Victoria Christmas Lights on Beach Drive

Light Up the City was both a competition of who had the best Christmas decorations in Victoria as well as a donation drive for those less fortunate.

In 2023 the event ran for the last time from November 1st until December 15th. It likely won’t be running again.

Thrifty Foods Light Up the City in Victoria

Organized by the Greater Victoria Festival Society, Light Up the City was a relatively recent addition to the Victoria holiday scene.

Light Up the City began in 2020 and was created as an alternative holiday celebration when the regular Santa Light Parade was cancelled that year. Light Up the City ran as a last event until 2023.

Light Up the City incorporated a few different elements into its festivities. First, there was a Christmas decorations competition. Anyone in the Greater Victoria area could enter themselves into the contest by decorating their home or business and submitting a photo of their place. Winners were decided by an online vote and there were lots of prizes.

How to Enter the Competition

Anyone in the Greater Victoria area could enter the Light Up the City competition at no cost. All they had to do was decorate their home, take a picture and submit the photo.

In a typical year each entry was submitted into one of five categories. There were apartments/condos, local businesses, community organizations, homes and First Nations communities. In 2021, three submissions in each of those five categories were declared winners and received prizes.

There were no set guidelines for the competition. Just light up your home, business or community and throw your hat in the ring! In 2022 there was also a map that included where all of the submissions were, so people could drive around and see them all.

To enter the contest in 2022 you needed to send an email with a photo of your place to gvfsvic@gmail.com.