Here's what's new at Windsor's 2024 Bright Lights festival

A mainstay of the holiday season in Windsor, this year's Bright Lights festival opens next week with a handful of new displays and a licensed area for food and drinks. 

In an announcement Monday, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said this year's festival is "bigger, better and brighter."

"I'm proud of Bright Lights Windsor," Dilkens said. "Every year we try and add something new, keep it fresh and make it interesting to come back and see."

New this year is The Chalet, a licensed tented area within the market portion of Bright Lights that will offer food and drinks in a partnership with WindsorEats. The Chalet will be open Thursday to Sunday. 

"So many people throughout the years have said, 'Listen, I go to Detroit, I can go to Campus Martius. They have this wonderful cool area, this sort of lodge that is licensed. Why don't we have the same thing in Windsor?'" Dilkens said. "We heard you."

Michelle Staadegaard is the city's manager of culture and events. With the new chalet, she says people will "come and sit and enjoy some time with their family, have a board game, really kind of have that family kind of moment and then be able to get back out and enjoy the lights."

Also new this year is a display themed around the Northern Lights, featuring "diffused lighting in purple, green, blue and magenta," large-scale displays and an inflatable igloo tunnel with projections.

Other new displays include a fireworks light display and Henry, a giant five-metre tall moose. 

This year, the display will also extend to Ouellette Avenue this year with decorative lighting on portions of the main street. The new lights were a partnership with the Downtown Windsor BIA. 

The W.E. Made It holiday market will return on Friday and Saturday night, as will returning fan-favourite displays like Wish Upon a Star, W.E. the North, Candy Cane Lane, Merry and Bright and Santa's Workshop, among others. 

"This event is bigger than ever," said Gordon Orr, the CEO of Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island (TWEPI). 

The theme is "A Season to Shine."

TWEPI is introducing a Holiday Light Pass this year to "cross pollinate" the different lights festivals across the county: Windsor, LaSalle, Amherstburg and Kingsville. By downloading and checking in, visitors can earn points and enter to win a $500 gift certificate. 

Asked about the budget for the festival, Dilkens says its remained consistent over the years because they've been able to add new sponsors to the event to help it grow without spending more city dollars. 

The festival costs about $500,000 a year to run.  

Bright Lights will offer a sensory-friendly night on Mondays, when sound and strobe elements will be muted to accommodate sensory sensitivities. 

"Bright Lights is a an event not to miss and ... last year rated one of the best festivals in Ontario," Dilkens said. "We're excited to have it back this year. We look forward to welcoming everyone."

The festival will officially open on Friday, Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m. Once open, Bright Lights will run from 5:30 to 10 p.m. until Jan. 7. 

On Dec. 5, join CBC Windsor News at 6 for a live broadcast from Bright Lights beginning at 5:30 p.m. Drop by and take our brief survey for a chance to win an exclusive CBC swag and support our Make the Season Kind campaign.