There is optimism that the Lions Festival of Lights will go ahead as planned this year in Calgary, after the Lions Festival of Lights Society said last week that it’s been cancelled for the foreseeable future.
The conflict stems from the timeline provided by the city for organizers and volunteers to set up and tear down the more than 300,000 lights that make up the massive display at Confederation Park each year at Christmastime.
Under an agreement with city-owned Confederation Park Golf Course, volunteers would have to set up after November 7 due to end-of-season golfing, and tear down the lights by March 7.
Organizers of the Festival of Lights believe that timeline is unreasonable.
“By mid-October at the latest, we have to be on the golf course itself to allow us to put it up,” longtime Festival of Lights volunteer Earl Hoefling said.
The discrepancy over the timeline led organizers to send a letter to Ward 4 Councillor Sean Chu and the mayor letting them know the event would be cancelled.
“It was a big surprise for me,” Chu said on Friday. “When I talked to the city, it was also a surprise for them too. So let’s get together and get this done.”
But on Friday, there was new hope for the annual event, as organizers met with city officials to survey the golf course.
According to officials, concerns like safety, liability on the course and electrical infrastructure were discussed.
“They wanted to get a feel of the scale and scope of the project,” Hoefling said. “I have a lot of hope that we can move forward in a positive fashion.”
Chu said he, too, is feeling optimistic following a briefing he had on Friday morning regarding the event.
“They told me it should be a go,” Chu said. “I hope we’ll have a resolution real soon, and if not, at least before October.”
The festival is a free display that’s run for 32 consecutive years at Christmastime, according to the organizers.
The organizers will sit down with the city again in August and are hopeful a resolution will be reached.