The 38th annual Ladysmith Festival of Lights starts with the Light Up Parade on Thursday, Nov. 27, with over 25,000 people expected to take in the 300,000 Christmas lights on display until January. (Ladysmith Festival of Lights)

By Jordan Davidson

light up ladysmith

‘First on the island:’ drones replace fireworks for Ladysmith Festival of Lights opening night

Nov 26, 2025 | 3:57 PM

LADYSMITH — A long-standing tradition to kick start the Christmas season on the mid-Island is back, complete with a new way to light up the night sky.

The Ladysmith Festival of Lights starts with the Light Up Parade on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 27, where Jolly Old St. Nick will be on hand to turn on the lights, with over 25,000 people expected to descend on the community.

Festival president April Marrington said this year’s new addition will be a drone show following the parade, replacing fireworks, which were scrapped last year due to changes in fire and safety regulations.

“The drone show is the first for the Island, and we’re hoping it’s a good one. There’s over 300 drones in it.”

The day’s festivities begin at 3 p.m. with a Christmas craft fair at Aggie Hall, with food trucks, live music, and street entertainment, including the return of the LED robots, a popular addition to the festival last year.

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Santa Claus will be available to meet the good boys and girls prior to the parade, and will throw the switch to turn on the over 300,000 lights around 6:15 p.m., along with his helper, a seven-year-old girl who won a draw to help the big guy with the honour.

The parade begins at 6:40 p.m. along First Ave, starting at Methuen St., down to the roundabout on Symonds St., where the 59 parade floats will then dismount to cross Hwy. 1

Volunteers with the Festival of Lights begin decorating the downtown after Remembrance Day, with the final touches being added right up to the night of the parade. (Ladysmith Festival of Lights)

Following the parade, the drone show will take place around 8:30 p.m. at Aggie Fields, but Marrington recommends watching from a distance at a higher elevation.

“We don’t want people crowding down around Aggie because that’s not going to be the best place to see it. The drones will actually be right above you, which apparently you have to be a little ways away from them to get the best viewing.”

The exact style of the show is a surprise, said Marrington, with Vancouver-based company Pixel Sky Animations in charge of the drones.

Much like a fireworks display, the drones require decent weather to perform, hindered by heavy rain, snow, or winds above 50 kilometres per hour.

Marrington suggests arriving early in Ladysmith to find a place to park your vehicle, as they expect around 25,000 people to converge on their town Thursday night, with traffic congestion expected with multiple roads closed for the event, including First Ave and Roberts St.

“It’s a small town, and most of the parking will be from First Ave. going upwards, uphill. You just have to find a spot… there’s only two ways out of here, one north and one south, so as long as people are prepared for that, everything should be fine.”

A small army of volunteers have spent the last almost two months setting up all the lights around Ladysmith. (Ladysmith Festival of Lights)

Marrington said it takes almost two months for their dedicated volunteers to set up all of the lights, with some of the smaller, more delicate decorations being put up last.

“We don’t have anything up before Remembrance Day. BC Hydro helps us put all the ornaments on top of the buildings, and then we have a crew that works on connecting them all, and they’ll be working even that night, setting the timers on them, because they have to come on all at the same time, and then later rearranged again.”

Thursday’s parade marks the start of six weeks’ worth of Festival of Lights activities, including their Old Time Christmas event on Dec. 5, as well as the Fire Rescue Santa Claus Parade on Dec. 21, with Santa in attendance for both events.

More information on all the events happening during Ladysmith’s Festival of Lights can be found here on their website.

The light displays along First Ave. will remain up until the second Sunday in January, taking about four weeks before they’re all boxed back up for next year. (Ladysmith Festival of Lights on FB)

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