Ten mostly Christmas things to do in the Hamilton area this weekend
Christmas lights and markets are popping up all around Hamilton.
You can expect sunny skies with highs around zero on Saturday and Sunday according to Environment Canada. Here are 10 mostly Christmas things to do in the area this weekend.
LIGHTS ON
Watch from home on Friday as they light up Hamilton's downtown with the Christmas Tree of Hope and festive lighting in Gore Park, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. cosy up with a hot beverage or meal from your favourite downtown restaurant and tune in for this year's virtual event (there will be no in-person attendance permitted for the tree lighting). The Christmas Tree of Hope Lighting and Concert marks the start of the Christmas season throughout Hamilton.
MORE LIGHTS
Hamilton's Waterfront Festival of Lights on Pier 8 - 57 Discovery Dr. is on daily until February. About 40 light displays dazzle the waterfront from dusk to about 11:30 p.m. each evening.
Walk, drive or bike through the lights and art show at The Cotton Factory, 270 Sherman Ave. N. Lights are on from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The RBG Winter Wonders in Hendrie Park, 5 to 10 p.m., Wednesdays to Sundays, Nov. 18 to Dec. 23, Dec. 27 to 30, and Jan. 2, 3.
Niagara's 38th Annual Ontario Power Generation Winter Festival of Lights is a free outdoor festival along the Niagara Parkway and across the city of Niagara Falls with more than three million lights. The months long festival can be viewed daily 5 p.m. to midnight until Jan. 10. wfol.com
Safari Niagara is hosting Glow Gardens, a family-focused, COVID-friendly, three-kilometre-long drive-thru event incorporating more than one million lights, a towering three-storey light tree, Christmas castle, and three-metre-tall snowmen that never melt. It's housed at the Stevensville nature park, 2821 Stevensville Rd., until Jan. 2. Admission is $30 for a single day, single vehicle pass. Advance tickets only. glowgardens.com
View the COVID-19-friendly Burlington Lakeside Festival of Lights nightly until Jan. 8, 4 p.m. to midnight, in Spencer Smith Park, 1400 Lakeshore Rd. Modifications this season will include centralizing the displays to allow for better drive-by viewing and physical distancing reminder signs throughout the park.
CHRISTMAS TREE
Get your Christmas tree this weekend and support Burlington Student Theatre and the Optimist Club of Burlington. A Christmas tree sale is on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Burlington Student Theatre Centre, 2131 Prospect St. COVID-19 protocols in place. Payment by cash or e-transfer only.
FESTIVAL OF TREES
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre's annual Festival of Trees is on display in the mezzanine at 440 Locust St., Burlington, from Nov. 25 to Dec. 22. This year, 10 pre-lit Christmas trees were decorated by local businesses. Tree bidding ends on Dec. 20 at 4 p.m., winners will be announced on Dec. 21.
ART AUCTION
Hamilton residents have a unique opportunity to support a newly arrived refugee family by purchasing local works of art at Just Art, an online art auction which begins Friday and continues to Dec. 10. Residents can preview and/or bid on the over 50 pieces of work by visiting justart.rockonlocke.ca. The artists have contributed the art to support an Iranian family of three, including a mother and her two grown daughters. The women arrived in September and were among the first refugees allowed into Canada after a six-month suspension on immigration imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. justart.rockonlocke.ca
GOOD SHEPHERD
Good Shepherd's annual Christsmas Wonderland (a traditional sit down dinner for over 2,300) is cancelled because of COVID but they have something a little safer in mind this December. Christmas Marketplace has been expanded to accommodate 3,000 households, until Dec. 24. Food, winter clothing and new toys are available at the Christmas-themed program, located at the Good Shepherd Venture Centre, 155 Cannon St. E., Hamilton. For more details, call 905-972-9485 or visit goodshepherdcentres.ca.
MARKETS
Ushi Mart Winter Holiday Market, located in the Cotton Factory, 270 Sherman Ave. N., continues daily until Dec. 28. Admission is $5 and will follow the City of Hamilton's guideline for public events. Visitors can book a scheduled time for their friends and family at ushi-mart-holiday-marketplace.square.site.
Mode Hospitality Christmas Market, every Saturday to Dec. 19, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Drummond Farms, 69 Concession 5 Rd. E., Waterdown. modehospitality.ca
Hamilton Farmers' Market, 35 York Blvd., has reduced hours due to COVID-19, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The market will be open Saturdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More markets
The Craftadian(R) Christmas Virtual Market is Saturday. This online shopping experience features over 50 curated makers, show specials, hourly giveaways and everyone that registers gets a complimentary virtual swag bag full of special offers from our makers. Free ticket, sponsored by Craftadian (value $2). We challenge you to shop local this holiday season. Digital Santa photos just $5.
SANTA
Santa's Holiday Magic Trail, featuring Santa riding on an antique fire truck with a police escort through Burlington neighbourhoods, begins this weekend. On Saturday, Santa will be visiting rural Burlington, Tyandaga, Brant Hills and Mountainside and on Sunday, Santa can be seen riding through the neighbourhoods of Headon Forest, Palmer Tansley and Millcroft. To keep everyone safe, Santa will not be stopping and residents are asked to view him from within their own homes or, if outside, maintain physical distancing rules.
VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS
The beauty of a mid-19th century family Christmas is celebrated at Dundurn Castle, 610 York Blvd. Victorian Christmas is open Tuesdays to Sundays, until Jan. 3, 2021 (closed Mondays). Admission is adults: $14, seniors/youth: $12, children: $8, infants: free, and family: $37. Rediscover Christmas in 1855 when cedar garlands graced the drawing room and the dining room was set for a feast. Call 905-546-2872 for information, or get your tickets online.
Evening tours require pre-registration. Dundurn Castle is decorated for Christmas in the evening. Tours run from 7 to 9 p.m. on: Dec. 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20 and 27. Cost is $25 per person. hamilton.ca/dundurn
Jennifer Moore is an editorial assistant at The Spectator in Hamilton. Reach her via email: jmoore@thespec.com