benefit to the region each year.”

With the holiday season in full swing, Alight at Night is well underway. The heart-warming outdoor light festival will be open nightly from December 21, 2023, to January 6, 2024 (closed December 24 and 25). The 23rd season has seen the return of the popular “Toy Train” ride and the introduction of more interactive activities and photo opportunities than ever before.

Tickets are on sale now at www.AlightatNight.ca.

About Upper Canada Village:

Depicting life in a rural English-Canadian setting during the year 1866, Upper Canada Village is one of the largest living history museums in Canada. It was founded in 1961 and features more than 40 historic buildings, many of which were moved to the Village from the “Lost Villages” to preserve them prior to the flooding for the St. Lawrence Seaway development project. Talented historical interpreters bring these buildings to life every day, recreating traditional trades, farming, music and 19th-century social life – creating an immersive guest experience that makes every visit to the Village different from the last.