The Airdrie Festival of Lights has launched a new initiative to make Airdrie glow with holiday spirit at the end of what has been a dark year.
The Festival of Lights, in partnership with the Airdrie Chamber of Commerce and Airdrie Parades Committee, is inviting local homes and businesses to take part in Get Lit by adorning their windows, doors and balconies with Christmas lights, according to Michelle Pirzek, the festival’s co-ordinator. The Get Lit initiatiative corresponds with Airdrie Festival of Light’s 25th anniversary.
“We mean literally – let’s get lit, and light up Airdrie and show everyone just how glowing our city is,” Pirzek said.
Households and businesses interested in taking part are asked to register as part of Get Lit, Pirzek said. Their postal codes will be plotted onto a map that people can use to extend their Festival of Lights experience by driving around Airdrie to see the glowing displays. The map will be available Dec. 1 at airdrielights.com
“Whoever comes down to the park can also go check out some of the other lights within Airdrie,” Pirzek said.
Get Lit is a new initiative and was devised in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pirzek said she and the Festival of Lights team felt Airdrie needs something positive to end the year, and hopes Get Lit can fill that role.
Due to the nature of the initiative, Pirzek said Get Lit offers something for Airdrie families to do that is invincible to cancellation. Because families can stay socially distanced and cohorted while touring Airdrie and looking at lights, she sees it as an excellent outing for local families and visitors alike.
“People are craving a bit of normalcy and a bit of fun, plain old fun,” Pirzek said. “We know Festival’s going to be busy – we’ll run and everything’s going to be great – but Festival is bigger than Airdrie. Yes, we’re a huge draw but I think people need to fall in love with their city again.”
While Festival of Lights is promoting the event among Airdrie residents, the Airdrie Chamber of Commerce is inviting local businesses to participate.
“We thought it was a really fun idea where anyone could get involved,” said Marilyne Aalhus, the Chamber’s executive director.
Aalhus added the Chamber sees the initiative as a way to encourage people to frequent local businesses during the holiday season. Get Lit could serve as a draw for both visitors and residents of Airdrie, she said, who might then spend money at the businesses they check out.
“It’s just a really different opportunity for people to maybe see businesses in our community that they hadn’t even heard of before and have a lot of fun getting into the holiday spirit,” she said.
Displays don’t have to be large, according to Pirzek – participation can be as simple as putting a coloured bulb in your porch light.
“It’s literally building a strand of lights throughout our city that connects us all,” she said.
Aalhus said the Chamber is leaving it up to business owners how they want to decorate, as she noted different circumstances exist for different businesses.
“Depending on if you own the building or if you lease the space, you are restricted in different ways,” she said.
“It’s just about having fun and not really spending a lot of money, but more importantly, just showing the love and showing some fun for our community over the holidays.”
Get Lit is not a contest, Pirzek said, but anyone that registers is automatically entered into a draw to win a one-year family pass to Genesis Place Recreation Centre valued at $1,200. Businesses that register, meanwhile, will be entered in a draw for a one-year membership to the Airdrie Chamber of Commerce – Growth Tier valued at $175 plus $200 in gift cards.
Additional entries are available to anyone that posts a photo of their light displays on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #ShareTheGlow and #Airdrie, and tagging the Festival of Lights, Airdrie Chamber of Commerce and Airdrie Parades Committee social media accounts. By registering and posting to each platform, a home can be entered in the draw a maximum of four times.
Registration for Get Lit ends Dec. 15 at midnight. The contest will end Dec. 31 at 9 p.m., when the Festival of Lights closes its 25th season. The winner will be announced shortly after on Jan. 4, 2021.
Registration for Get Lit is available at eventbrite.ca by searching “Let’s Get Lit Airdrie!”
Aalhus encouraged anyone in Airdrie, whether a resident or a business owner, to participate because it is one way to celebrate the holidays and spread cheer in a very unusual and often challenging year.
“I think the holidays are going to be different for everyone this year. With our cases that continue to rise, we’re finding there are different ways to show support for one another, and this is one of them,” she said.
If Get Lit is successful this year, Pirzek said it is likely it could be incorporated into the Festival of Lights every year going forward.
Ben Sherick, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @BenSherick
