DELIGHTFUL GARDEN
Winter Light Festival begins Friday at Japanese Garden
Michelle Day, executive director of Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, rings the bronze Friendship Bell on Tuesday night during a preview of the second annual Winter Lights Festival, which kicks off at 6 p.m. on Friday.
Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden is ready to light up the night with the second annual Winter Light Festival. Opening night is Friday at 6 p.m. This year features even more lights than last year with 114,000 bulbs illuminating the trees, bridges and the Pavilion.
“It’s going to be a little bit of magic right here in the city,” said Mayor Chris Spearman.
Not only are there 16,000 more lights, but they’ve also increased the number of dates the festival will be open to the public and added a mascot — Tomo the Cat. They’ve constructed a concession at the garden to serve hot drinks and are partnering with other organizations to enhance the experience.
“This has taken an incredible amount of work,” said James Phelan, Nikka Yuko’s marketing and events co-ordinator. “We have to give so much credit to the garden team here as well as the lights crew, which was hired through the society to put up all of the lights.”
The garden was also recently designated as a Provincial Historic Resource, so a great amount of care has to be used to protect the garden’s horticultural and structural pieces, he said.
“We can’t just staple away. We’re very careful to ensure the integrity of our structures here.”
Lead senior gardener Al White said the cold and snowy weather earlier this month posed a bit of a challenge getting the lights ready. Fortunately, the sun came out and the temperature warmed up a bit.
“When it’s cold and snowy, the light strands are very stiff and we have to yank and pull and twist to get them where we can get them into the trees,” said White. “Last year was much nicer, then it got nasty. Weather is always an issue with the lights, that’s for sure.”
They also have to be careful to protect the pine as it becomes brittle and breaks easily when the weather is cold, he said.
The crew has been working for about a month to ensure the garden is ready for the festival. It’s a labour of love as there are great physical demands with a lot of climbing in the trees, climbing ladders and lifting lights with poles and hooks.
But it’s all worth it as it adds another dimension to the garden, drawing more visitors when the garden would traditionally have been closed.
“This is a relatively new attraction and people just love the feeling of lots of Christmas lights,” said White. “It’s a really unique experience, that’s for sure.”
Opening night on Friday will include a special presentation and greetings from dignitaries, seasonal treats at the Sugar Shack Concession and a barrel cracking with samples of Nikka Yuko Japanese sake.
On Saturday, Nikka Yuko will also host sleigh rides around part of Henderson Lake from 6:308:30 p.m.
The Winter Light Festival runs until Feb. 3. Regular admission is $6 or $25 for a family or group of five.
Tickets can be purchased online through the Enmax Centre at www.enmaxcentre.ca. For more information and a schedule of Winter Light Festival dates, visit www.nikkayuko.com.