Mississauga welcomes holidays by lighting up Celebration Square

The annual lighting of the huge Christmas tree and the official opening of Mississauga’s largest outdoor ice skating rink are part of the festivities planned for Celebration Square on Nov. 26 as the City of Mississauga welcomes the holiday season.

Light Up the Square, which each year serves as Mississauga’s official kickoff to the holiday and winter season, takes place the last Saturday of November at the downtown core venue.

Festivities run from 5 to 9 p.m.

“It’s the official kickoff to the winter season, featuring the lighting of the Christmas Tree, live entertainment, ice skating, food trucks and so much more,” Mississauga officials say in an online description of the event.

Here’s the lineup of events for Nov. 26 at Celebration Square:

• 5 p.m.: ice skating, food trucks, photos with Santa, DJ Spinning and Light-Up Games (ice skate rentals available on-site)
• 6:15 p.m.: live music from the JukeBells, Celebration Square’s own “live juke box” that takes requests from those in attendance
• 7 p.m.: ceremony and tree lighting with Mayor Bonnie Crombie and council
• 7:20 p.m.: live music from Big Smoke Brass

Four glowing public art installations will also be located throughout the square for visitors to enjoy.

Celebration Square will also be the site of the city’s biggest New Year’s Eve party once again.

Barring a resurgence of COVID-19 or some other major development, it appears the square is set to once again host a huge New Year’s Eve party this year complete with all the associated events and attractions.

If that comes to pass, it would mark the first time since Dec. 31, 2019 that the popular outdoor Mississauga venue has hosted a complete New Year’s Eve celebration.

The pandemic forced the cancellation of the annual Celebration Square bash in 2020 and last year’s party, which was scheduled to include fireworks and everything else except for live music performances, was dramatically altered at the last minute.

In the days leading up to Dec. 31, 2021, City of Mississauga officials cancelled the fireworks and other organized events that were to be part of the New Year’s Eve celebrations amid new COVID-19 concerns related to the Omicron variant.

City officials said at the time that they made the decision in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases and the more transmissible Omicron version.

The Celebration Square skating rink remained open and several food trucks were on site, but all other festivities were cancelled.

While details of this year’s New Year’s Eve party at the square remain under wraps, City officials say on their website that big plans comparable to pre-pandemic times are in the works.

“Ring in the New Year with high-energy performances by international recording artists, grab a bite to eat from one of the many delicious food trucks and enjoy an explosive fireworks show at midnight,” the City says on its website about the Dec. 31, 2022 party, before adding “more details to come.”

The upcoming event is scheduled to get underway at 9 p.m. and conclude with the much-anticipated fireworks at midnight.

It’s open to all ages and admission is free.