Halifax Christmas Tree Lighting bringing folks together
Posted Nov 25, 2022 07:45:00 PM.
A beautiful holiday display will delight event-goers during the annual Halifax Christmas Tree Lighting this Saturday.
The 2022 iteration will feature something for the whole family, but the Halifax Regional Municipality mostly just wants to get people in the festive spirit.
“The municipality is community-minded. Whether it was the Grand Oasis concerts, Nathan Mackinnon's Stanley Cup parade, or our other parades and programming, it's important to us,” said Ryan Nearing, HRM spokesperson.
“Things like this play a huge role in our parks and recreation and civic events departments. We just want to bring people together.”
The November 26th event will see the annual tree lighting, as well as performances from local artists, visits from PAW Patrol, fireworks and Santa Claus will be on-hand as well. It will all take place at Grand Parade in Halifax's vibrant downtown.
“It's the centre and heart of cultural events in the city. Our Grand Oasis turnouts there were amazing. It's a great place for municipal programming,” said Nearing.
There will also be a projection show nightly on City Hall from the 26th through until January 1st, inspired by a holiday drawing of a local Indigenous youth. Between shows, symbols of both African and Indigenous cultures, and the municipality's Diversity and Inclusion emblem will be projected.
“The three minute show will be on rotation. At the same time, there will be a public light display on the Public Gardens, with a corridor of lights leading to music and a display on the bandstand. People can walk from Grand Parade to the Public Gardens – or vice versa – during the season, and enjoy this,” he said.
Nearing says the municipality is excited about the talent they've brought on for the event, which includes Rebecca Guilderson, Stephane Gaudet, a show for kids by Team T&J, and reggae songstress Jah'Mila.
“We are all about building up our local music scene. The role we can play is showcasing up-and-coming and star-studded local talent,” he said. “We did that at Grand Parade for the Oasis concerts week after week, and we're committed to great programming.”
Jah'Mila is looking forward to the opportunity to get into the spirit and enjoy herself.
“It feels wonderful. The previous Christmases were so strange. This is the first year we can embrace the holidays without limitations on who and how we can embrace our families,” she said. “I'm getting used to these white Christmases. It's exciting for me, as I love a white Christmas. As a kid I only saw that on TV.”
The Jamaican-born, Halifax-based artist gets immersed in the traditions, and loves to compare those in Canada with hers from Jamaica.
“We still have trees, but ours all have to be fake due to the lack of pine trees in the area. Every city centre closes the main streets, and we have big dance halls and sound systems. Vendors come out, and we call it the Grand Market of Jamaica,” she said.
“Kids and adults enjoy themselves as people are dressing and buying gifts. On Christmas day, we drink sorrel, have Christmas cake and have a big dinner with different meats and sides. We love watching Christmas movies, too.”
Now that she's been in Halifax a while, she gets to enjoy the aesthetic of the Canadian Christmas.
“Being able to see snow and real trees is something I enjoy. I love that I can be a part of an event like this, and get more entrenched in these customs,” she said. “I laud the closeness of this community, and I love to see people support the arts.”
She has some special things in store for people who come to the tree lighting as well.
“I just launched my album. I sing a lot of genres. Wherever I can hold a note and the energies are good, I go. I'll be singing two songs from my album, and two Christmas songs too. I just want people to sing along,” she said.
“I've been telling my friends with kids to come. It's an amazing opportunity to see the lights, the massive tree, and have an amazing time. The other entertainers also have a great time in store.”
This is a longtime tradition for HRM, as they've been hosting since 2007. Before that, the lighting was done by the Downtown Halifax Business Commission.
“It's nice to be back at full-scale following COVID-19. We look at the Parade Of Lights, the Tree for Boston, and all these annual traditions, and it's nice to be back doing things we always look forward to,” he said.
Nearing has one piece of advise for everyone who wants to attend this and other events downtown during the Christmas season,
“We're encouraging folks to take public transit. With construction and other things, motorists can expect delays,” he said. “There's limited parking, and we want these events to be as easy and as fun as possible.”
The Halifax Christmas Tree Lighting is Saturday, November 26 from 6 p.m. To 7 p.m. at Grand Parade. The holiday projection show on City Hall runs nightly from the 26th through until January 1st, every five minutes from 5 p.m. To 10 p.m.
More information can be found online.
