Lights on Stratford

With the City itself as a dramatic stage, Lights On Stratford winter festival of lights will transform the downtown core with luminous art and interactive light installations.

Stratford is home to some of the world’s best artists, lighting designers, props builders and creative minds. Lights On Stratford harnesses this precious resource of local talent to craft a truly unique experience that can’t be found anywhere else.

Now entering its 6th year, the multi award-winning Lights On Stratford annual winter festival by Destination Stratford will once again transform Stratford’s heritage downtown and park system with FREE luminous art and interactive light installations.

The Lights On Stratford 2025/26 theme is RADIANCE. Officially defined as a “type of glowing: either from a light source like the sun or a healthy, beaming person,” event organizers extend the concept of radiance to reflect a community that comes together on a winter’s night to celebrate art and light.

CHRONOHARP
Market Square will be brought to life in spectacular fashion with the Canadian premiere of CHRONOHARP, which debuted to rave reviews at Vivid international light festival in Sidney, Australia.

“We are thrilled to present the Canadian debut of CHRONOHARP at Lights On Stratford,” said Simone Chua, Director of Amigo & Amigo. “This is one of our signature works—an immersive installation that celebrates the beauty of music and community connection. The scale is impressive, and we hope Stratford audiences truly enjoy the experience.”

CHRONOHARP reimagines the traditional harp’s beauty into a mesmerising visual symphony, with interactive light and color animations that invite all to engage in a dynamic display of evolving hues and harmonious sound.

CHRONOHARP’s intricate, triangular form of light and colour responds to human touch, cascading with luminous animations that dance through its structure. Unlike its solitary muse, CHRONOHARP beckons all to partake in its accessible allure.

As each interaction unfolds, the prism evolves from a pristine white to a kaleidoscope of hues, culminating in a choreographed display of light and sound, meticulously crafted in collaboration with sound studio, Otis Studio, and accomplished harpist, Kate Moloney.

“The BIA is very excited to be the gold sponsor of the CHRONOHARP light art installation this winter in Market Square,” said Jamie Pritchard, General Manager of the Downtown Stratford BIA. “The piece is breathtaking and interactive so that those that visit the heart of our community can actually play this amazing massive harp.”

“After experiencing CHRONOHARP in person, I was inspired by how it draws people in; inviting them to listen, play, and engage with each other in a shared moment of joy. I’m thrilled to bring that spirit of connection to Stratford,” said Kaileigh Krysztofiak, General Manager, Lights On Stratford.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

BIRDS OF A FEATHER will be unveiled on Tom Patterson Island for its world premiere at Lights On Stratford as a new interactive light art installation owned by Destination Stratford and created in collaboration with international interactive art pioneers Amigo & Amigo.

“BIRDS OF A FEATHER is about celebrating community, creativity, and the resilience of Canadian winters,” said Simone Chua, Director of Amigo & Amigo. “Our collaboration with Lights On Stratford has grown over several years, built on a mutual love of creating transformative public art, and it has been a joyful partnership in bringing this vision to life.”

The six supersized birds range from 6.5 feet to 13 feet in height with each internally lit bird featuring a beautiful soundscape and an interactive artistic bird call initiated by talking, whistling or singing to the bird.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER naming competition

Meet the flock! The Stratford Community Brain Trust has spoken and the six brilliant birds from our BIRDS OF A FEATHER installation officially have names:

🦉 WHOO-DINI the Snowy Owl
🐤 SUNSHINE the Goldfinch
🎩 AVONDEE the Black-capped Chickadee
🔨 TAPS (Sir Taps-a-Lot) the Downy Woodpecker
🪶 JAYSTIN PEEPER the Blue Jay
❤️ TOM TWEETERSON the Northern Cardinal

“Lights On Stratford is all about creating experiences together, and our partnership with Amigo & Amigo brings that spirit to life,” said Kaileigh Krysztofiak, General Manager, Lights On Stratford. “With original Canadian elements like an interactive audio composition, we’re celebrating local creativity and inviting audiences to join the fun in the same sound-reactive way they love with our LightWall installation. Get your bird calls ready!”

The BIRDS OF A FEATHER species were selected for their radiant beauty, evocative bird calls, and that their wintering grounds include Stratford and the surrounding region. Local birders will be thrilled with sightings of the Black-Capped Chickadee, Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Cardinal and Snowy Owl, both on Tom Patterson Island and in the wild.

“Lights On Stratford continues to evolve, and our co-creation partnership with Amigo & Amigo for BIRDS OF A FEATHER allows us to share these magnificent interactive birds with our community beyond our winter lights festival for future programming and popups across Stratford,” said Zac Gribble, Executive Director, Destination Stratford and Festival Director, Lights On Stratford. “We’re also excited for our BIRDS OF A FEATHER to occasionally migrate from Stratford to bring delight to other communities, destinations and light festivals before their return flight home to our city.”

Destination Stratford looks forward to collaborating with local schools and community groups to name each of the six birds, celebrating our shared creativity while uncovering the unique characteristics, histories, and stories of each bird species.

As a result of embarking on this creative project, Destination Stratford is collaborating with Nature Canada with their Bird Friendly Cities initiative. In the last 50 years, North American bird populations have dropped by more than 25%, and BIRDS OF A FEATHER will also be used to highlight the importance of reversing this trend.

“Resident and migratory birds in Canada need our help. There are many ways community members and elected officials can take action to save bird lives in the spaces we share with them. From habitat protection, threat reduction and community outreach we all have a role to play in conserving birds,” said Autumn Jordan, Nature Canada’s Bird Friendly City Organizer. “As Stratford works towards becoming a Bird Friendly Certified City in advance of the Lights On Stratford Festival, I am delighted to collaborate together on this important work to protect, defend, and restore bird populations in Stratford.”

“RTO4 is pleased to support BIRDS OF A FEATHER, a project that exemplifies the power of tourism innovation through culture and art. Creative initiatives like this not only enrich the visitor experience but also strengthen the unique identity of our region, making it a more vibrant and compelling destination for all,” said Andrea Gardi, Executive Director of RTO4.

“It takes a village to build a winter lights festival, and we’re now a global village with incredible local and international artists coming together to make Stratford radiant with joy and wonder,” said Zac Gribble, Executive Director, Destination Stratford and Festival Director, Lights On Stratford. “We’re incredibly excited about showcasing CHRONOHARP in Market Square and BIRDS OF A FEATHER on Tom Patterson Island, and we look forward to announcing more Lights On Stratford displays and experiences soon.”

Prepare to be mesmerized this winter when interactive displays will light up nightly Thursday through Sunday from 5-10pm. The 6th annual Lights On Stratford is free to the public and set to launch on December 12th, 2025 until January 18th, 2026. And in the interim, be sure to check out the recently released 5 YEARS OF LIGHTS ON STRATFORD video:

Who is it for?

ALL AGES

Date: Thursday – Sunday, December 12, 2025 through to January 18, 2026 | 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM

 

Venue & Address

Downtown Stratford

Map

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