Cavalcade Of Lights Shines Bright In T.O.

It’s an annual tradition adored by thousands of Torontonians, and with a flick of the wrist, it celebrated 40 years Saturday night.

The 40th annual Cavalcade of Lights got under way Saturday at Nathan Phillips Square, with Toronto’s official Christmas tree getting lit up with 100,000 tiny bulbs.

The event originally started as a way to showcase the newly constructed City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square in 1967, but now draws massive crowds to the centre of the city to watch musical acts, fireworks and to celebrate the fact that it’s finally time for the holidays in Toronto.

Breakfast Television’s Kevin Frankish hosted the event, but he was hardly alone.

Some of the musical acts on hand included included R&B group Jacksoul, pop and jazz vocalist Divine Brown, and the Joel Plaskett Emergency, and of course there were several thousand friends on hand swinging to the sounds.

And everyone was invited to the free party, including an artist that came all the way from France for the event. Xavier de Richemont was the man responsible for helping illuminate City Hall with a stunning 15-minute light show choreographed to music.

But that wasn’t the only thing to do at Nathan Phillips Square Saturday night.

While the host and Canadian musicians were breaking the ice on the holiday season, thousands of families and couples were taking to it, as the skating rink was unveiled at for another winter.

But Queen and Bay Sts. wasn’t the only place where Torontonians can see the pretty lights.

Cavalcade events are going on around the city in 19 neighbourhoods that are lighting their streets in a special salute to the holidays, and there is even transportation that can take interested parties from one to the next.

Other events will be held for four Saturdays as part of the month-long celebration.

For a look at all of the neighbourhoods with lighting displays and for more information on how you can tour these areas, click here.

And for more information on Cavalcade of Lights, click here.

Some facts about Toronto’s Christmas Tree:

• The tree traditionally stands approximately 50 feet high (exact height can’t be determined until the tree is placed in its permanent tree stand on Nathan Phillips Square)
• The tree arrives on a flatbed truck and is lifted into place with cranes
• It takes a crew of six people three to four hours to put the tree into place
• The tree needs three days to settle between being set up and decorated
• A crew of four people will take three days to decorate the tree
• Countless pieces of big machinery, including a cherry picker, are used to assist the decorating crew in placing each ornament onto the tree
• Unlike an indoor tree, Toronto’s Christmas tree does not need watering
• Toronto’s Christmas tree is recycled after the holiday season. The tree is mulched and is added to city walkways and flower beds