The magic of lights to make the Longwoods Road Conservation Area a winter wonderland – London | The Canadian News

With more than a million lights spanning a nearly two-kilometer stretch and a portion of the proceeds going to the United Way, the inaugural Magic of Lights event expects high demand for its Christmas drive-thru event at Longwoods Road Conservation. Area.

The approximately 25-minute drive experience in the conservation area in Mount Brydges, Ontario, southwest of London, opens to the public on Friday, November 19.

Kyla Woodcock of Woodlo Productions, which partnered with Funguys Events in Ohio to host the event, said teams began building the lighting fixtures at the park in mid-October and spent Thursday putting the finishing touches.

“We have used over a million LED lights with some beautiful displays to transform the Longwoods Road Conservation Area into a winter wonderland,” he said.

“The Funguys design the lighting installations and then install them where the local producer chooses to host the event. We are delighted that our partners at the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority have opened the doors of the Longwood Roads Conservation Area to us. “

As for the fundraising aspect of the event, Woodcock told Global News that the idea dates back to when he chaired the fundraising campaign for United Way in 2018.

“I realized that I really wanted to bring a great community event that would give away a portion of the proceeds from the event to United Way Elgin Middlesex, and make it a traditional recurring part of their annual fundraising campaign,” he said.

“The United Way campaign started at the end of September. It is still working now. It runs until March, until the spring of next year, so the magic of the lights is perfectly programmed in the Christmas season to be able to give back to our community. “

The event will last until January 2, 2022, with tickets, per car load, not per person, available online.

Woodcock says tickets can be purchased for specific days, and vehicles can attend anytime after 5:30 p.m. Until the show closes at 10 p.m. M. For the date your ticket is for.

“Avoid disappointment. Tickets will be available at the gates on nights when there is space, when there is capacity, but we expect them to sell out for most of December.“

Meanwhile, a well-established tradition of lights continues in Victoria Park next weekend with Lighting of the Lights.

The City of London is inviting Londoners to watch the switch flip over 75,000 lights in Victoria Park. The event begins at 6:15 pm on Friday, November 26 with live entertainment. The countdown to turn on the lights begins at 6:50 pm

“The lighting of the Victoria Park lights is a long-standing tradition in celebrating the Christmas season in London and I am personally excited to bring our community back,” Mayor Ed Holder said in a statement.

“At this time last year, we asked everyone to stay home and physically separated. While there are still COVID-19 precautions for turning on the lights, I invite all of you to come out and join the festivities safely. “

La Casa de Santa will also be running this holiday season through appointments that will be required to visit. More information can be found on the TLC Foundation website.