The Town of Gananoque, along with community partners, proudly presents the "2021 Festival of Lights"
The holiday season is almost here and with that, we welcome cheerful events and exciting festivities to share as a community here in Gananoque. Commencing on December 3, 2021, the Town of Gananoque, along with community partners is pleased to present the 2021 Festival of Lights, featuring a fun-filled schedule of events to take place over the month of December and ending the first week in January.
The kick-off begins on December 3rd at 6:30 PM with the official Town Hall tree lighting. Families will have the opportunity to experience downtown Gananoque like never before by enjoying a walk down Candy Cane Lane in Confederation / Sculpture Park. Take in the beauty of the season by enjoying a leisurely walk lit up with bright Christmas trees, candy canes, snowmen and more! There will be live music, photo opportunities, free hot chocolate from the Pumphouse Creamery and other delicious treats provided by local businesses.
Children will want to stop by Santa’s Village at the Pistachio Café / Maverick’s Patio on Saturday, December 11th and Saturday, December 18th between 2:00 - 5:00 PM to enjoy a special visit with Santa Claus as well as some unique holiday crafts and tasty treats. Be sure to bring a canned food item along to donate to the Gananoque Food Drive! Then, come by after dark on December 11th at 6:00 PM to enjoy holiday classic movies presented by HMG Silver Cinemas. Stories with Santa will also be featured on 99.9 MyFM on Wednesdays at 6:20 PM and available on their website if you miss it.
Stop by the Visitors Centre, located at 10 King Street East between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM Tuesday – Saturday each week to collect a Wood Slab ornament to decorate and share on social media for your chance to win a prize! Don’t forget to drop your letter to Santa in the North Pole Mailbox on the Visitors Centre porch by Saturday, December 18th!
The Town will also be hosting our annual Winter Lights competition. Residents are encouraged to decorate their homes for the holiday season, a group of local judges will pick a winner from each ward (North, South, and West) and one award is given to the business with the best window/light display. The judges will travel through every street in Town between December 17th and 19th to make sure they see every house. The winners of the Winter Lights Competition will be announced December 21st on the Town’s Facebook page. Each winner will receive a prize from one of our local businesses.
Finally, before settling in for the holidays, come by the Lou Jeffries Gananoque T.L.T.I Recreation Centre on December 22nd to enjoy free Family Skating with the Ice Princess and special performances presented by the Gananoque Skating Club.
Many of our community partners have also prepared events for all to enjoy over the holiday season. On December 4th at 5:30 PM, the 1000 Islands Gananoque Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the Gananoque Santa Claus Parade, featuring festive floats from community groups and businesses and the long-awaited return of Santa Claus! Also, enjoy special feature performances, Makers Studios, an Art Show and other festive activities at the Thousand Islands Playhouse, including “How Sweet It Is” Christmas Concert on December 18th! Concert admissions are $10.00 per person with proceeds going to the Gananoque & Area Food Bank. You can purchase your tickets at 1000islandsplayhouse.com.
We have created an interactive online events calendar to help keep track of all the special events taking place in December. For more information on each of the events please visit, Gananoque Festival of Lights - Events Calendar.
This initiative is brought to you by the Town of Gananoque, the Festival of Lights Event Committee, a tireless group of volunteers and dedicated community partners that include;
Doug Wark, Amanda Trafford, McKenna Modler and Emily Parker - Town of Gananoque
Bill Stewart – 1000 Islands Gananoque Chamber of Commerce
Meg Dabros – Thousand Islands Accommodations Partners (TIAP)
Susie Allan – Thousand Islands Playhouse
Rebecca Keyes – Thousand Islands Boat Museum
Nathalie Lavergne – Gananoque Brew Co.
Jaime Peterson – HMG Silver Cinema
Ray Stedman – Laverne’s
Lions Club of Gananoque
Rotary Club of Gananoque
and and many more!
