Yellowknife fires up Christmas lights on Monday

The City of Yellowknife’s Christmas lights at Somba K’e Civic Plaza will come to life on Monday, November 30 at 5pm.

There won’t be an in-person event to switch on the lights this year. Instead, a video featuring Mayor Rebecca Alty’s “virtual holiday message” will be published at 5pm as the lights are turned on.

Next month, the city will take part in a nationwide broadcast – IllumiNATION – that will star a separate video featuring both the city and Yellowknives Dene First Nation.

The broadcast, by Canadian Heritage, takes place at 6pm MT on Thursday, December 17.

IllumiNATION will feature a video exploring what the aurora means to students at Dettah’s Kaw Tay Whee School, alongside performances and videos from Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Moncton, Calgary, Vancouver, and Old Crow.

The show will be available to watch on demand from December 18 until January 7, 2021 via YouTube.

“At a time when we cannot celebrate in the usual ways, it is exciting to join Canadians from across the nation to enjoy the beautiful lights together over the holiday season,” said Alty in a statement.

“Working with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, we can share something truly unique and representative of the North with our fellow Canadians.”