Calgary’s Lion’s Festival of Lights
Calgary’s Lions Festival of Lights has spent the last 32 years bringing holiday cheer to our community.
Photos by Mackenzie Hermann and Emily Dixon
Published Dec 2. 2018
The Lions Festival of Lights boasts 550,000 bulbs on 22,000 separate strings.
Photo by Mackenzie Hermann
Akari Maeda is an exchange student from Japan and also volunteers with the Lions organization back home. She volunteers with the Lions Festival of Lights because she loves “meeting new people.”Photo by Emily Dixon
The Lions Festival of Lights now uses only LED light bulbs for its display. Due to this environmentally conscious change, the event says it is now 99 per cent green.
Photo by Mackenzie Hermann
Earl Hoefling, head electrician at the Lions Festival of Lights, says he volunteers because “there are people that struggle at Christmas time, and that’s why I have been doing it all this time.”
Photo by Emily Dixon
Due to all the lights at the Lions Festival of Lights being LED bulbs, it costs the festival only $10 a day in power consumption.
Photo by Mackenzie Hermann
Fran Prettegriana says she volunteers with the Lions Festival of Lights because she loves “the camaraderie of a community coming together.”
Photo by Emily Dixon
An estimated 59,000 people per day will be enjoying the hard work of the festival's volunteers at the Lions Festival of Lights.
Photo by Mackenzie Hermann
Georgia Gardiner volunteers with the Lions Festival of Lights because “it brings the community together, and I think in this day and age, we are too isolated. Well, and it’s fun too!”
Photo by Emily Dixon
Johanna Lunzmann was an attendee of the Lions Festival of Lights and says she believes “it’s really nice having an option that isn’t crazy expensive, like [Calgary’s] Zoo Lights. It’s hard when you want to make Christmas plans with your friends, but you just can’t afford it.”
Photo by Mackenzie Hermann
The Lions Festival of Lights uses over 3 kilometres of power cords.
Photo by Mackenzie Hermann
Otto Silzer is the chair of the Lions Festival of Lights, and has been since it started, 32 years ago. Silzer takes pride in providing such a large and free light display.
Photo by Emily Dixon
Approximately 36,000 hours of volunteering over 32 years have gone into producing the magic of the Lions Festival of Lights.
Photo by Mackenzie Hermann
The Lions Festival of Lights thanks their “dedicated sponsors” for helping to cover the estimated $4 million it has cost to keep the festival running over the past 32 years.
Photo by Mackenzie Hermann
The Lions Festival of Light uses roughly 40,000 watts per hour, according to the Lions Festival of Lights website.
Photo by Mackenzie Hermann