Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens -- LNN

By Connor Gunn

Nikka Yuko plans for socially distanced Winter Light Festival

Nov 6, 2020 | 5:00 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB– For the fifth year in a row, Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens will be holding their Winter Light Festival.

In normal (non-COVID) years, Nikka Yuko would have up to 1000 people in the gardens at a time to view the festival.

This year, time slots will be booked for every half-hour and only 100 people will be able to be in at once to maintain social distancing.

Sponsored by Panasonic, the festival will have many different attractions this year for a reason to get out of the house.

This year has a theme:

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“Guests will follow the animated fictional story of a Japanese student, Yuki, in Canada who is determined to make it back to Japan for his sister, Hana’s, Coming of Age Ceremony but faces challenges along the way.”

The garden’s staff say the story will help visitors forget about any tragedy this year has brought and will allow appreciation for the evening.

“In previous years we would see an average of 666 guests per hour, up to 1,000 guests per hour during the festival,” says executive director of Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, Michelle Day.

“The capacity limits this season will allow guests more freedom to move through the garden and enjoy the lights without the larger crowds.”

To ensure smaller gatherings, the festival will be open four days a week instead of three and will be open from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm.

For tickets, see https://nikkayuko.com/

AR/CG