56-foot Christmas tree arrives at Toronto’s Distillery District

The 56-foot-tall silver fir Christmas tree officially arrived in Toronto’s Distillery District on Wednesday.

The tree’s arrival signals the upcoming return of The Distillery Winter Village, which kicks off in just a few weeks.

On Wednesday, the tree was loaded in on a flatbed truck, then placed in Trinity Square at The Distillery District by crane.

This year’s tree was sourced from Drysdale’s Tree Farm in Egbert, Ont., located just one hour north of Toronto, and is set to be the tallest one ever.

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Over the next two weeks, designers from DIOR will come in and design and decorate the tree with almost 40,000 lights and all of the beautiful custom-made ornaments, said Rik Ocvirk, vice president of events at the Distillery District.

Ocvirk said while the planning process takes months, the decorating takes 16 days to complete or around “4,000 people hours” to get all of the lights, balls, ornaments and the big star on top.

“It’s a lot of work for a lot of people, but bit’s a lot of fun and we’re very happy to do it,” said Ocvirk.

This year, The Distillery Winter Village begins on Thursday, Nov. 16 with the official tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m.

Attendees can enjoy live musical entertainment.

Tickets are required for opening night, with proceeds from ticket sales going to support local charities and community initiatives.

Running until the new year, The Distillery Winter Village welcomes visitors to stroll along the cobblestone streets, enjoy food and drinks, and get a head start on their holiday shopping.