08/10/2026
✨🍁MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT🍁✨
Lights On Stratford is proud to present the ten interactive light installations chosen from artists across the country to represent this year’s theme, CANADA: NORTHERN LIGHTS🇨🇦
Swipe through to see all the incredible pieces that will light up the darkest nights of the year this winter👉
🗓️Save the date! The 7th annual Lights On Stratford is free to the public and runs from December 18th, 2026, to January 10th, 2027, Thursday through Sunday from 5-10pm
Visit lightsonstratford.ca for more updates!
📸: David Blakeman
AS WATER FALLS by Iregular (Quebec)
AS WATER FALLS is a “digital waterfall that continuously evolves with alternating patterns and visuals that are never the same. This virtual cascade is also accompanied by a changing soundscape that heightens the experience.”
📸: Bruno Aïello Destombes
FOREST CHOIR by Ottomata (Quebec)
A tribute to the silent majesty of the woods, FOREST CHOIR will transform the ecosystem of Tom Patterson Island this year by “intertwining atmospheric soundscapes and responsive lighting directly into the environment.”
GOLDEN EYE by Tonya Hart (Ontario)
Inspired by the Surrealist dreamscape that combines the iconography of the sun with the symbol of the eye, Golden Eye will come to life day and night to blur the boundary between reality and the transformative flow of light.
THE TUNNEL, THE PORTAL, and THE DOORS by BIG ART (Alberta)
THE TUNNEL
Composed of 16 towering cosmic structures, THE TUNNEL transforms any place into an otherworldly experience. Activated by an interactive console, participants turn each passage into a unique, user-driven experience through an infinite array of light and sound patterns.
📸:Britt Rose
THE PORTAL
Exploring human curiosity on a grand level, THE PORTAL lets travellers pass through its 16’ structure and discover hidden features via an
interactive console that controls a circular video screen, LED lighting, and cryo FX matched with a custom soundscape.
📸: David Blakeman
THE DOORS
A fan-favourite amongst Big Art enthusiasts, THE DOORS offers infinite moments of discovery through unique videos that change upon each door opening.
Lights On Stratford is excited to be launching, in the coming weeks, another Call to Artists to fill THE DOORS with artwork from across the country.
RHYTHM by ONGA Artful Light (British Columbia)
RHYTHM: Conductors of the Northern Lights" will transform Tom Patterson Island into a living, interactive canvas where light, sound, and human movement intertwine. Inspired by the organic waves of Stratford's Avon River and the fluid curtains of the Aurora Borealis, the installation creates an immersive journey where visitors are no longer passive observers, but active creators of the Canadian winter experience.
GOLDEN EYE by Tonya Hart (Ontario)
Inspired by the Surrealist dreamscape that combines the iconography of the sun with the symbol of the eye, Golden Eye will come to life day and night to blur the boundary between reality and the transformative flow of light.
STARLIT NIGHT by Sara Nieto (Stratford)
Lighting up the Destination Stratford Welcome Centre as part of this year's local artist spotlight, STARLIT NIGHT combines painting and interactive technology. Through capacitive touch interaction, each painting responds to human presence by activating its own combination of light and sound. Every touch contributes to each artwork, creating an immersive and playful atmosphere.
THE SHAPE OF ATMOSPHERE by Peg Dunnem, Simon Brothers, and Jeremy Cox (Stratford).
Another Local Artist Spotlight, THE SHAPE OF ATMOSPHERE is an immersive peepbox installation that combines fibre art, mirrors, moving image (video), light, and sculptural fabrication to create a compact but expansive visual environment inspired by the atmospheric beauty and mystery of the northern lights.
WHY DON’T WE TOGETHER by Dear Bear Multi-Arts
Rounding off our Local Artist Spotlight, WHY DON’T WE TOGETHER is an electric and intimate audio-visual installation featuring original Canadian audio short stories, rich soundscapes, and immersive lighting. Taking place inside "The Hut," a cozy 10 ft x 10 ft custom-built octagonal structure, audiences are invited to enter and choose from a selection of short audio stories just by pushing a button. Once chosen, the walls, seats, ceilings, and airwaves come alive to transport everyone into the world of each story.
100 MAPLE LEAF LIGHTS
New this year is a Lights On Stratford installation proudly presented by Gold Sponsor Downtown Stratford BIA, more than 100 MAPLE LEAF LED neon lights—made right here in Ontario—displayed in downtown storefronts and across the front façade windows of Stratford City Hall, creating a vibrant celebration of Canadian pride throughout the community.
Lights On Stratford is made possible through the support of its partners and the generosity of its community sponsors. It is financially assisted by Experience Ontario, a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming.
