Détail de l’événement

The Stratford Tourism Alliance (STA) was founded in 2007 to act as a partner driven, private sector led not-for-profit marketing organization that develops, manages and promotes "Destination Stratford" as a national and international tourism icon. Their goal is to strengthen the local economy and enrich the quality of life in the City of Stratford and area. The STA is managed by full-time staff and governed by a Board of Directors and is funded by the City of Stratford, partnership fees, the Stratford Tourism Supplement (STS) and through other revenues generated through programs. The STA has been responsible for successfully marketing Stratford as a tourist destination for over a decade, but also adds value through destination development with visitor experiences such as the popular Chocolate Trail. While the STA had been planning to produce original programming, the public health crisis added urgency to that goal, and the organization has responded quickly to the Stratford Response and Recovery Task Force decision to develop and implement tourism recovery projects. The Task Force (with the STA as the lead) is launching a new three-month outdoor winter festival that maximizes economic recovery by leveraging Stratford’s reputation as a cultural destination and its proximity to major urban centers.

This application is for “2025/26 Lights On Stratford Winter Festival of Lights”, taking place December 12, 2025, to January 18, 2026. The Festival experience can be enjoyed by car but is optimized to be walkable, taking visitors through Stratford’s downtown core by foot or wheelchair. Introduced in 2022/23 and expanded in 2024, the popular hop-on-hop-off free and accessible City shuttle buses will return this winter. The theme for 2025/26 is “Radiance”. Programming will include:

(1) the Canadian premiere of “Chronoharp” (Market Square): a triangular form of light and colour responds to human touch with luminous animations that dance through its structure;

(2) the World premiere of the interactive “Birds of a Feather” which was co-created by Lights On Stratford (Tom Patterson Island)

(3) “Lightwall” a major interactive light art installation on the heritage façade of 70 Ontario Street, rejuvenated and upgraded as a year-round public art piece;

(4) “Everbright” within the Lights On Stratford welcome and warming centre; and

(5) “re(made) in Stratford Furniture Project” featuring large metal sculpture replicas of chairs that were originally designed and built in Stratford; and

(6) "Made-In-Stratford” displays.

Ancillary partner programming concurrent with Lights On Stratford, includes live theatre performances, concerts, glow-in-the-dark curling, and original Lights On Stratford poems recited on opening night by the new Stratford Poets Laureate.