Nov
18

Bright Nights in Stanley Park

One of our favourite times of the year is Christmas! One of our favourite events at Christmastime is the Bright Nights in Stanley Park Volunteer Appreciation Night.

Many (hundreds?) of firefighters volunteer their time to create a festive, sparkly Winter Wonderland by the Stanley Park Train, then invite families from the whole Lower Mainland to come and enjoy the scene. Even better, they start working on it in October! (Ever wonder how they get the Maple Leaf flag — made of lights — so high up in the air? I wonder if they use a fire truck with a big ladder?)

Besides bringing beauty to the season, they also use it as a fundraiser to support the Burn Fund sponsored by the BC Professional Fire Fighters Association. They use the funds to help hospitals and treatment centres get what they need to help people who have been burned get the help they need.

We have the annual honour of helping organizers thank the volunteers for their hard work.

We wear turnout gear (the special clothing that firefighters wear into a fire), Santa hats, drink hot chocolate, and have a great time playing Christmas tunes on our instruments. We love seeing families having fun, and the excited faces of children as they sing and dance along!

So, you can see why it’s one of our favourite events of the year.

Make sure you come out to Bright Nights to see all the decorations and ride the Stanley Park Train, and bring along some cash to donate to a terrific cause! It runs from November 26, 2015 to January 2, 2016 (except Christmas Day, of course), and you can learn more about it by clicking on this link to the City of Vancouver’s events page: http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/bright-nights-train.aspx

Season’s Greetings!

Picture of the Canadian Maple Leaf flag, all made out of red and white Christmas lights

The Maple Leaf in lights

About VFRS Band

Official firefighters' band for the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, serving Metro Vancouver since 1927.