The city of Coquitlam’s annual Christmas display in Town Centre Park, Lights at Lafarge, will be turned on Saturday, Nov. 30.
But before the switch can be thrown on approximately 410,000 LED bulbs that will wrap around the 1.2-km loop around Lafarge Lake, an army of city staff and 650 Light Brigade volunteers have been working for months. They’ve been designing, fabricating and installing the colourful displays that will stay lit until Jan. 19, 2020.
Installation began after Remembrance Day and will continue right up until the kick-off event, said parks operations manager Wendy Wiederick.
The displays include stars, tulips, origami cranes, salmon, the city’s logo and wreaths. New this year is the addition of rope lighting around the city’s 20-foot whale ecosculpture that’s based upon a design by First Nations artist Bill Reid, which will be floating in an LED sea of more than 10,000 twinkling lights.
• The Lights at Lafarge kick-off event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 30.
The free event features live entertainment, roving performers, as well as a fire and light show by NZR Productions at 7:35 p.m. Food trucks will also be stationed at both sides of the Lafarge Lake from 5 to 9 p.m.
Lights at Lafarge then runs every night, from dusk until 11 p.m. although the show is extended through midnight on New Year’s Eve.
