Created to show off Viljo Revell's new building, now a month-long festival
Cavalcade of Lights
What began as a single-night lighting ceremony to showcase Toronto's brand-new City Hall has run every year since 1967, growing into a month of free skating parties and fireworks at Nathan Phillips Square.
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Cavalcade of Lights was created in 1967 to showcase Toronto's then-new City Hall, designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell and opened in 1965, and the surrounding Nathan Phillips Square. It has run annually since, traditionally falling on the final weekend of November and kicking off the city's holiday season with the ceremonial illumination of the square and the official City of Toronto Christmas tree.
From one night to a month
Originally a single-night lighting ceremony, Cavalcade of Lights was expanded starting in 2002 into a month-long program, adding Saturday-night skating parties with live music on the square's outdoor rink, plus free public skating through the holiday season. Modern City material describes over 300,000 energy-efficient LED lights illuminated nightly, with the kickoff evening typically closing in fireworks over the square.
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