BrightNights 2006

Mack and I visited one of the so-called Edmonton Christmas "traditions" last night: BrightNights at Hawrelak Park. With over 550 lit displays, this was the largest festival in its history. I had been to this event with my family once before, but my memory is faint.

This time around, it was slow going; poor Mack burned through an unknown amount of gas. Funny how this family-friendly attraction doesn't garner criticism from those against fossil fuels. But I guess when profits are directed towards charity and not Big Oil, such pollution is socially acceptable.

I couldn't pick out all twenty-five new displays, but I did recall a few from my past visit, including Santa's reindeer-drawn sleigh and the Jaws-reminiscent shark (oddly positioned this year in the "Sugarplum Village" section). The animated ones were definitely my favorite. In particular, the archer near the entrance and the squirrel in the forest.

I can't see how this could be an annual pilgrimage unless you had small children, but it wasn't a bad way to spend a holiday evening. I'd be more in favor of returning for the one-day pedestrian-only event in early November; it'd be a good opportunity to pro-actively work off the calories that would undoubtedly be gained over the season of eating.