The Downtown Victoria Business Association has just unveiled a massive “light village” attraction that will be installed at Centennial Square this December.
The whopping $500,000 installation will span the entirety of the square and is expected to light up the downtown core in future years as well.
Between December 13th and 30th, Victorians can attend the holiday display for free, unlike similar events in Seattle and Vancouver which charge visitors for entry.
A proposed layout sketch provided by the DVBA shows what the Square could look like:
The ‘Lights of Wonder’ attraction will feature local vendors as well, and may even contain a wine/beer garden for those old enough to partake.
According to the DVBA, this $500,000 investment can be paid for over five years which will save them money in the long run as they normally spend $130,000 per year on holiday festivities in the downtown core.
Last year, Victoria councillor Ben Isitt drew enormous backlash from the public after suggesting the city review their budget for Christmas decor, in favour of rolling back for the sake of inclusivity.
In particular, he noted that the giant sequoia in Centennial Square, which is decorated by the Downtown Victoria Business Association, should not be turned into a Christmas tree for the sake of inclusivity.
The DVBA says this light installation has nothing to do with the Isitt story that made national headlines, but is their latest idea to draw people to the downtown core during the holiday season.
