Christmas Lights Across Canada in Ottawa - December 5, 2002 to January 12, 2003

CANADA’S CAPITAL REGION WILL BECOME A SPARKLING WORLD OF COLOUR ON DECEMBER 5, 2002!

Canada’s Capital Region - The National Capital Commission (NCC) and Canada Post are pleased to announce the annual kick-off of the Christmas Lights Across Canada program on Thursday December 5, 2002.

Join us on Parliament Hill for the official lighting ceremony and an evening of family entertainment. The festivities begin at 5:45 pm with a performance by the Dominion Carillonneur, Mr. Gordon Slater, on the Peace Tower Carillon. The Honourable Daniel Hays, Speaker of the Senate, the Honourable Peter Milliken, Speaker of the House of Commons, the Honourable André Ouellet, President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Post and Marcel Beaudry, Chairman of the National Capital Commission, amongst other dignitaries, will be on hand to officially switch on the thousands of lights that illuminate Parliament Hill as well as the Capital’s many national museums, institutions, monuments, embassies and other prominent landmarks along Confederation Boulevard, at approximately 6:20 pm.

After the official lighting ceremony, complete with holiday messages from each of the provinces and territories, the evening continues with performances by Juno-Award-winning children’s entertainers Judy and David, hosts of YTV’s Treehouse TV sing-along show “Judy & David’s Boom Box”. Cantata Singers of Ottawa, a 20-adult-voice will follow with traditional holiday season songs. From 7 pm to 7:30 pm, the public is invited to meet Judy and David who will be on the Hill for an autograph signing session.

Following these wonderful performances, everyone is invited to warm up with hot chocolate and a BeaverTail, compliments of BeaverTails® Pastries (while supplies last) or cosy up to a bonfire and enjoy performances from Grand Portage (a trio of folk traditional singers), Malaïka (folk singers, a capella), Quatrissimo (Christmas songs, a capella), Inuit Cultural Performers (a trio of throat singers and drummers), Almrausch (German bells) and Voice of Praise (Gospel singers).

Once again this year, guided bus tours of the display along Confederation Boulevard will be provided free of charge on opening night between 7:20 pm and 8:30 pm, courtesy of the NCC. The 45-minute (approx.) bus tours are offered in both official languages and will depart from Wellington Street.

The lighting display in Canada’s Capital Region will be lit every evening (from 4 pm to 1 am) until January 12, 2003. This year, 70 sites on Confederation Boulevard will provide the perfect backdrop to 270,000 dazzling lights in the heart of Canada’s Capital Region.

As an important national component of the Christmas Lights Across Canada program, provincial and territorial capitals hold their own lighting ceremonies, creating a link with the nation’s capital and a spectacular display of colour and light across the country.

Furthermore, the NCC is proud to be associated for a second year, as a national founding partner, with the community-based program ‘WinterLights’. This national competition, organized by Communities in Bloom (CIB) in partnership with the National Capital Commission (NCC) and the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), encourages communities of all sizes to decorate with festive lights and schedule unique winter events. The ‘WinterLights’ participating municipalities will also be invited to illuminate their communities and neighbourhoods with holiday lights on December 5, 2002 in order to create a link with the nation’s capital. The NCC will be hosting the 2^nd annual WinterLights Celebrations Awards Ceremony in the Capital in February 2003 during Winterlude’s 25^th edition.