Halifax is lit up with socially distanced holiday displays

Overlooking the Tunnel of Lights display from the Halifax boardwalk.  Talia Meade

By Talia Meade

December 7, 2020, 11:28 am ASTLast Updated: December 7, 2020, 11:28 am

COVID-19 may have restricted some things, but it won’t dim our holiday light.

There are a variety of socially distanced light displays in the region, from downtown Halifax to Eastern Passage.

The big display this year is the light show projected onto Halifax City Hall in Grand Parade. The show is three minutes and 21 seconds long, and runs every 15 minutes, seven days a week from 4:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.

Moving over to Hollis Street, walk around Cornwallis Park to find a holiday tree that changes colour every few seconds.

On the waterfront boardwalk, the Tunnel of Hope is a lit-up tunnel you can walk through while looking out to the water. It is put on by the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia and is on every evening from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. until Dec. 20.

Downtown Halifax isn’t the only place to find some holiday cheer. Take a walk around the peninsula and beyond to find other light displays that are merry, bright (and safe).

South-end Halifax

Nick Giacomantonio’s famous Christmas lights on Connaught Avenue gather a crowd each year. The display includes a big screen playing A Charlie Brown Christmas on the front lawn and holiday music. Giacomantonio is also collecting donations for the Salvation Army.

There are many other houses lit up in the south end.

Dartmouth

There is a lot happening across the bridge if you’re looking for some cheer. These light displays are so bright so you see them across the harbour.

Sullivan’s Pond is lit up with lights covering the bridge and trees all around the pond. Walk across the bridge to find a 35-foot tree decorated with 11,000 lights.

Fisherman’s Cove

Local businesses in Fisherman’s Cove are staying open this holiday season to make up for lost revenue. The huts in Fisherman’s cove are usually closed after the summer but are open from Nov.13 to Dec. 20. At Christmas at the Cove, you can shop, eat and check out the newly transformed cove lit like a Christmas village. Stop into the local business huts and listen to holiday music. It’s on Friday to Sunday until Dec. 20.

Go out and explore the magical lights in the Halifax region this year.

Talia Meade

Student journalist from Ottawa. Interested in videography, creative nonfiction and politics.

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