Welcome to Day 10 of our
25 Day Ottawa Life
Christmas Calendar.
We’ll be updating with a
new treat daily so be sure
to keep checking under the
OLM Tree to see what’s new.
And don’t forget our big Light
Up Your Ottawa Life Contest!
It’s a brand new holiday attraction here in Ottawa, and The Gift of Lights isn’t going unnoticed. The two-kilometer-long drive through holiday light display opened over the last weekend in November, and since then the visitors have been showing up in droves.
The Gift of Lights is just west of the city, at the Wesley Clover Park Campground. There are hundreds of light up Santas, reindeer, skating penguins, dancing bears, igloos and more.
Some particular highlights include Santa’s toy workshop and a display that includes Santa riding on top of a dinosaur.
There is also a beautiful 100-foot-long “light tunnel” right as you exit. The tunnel is very effective, and if there was any advice to give to event organizers for next year, it would be… build more light tunnels!
The Gift of Lights takes around 20 minutes to drive through, but it can take longer depending on traffic. Weekend evenings are definitely the busiest and during those times it can be a slow drive. Visitors may have to wait in a long line to get into the display, and once inside drivers may find themselves stuck in front of a particular display for longer than they’d like.
Overall, the Gift of Lights is a lovely addition to Ottawa’s long list of holiday festivities. So, grab a hot chocolate, crank the Christmas tunes and drive through what could be a new holiday tradition for your family.
The Gift of Lights is open 7 days a week from 5:00pm – 10:00pm, and runs until January 1st. It costs $22 per car to visit, and tickets can be booked ahead of time online, or cash only is accepted on site. All proceeds go towards the Ottawa Senators Foundation. For more information, visit https://giftoflights.com/locations/ottawa-on/.
