Annual light show kicks off on Dec. 3
The sky over Norfolk County will be a lot brighter after the switch is flipped on the weekend to mark the beginning of Simcoe Christmas Panorama, says the event’s volunteer coordinator.
“We were able to get up high into the trees to add $5,000 worth of lights,” Caitlin O’Neill said Thursday. “That’s something we weren’t able to do the last couple of years so for sure, the park and the sky will be a lot brighter during this year’s Panorama.
“All of the volunteers have been working really hard to make this year’s festival special and we’re looking forward to welcoming visitors to the park.”
This year’s Panorama will be the first “full on” event since before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the event was a drive-through only and last year’s was a scaled-down version of the popular festival of lights.
The official turning of the switch to light up Wellington Park takes place Saturday Dec. 3 at 6:30 pm The first night of Panorama also includes a visit from Santa.
Following the opening night ceremony, the lights will be on daily from 6:30 pm to 10 pm
This year marks the 64th anniversary of Panorama which typically features more than 60 displays and 200,000 lights. The event also marks the return of two much-loved exhibits – Santa’s Workshop and Fantasy Castle – both of which have undergone major repairs.
“We’ll be unveiling the Santa’s Workshop display on Dec. 3 and we’re really quite excited about that,” O’Neill said. “In 2019 we felt that the display case wasn’t going to stand up anymore so we raised some money over that year and throughout the pandemic to build a new case.”
Fantasy Castle has always been a favorite exhibit of children. It will be along Norfolk Street and will make a big impact. It has been rebuilt, has a fresh coat of paint and new lights, O’Neill said.
Santa Claus will be in the park most Fridays and Saturdays for photos with children. There will also be a mini-Christmas market on Fridays and Saturdays featuring four or five local businesses.
Horse-drawn trolleys, decorated wagons that can carry 15 to 20 people pulled by two draft horses will also return to this year’s event on Dec. 10 and 17.
In addition to the exhibits and displays, there will also be some great food options including hot chocolate, cookies, hot cider and apple cinnamon doughnuts, O’Neill said.
Panorama is put on by volunteers and relies on donations and sponsorship to help us keep the lights shining bright, visitors to the park are encouraged to make a donation.
Visitors can donate at the hot chocolate booth or through the event’s Go Fund Me page at
www.gofundme.com/f/supportpanorama
. On peak days during the event, volunteers wearing large Santa hats will be collecting donations.
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