In 1987, Bill Fitzpatrick and a couple of Ladysmith merchants agreed that the town needed some more festive street decorations to enhance Ladysmith’s heritage/revitalization project. And the Festival of Lights was born.
The Festival of Lights could not function without volunteers.
Over 1,000 volunteer hours are put into setting up the festive decorations and 200,000 sparkling lights. The Town of Ladysmith has been a huge supporter of the Festival of lights since the beginning, helping make Ladysmith the Light Up Capital of Vancouver Island.
Service clubs like the Rotary Club and Eagles, along with many other organizations and downtown merchants have been major supporters of the F.O.L. for years. The Ladysmith Kinsmen Club even constructed a building to house the array of decorations for safe keeping each year.
The Festival of Lights also acknowledges their biggest “sponsors”, the residents of Ladysmith, whose ever-increasing core of volunteers enhances the essence of our community and makes Light Up what it is today.
