Festival of Lights thanks donors as it gears up for the holiday season

The weather may not have indicated it but the holidays were on the minds of those gathered at Jane Forrester Park Monday morning where donors to the City of Belleville’s Festival of Lights were honoured.

Donations come from corporate sponsors and private donors and are used to purchase and update holiday light displays.

Councillor and Festival of Lights Committee Chair Garnet Thompson says they are always working a year ahead.

“The city doesn’t fund any of the displays anymore, it’s strictly from donations. So the funds that we got last year bought the new displays this year. This year’s is for 2024 so it’s important that we get them now so we can sort of work at what we add next year for displays.”

Some new lighting displays at the park this year will feature music.

Thompson says many who donate are repeat donors who want to see the annual holiday lighting display continue to grow.

“To take this to the level it is, is because of the donors and I think we’re probably going to be well over $50-$60,000 again, and it’s not even finished yet.”

Mayor Neil Ellis thanked the donors who he says have helped make the Festival of Lights one of the largest holiday lighting displays in eastern Ontario.

“It’s about the community and you see the generous donors here today that keep giving every year and expanding the display. And Councillor Thompson is motivated to get the display bigger and bigger and if it gets much bigger, we’re gonna have to find another acre of land to put it on!”

Thompson, who calls this his favourite committee to lead, says all will be revealed at the Festival of Lights kickoff on November 17.

The evening will feature a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

The festival will run into the new year and Thompson says they are working to include some entertainment on Friday nights.

2023 Donors to the City of Belleville Festival of Lights:

Fitzgibbon Construction
Reid Bros. Truck Service Inc.
K.G. Reid Trenching & Construction Ltd.
Culloden Family
MacKay Insurance Brokers
Ross McDougall
McDougall Insurance
Jewell Engineering Inc.
Carol Deacon (in Memory of Heather Huber)
Clearview Training & Consulting
Linda and Roli Tipper
Advantage Data Collection
Greenwood Paving
Unifor
C.U.P.E.
Shannon Williams
Laurie Newman
Crystal Wilson