Nearly 300,000 visitors have enjoyed Mississauga lights festival, which extends stay in city

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Published March 24, 2023 at 10:19 am

Last illumi shows in Mississauga until later in 2024

It appears a popular festival of lights that arrived in Mississauga last September can’t get enough of the city as it has extended its stay yet again–for a fourth time.

Also, visitors to the “dazzling” display–who number somewhere closing in on 300,000 to date–seem to be pleased with what they see and want the attraction to stick around.

The renowned Illumi–A Dazzling World of Lights, which set up on a huge north Mississauga site near Hurontario St. and Hwy. 407 last Sept. 14 for what was to be a temporary stay until early January, will now remain in Mississauga until at least April 30, Illumi officials say.

“With spring at our doorstep, we couldn’t resist staying longer and bringing the wonder of Illumi into the slightly warmer weather. Dates added to our calendar until April 30,” Illumi officials said in an email blast promoting the attraction and providing updates to the public.

They added that two new spring “thematic universes” are now available to visitors and that the attraction is offering a discounted $15 day on April 24.

Initially intended to close up shop on Jan. 8, the Illumi attraction first extended its stay by three weeks until Jan. 29. That date was then subsequently pushed back to March 19, then April 9 and now until the last day of April.

An Illumi spokesperson, when contacted earlier by insauga.com, wouldn’t say if the attraction plans to remain in Mississauga year-round now that its stay has been extended to seven-and-a-half months.

The spokesperson would only say that various plans are being considered.

Scheduled to come to Mississauga on several occasions since late 2021, the Illumi festival of lights finally opened in the city last Sept. 14. It’s located at 7174 Derrycrest Dr.

Billed as the “largest light, sound and multimedia show in the world,” the attraction is set up on a 600,000-sq.-ft. site that’s equal in size to 10 football fields, a spokesperson for Montreal-based Illumi said earlier.

“The extraordinary light show is the first of its kind in the Toronto market and the largest light, sound and multimedia show in the world,” a spokesperson for the festival of lights wrote in an earlier email to insauga.com.

Featuring more than 20 million LED bulbs, the seasonal festive attraction has captivated kids and adults alike “as they embark on a spectacular outdoor journey on foot through 14 magical worlds,” organizers say.

Brought to life by “cutting-edge programming technologies, the immersive Illumi universe features high-definition projections, jaw-dropping state-of-the-art animatronic creatures (and) thousands of light structures” in addition to the millions of brilliant LED bulbs, creators of the attraction say.

The show features seasonal theme changes as well, including Halloween and Christmas themes staged late last year.

Ticket information can be found here. Ticket prices are subject to change based on high demand.

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