Winter Lights
Introduction & Background
WinterLights picks up where the Communities in Bloom summer gala ends. Celebrating the festive season and the advent of winter, WinterLights aims to promote community involvement in the enhancement of neighbourhoods and public spaces with lights, decorations, events and activities. The WinterLights Celebrations is a nation-wide program encouraging municipalities throughout Canada to celebrate winter with decorative, cultural and spiritual programs, the objective being not just community participation but also creating tourist attractions for travelers from within Canada and abroad. In 2006, the City of Brampton was awarded five stars in the WinterLights competition.
The event is organized by Communities in Bloom, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving quality of life and encouraging community spirit in Canada and around the world.
Judging criteria
Two judges from the national Communities in Bloom organization will visit Brampton in December to evaluate the community’s involvement against the following five criteria:
1-Visual Presentation
2-Winter Pleasures
3-Festive Season Celebrations
4-Goodwill Programs
5-Tourism and Promotion
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Visual presentation
The Visual Presentation category evaluates the illumination and decoration of public buildings, open spaces, institutional, industrial, central business and commercial areas, and residential properties and streetscapes. |
Winter pleasures
The Winter Pleasures category evaluates outdoor and indoors activities and events such as winter festivals, carnivals, ice sculptures, snow sculptures, ice skating, ice fishing derbies, winter sports competitions, family and youth activities and gourmet/game food events that promote outdoor and indoor activities.
Festive season celebrations
The Festive Season Celebrations category evaluates indoor and outdoor events such as choir festivals, tree lighting ceremonies, concerts, sleigh rides, festive performing and visual arts programs, candlelight walks, Santa Claus parades, carol singing, heritage and family events during the holiday season.
Goodwill programs
The Goodwill Programs category evaluates the impact on overall betterment of quality of life and enhanced lifestyles through the development and participation of goodwill programs by all sectors including the interaction and inclusions of seniors, youth, minorities and less privileged.
Tourism and promotion
The Tourism and Promotion category focuses on “Showcasing your Community” to encourage participation by local residents and tourists to enjoy all that the winter season has to offer in the respective community |
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How can I get Involved?
The magic of Winterlights is evident across the city as the community comes together and showcases the best of Brampton. Brampton is one of six competitors in the annual Winterlights competition that judges Festive Season Celebrations, Visual Presentation, Tourism, Goodwill Programs and Winter Pleasures. Barrie, Kingston, Prince George, Kamloops and Halifax are all fellow competitors in the 50,000-population category. Karen Neerhof and Claude Lachance will be judging Brampton on December 2nd and 3rd. The results of the WinterLights judging will be announced in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in March 2010.
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The Winterlights festival may be over, but the spirit of the season continues. Don’t forget to get out and enjoy all your community has to offer. Enjoy the open-air skating rink at Gage Park, or marvel at the 50,000 LED lights adorned along Highway 10. Your Guide To Winter Fun in Canada’s Flower City, a 3-month calendar filled with fun and interesting activities for everyone can be picked up at local Info Kiosks around the city.
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Ignite the Spirit’ in your community:
- Donate to local food banks and goodwill drives
- Volunteer at a local food bank
- Donate to the Toys for Tots program
- Volunteer at the local animal shelter
- Attend and support local festivals and events
- Coach a sports team
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Ignite the Spirit’ in your neighbourhood:
- Encourage you local school, church or community group to start their own food drive.
- Put up a light display outside your home or business
Help your neighbour’s put up their lights
- Shovel your neighbour’s driveway before they get up in the morning
- Be a Santa for a Senior
- Have fun shopping for another family for Christmas
- Knit warm scarves and mittens and share them
- Invite your new neighbours to join you for hot chocolate
- Start up a game of street hockey
- Go Carolling
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