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Opinion: This Burnaby street is all lit up again and it's pure magic

Some readers say I am sometimes too negative and my response is usually that we’re in the middle of a deadly pandemic that keeps getting worse so it’s no wonder.
Chris Campbell
burnaby lights
The Christmas lights on Hastings in Burnaby. City of Burnaby photo

Some readers say I am sometimes too negative and my response is usually that we’re in the middle of a deadly pandemic that keeps getting worse so it’s no wonder.

But I do highlight the positive when I see it and I saw it last night as I was driving home.

Hastings Street in Burnaby’s Heights neighbourhood is all lit up again as the City of Burnaby has turned on the winter lights again.

And it’s glorious.

There’s something magical about driving at night and the street is full of lights.

It just raises the spirit, something we all need right now.

B.C. continues to endure a steep trajectory in the number of newly identified COVID-19 cases, with a record high 589 cases identified, according to health officials.

This is the first time in B.C. that the number of new daily cases has exceeded 500.

So, things keep getting worse with the pandemic, which means we could all use a little more light in our lives.

In total, 26 parks and public spaces are illuminated with decorative displays each winter season.

burnaby christmas lights
Burnaby City Hall all lit up, City of Burnaby photo

Highlights include Hastings Street, which has been transformed into a 2.3-kilometre holiday promenade of lights between Boundary Road and Gamma Avenue, and the Edmonds neighbourhood, which features several displays within walking distance of one another.

Thanks to the excellent efforts by the City of Burnaby, four new locations were adorned with lights for the first time in 2019:

  • West Building at City Hall complex is adorned with 350 shimmering lights, adding to an impressive display of lights at Deer Lake Park.
  • Kingsway and Edmondsfeatures a large decorative tree at one Burnaby’s busiest intersections.
  • One of Burnaby’s most scenic locations, Burnaby Mountain Park, comes to life with a display featuring floodlights and 14 illuminated trees.
  • Already one of the top spots in the city for families over the holidays, Tram Plaza at Burnaby Village Museum (opening Nov 23) now features decorative lanterns.

I look forward to crisp winter nights in which Burnaby is all lit up and my heart is warmed up amid this terrible pandemic.

  • With files from Glen Korstrom

Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.