Calgary’s Festival of Lights at Confederation Park Golf Course is no more after the Lions Festival of Lights Society said Friday it’s been cancelled for this year.
Society president Otto Silzer said he’s devastated they’ve been forced to make this difficult decision due to access issues.
“The dates the parks department is forcing upon us are too inflexible,” Silzer said. “We’ve been hassling over these dates for a couple years. We refuse to sign and they refuse to budge so we have no option but to cancel the festival of lights.”
“It may be permanently shut down unless we can get reasonable access to the golf course.
Silzer added that the expectation is to have the entire display taken down by March 7, which, depending on the amount of snow or possibility of chinooks, presents a challenge for tear-down.
“We could have two feet of snow still at March 7, or if we do get a chinook before then, then we have a soft surface,” he said, adding that taking ENMAX trucks onto the field when the ground is soft could cause irreparable damage to the course.
Silzer said the difference is a matter of a couple of weeks as crews would like to get into the course soon after Thanksgiving.
The festival is a free display that’s run for 32 consecutive years at Christmastime, according to the society. Silzer said as many as 3,000 people have come to the opening nights of the festival in past years.
Area residents who have visited the display over the decades were shocked to learn of the cancellation Friday. Mark Dean said he didn’t understand why the city wasn’t compromising.
“It’s been a long-standing event and all the years we have lived in Calgary,” Dean said. “Since 2001, we never miss it. It’s great in the winter, it’s uplifting and popular — I don’t understand that. If they want to nickel and dime something let them nickel and dime something else.”
Jamie Brunelle has been going there since she was a toddler and hoped to carry on the family tradition with her child.
“Just kind of sad. I feel like a lot of stuff in Calgary is disappearing,” Brunelle said.
The City of Calgary’s acting recreation golf and sport manager, Greg Shymanski, said their priority is to ensure the safety for the Lions, city employees and golf course users.
“The City of Calgary remains committed to engaging in continued partnership discussions with the Lions Festival of Lights Society. We’re optimistic that we can reach a solution so that the golf course remains accessible and safe for everyone using the site,” Shymanski said in a statement to Global News.
“Golf and sport operations has set the dates of Nov. 7 to March 7. These dates are aligned with when the golf courses are closed to the public. The Lions have requested access to the course when it is open to the public. This request brings safety and liability risks into play.”
In the winter months, the golf course is also open to cross country skiiers.
Silzer went on to thank the many volunteers who have supported the light festival since 1987.
“We do wish the outcome could have been otherwise.”
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