Mississauga festival of lights show delayed until March of next year

Mississauga residents who’ve been anticipating the arrival of a renowned festival of lights will have to wait until next March to see the show. 

Ward 5 Councillor Carolyn Parrish said this morning that Illumi by Cavalia, a temporary village constructed of lights and other multimedia displays that has operated in the Montreal area since 2019, is facing difficulties on several fronts that have delayed its Mississauga debut until March 2022.  

The attraction, billed as the “largest light, sound and multimedia show in the world,” was initially set to open here Nov. 1 on undeveloped land in the city’s north end. 

However, troubles both in hiring people and also reportedly getting the displays for its popular fall/winter attraction out of China, where the pieces are manufactured prior to being assembled here, have pushed the Mississauga opening date back by four months.   

Parrish, in whose ward the Illumi site is located, added the company is also having issues getting hooked up with power in time for a late fall opening. 

Ward 9 Councillor Pat Saito said this week at General Committee that getting materials “to build anything right now” is tough, and many businesses in Mississauga are having trouble finding people to work as the city recovers from impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Bonnie Brown, director of Mississauga’s Economic Development Office, said her staff can help—at least on one front.  

She said her office will reach out to Illumi to help them connect with Mississauga’s post-secondary schools and students there looking for jobs.  

Illumi is geared towards families and, once set up, is expected to be a large tourist attraction in Mississauga during the fall and winter months. 

The plan for Mississauga calls for the ticketed event to be located on a plot of land in the north part of the city. People can drive and walk through a series of themed light displays.  

Parrish said earlier that Illumi is having difficulty hiring people both on the front-end construction side and on the operations side once it’s up and running.  

Illumi officials said earlier this year they believe Mississauga is a great fit for the attraction.  

The plan calls for a five-year commitment on the privately-owned property that is eventually earmarked for development.  

(Photos from Illumi)