Annual Lite Up the Nite Christmas Festival next weekend

by Morinville News Staff

Morinville’s Annual Lite Up the Nite Festival takes place November 25 through 27. Most activities during the weekend festival are free for the entire family. The highlight of the annual event is Saturday evening’s parade, the lighting of St. Jean Baptiste Park and fireworks display.

“We hope this weekend offers something for everyone,” said Kathleen Ducharme, Morinville’s Culture and Events Programmer. “The entire community is invited to take in the many activities, and events planned to kick off the holiday season.”

FILL A BUS

The weekend kicks off Friday, Nov. 25 with a charitable component as the Town Bus, Santa Claus and Council and Staff volunteers are assembled to take donations for the food bank at Morinville’s two grocery stores. The bus will be at No Frills from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at Morinville Sobeys from 1:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.

FAMILY SHOW

Dufflebag Theatre’s presentation of A Christmas Carol takes place at the Morinville Community Cultural Centre Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 per person or $35 for a family of four.

At the heart of every DuffleBag Theatre show is the desire to create an entertaining experience with their audience by making some comedic twists with classic tales. By selecting stories people are familiar with, the audience understands where Dufflebag deviates and inserts their version of things.

Artistic Director Marcus Lundgren said parents could expect to enjoy their show as much as the children. “We make sure that there’s just as much fun stuff in the show for adults to enjoy too. It truly is suitable for all ages,” he said.

Tickets are available at the cultural centre during business hours.

SATURDAY & SUNDAY EVENTS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Saturday offers a variety of activities for children and families to enjoy from morning to night.

The Lions Club will hold their annual Breakfast with Santa event at the Rendez-Vous Centre from 8:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. Cost is $5 per person or $10 for a family of four. Additional family members are $2 each.

The Cultural Centre will be home to a day of family activities from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. with crafts, a hot dog lunch, photos with Santa, and bouncy castle activities. Children’s entertainer Mary Lambert will perform A “Mary” Christmas at 1 p.m.

The Lite Up the Nite Parade will depart from the cultural centre at 5:30 p.m. and make its way along 100 Avenue. Santa will light St. Jean Baptiste Park immediately after the parade and just before the annual fireworks show.

Other weekend activities include the Morinville Farmers’ Market Christmas Craft Fair at MCHS from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 26. Admission is $2 per person. The Museum will also be open from noon until 5 p.m. with their Old Fashioned Christmas display. Admission is free.

There will also be a Skate With Santa event Sunday at the Ray McDonald Sports Center from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

A detailed listing of all Lite Up the Nite events can be found here.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Six minutes after our story was published, we received notification from the Town of Morinville that the Dufflebag Theatre show had been cancelled due to a lack of ticket sales.