Experience the River of Lights in Brockville

Saturday, November 30 – Monday, January 6
6-10pm
Blockhouse Island, Brockville

Will you be coming to Brockville to see the River of Lights this holiday season? In addition to the ‘who, what, and where’ of our event, we have put together a Top 10 round up of how to make the most of your visit to Brockville for the River of Lights presented by Canarm.

What makes River of Lights so special?

River of Lights is located along the gorgeous St. Lawrence River on Blockhouse Island in Brockville. Our technicians spend hours and hours programming each song in the show to choreograph the lights to sync up to the music, and don’t think that there is anything quite like it anywhere nearby.

How to make the most of your River of Lights visit?

Sharing is Caring: turn your car into a viewing theatre

Invite friends or family to come with you and set your car up for a comfy viewing experience by bringing pillows, blankets, and snacks. 

Drive by or stay awhile? Some people prefer to park and watch the show, while others do laps of Blockhouse Island, catching the show from every angle. If you choose to drive around, please be careful of other cars and pedestrians.

Make it a festive day and night in Brockville

The full light and sound show of River of Lights starts at 6pm, after it is dark enough for the lights to really pop. But that doesn’t mean that you should plan to come just for the evening.

Why not plan a day of it and get some of your holiday shopping done while you are here? 

PLUS if you collect 3 receipts from Brockville shops during your visit and turn them in to the Brockville & District Chamber of Commerce office at 3 Market Street West (it’s on your way to the River of Lights) you will be entered for a chance to win one of our weekly “Shop Where Your Heart Is” prize draws.

If you’d prefer, you can also enter your purchase information into our online submission tool.

Go for dinner first, or pick up a hot drink and snacks to enjoy in your car

The show lasts about 40 minutes before it loops around to start repeating tracks. Plan ahead and go for dinner at one of the nearby downtown restaurants, or pick something up from one of our many restaurants to enjoy in your car on site!

“Warm Up to Win” with the River of Lights is a partnership with Shop Where Your Heart Is. Pick up a hot drink to go from one of our restaurant and café partners and make sure to ask for the River of Lights coffee sleeve for your cup. Or keep an eye out at dinner for our branded drink coaster from one of our participating restaurants and fill out your contact details.

The coffee sleeve and paper coasters each serve as a bonus ballot in the weekly Shop Where Your Heart Is prize draws, so fill out your contact info and drop it off at the Chamber office. 

Turn your headlights off for the best experience (for yourself and others!)

Load up with blankets, hot drinks, snacks, and warm clothing. Similar to a drive-in movie theatre, we ask that if you park in a parking space to watch the show that you turn off your headlights so that you are not affecting viewers on the other side of the show area.

Idling in your car is not very environmentally friendly, so we encourage you to opt to turn your car (and therefore heat) off during the show and bundle up in blankets instead.

Take photos and videos

We love to see what you come up with, please tag us at @brockville_tourism so we can join in the fun. A photo feature is set up near the harbour building where you can stand with the light show framed in the background between the two archways to take your photo. 

Photo tip: Between 5pm and 6pm each night the lights softly change from one colour to the next and play without strobing lights or music. For serious photogs, you can get more predictable results (and colours) from longer exposure times during this hour than once the full show starts. You can also swing up to King Street where the Edison lights connecting lamp posts lend a warm glow to the downtown streetscape.

Check out the track list (songs may change throughout season)

Have a favourite pop song or holiday tune you love? Check out our playlist to see if your favourite song is on it, there’s nothing worse than driving away just as your favourite tune comes on. 

Prefer to be surprised? Skip to the next section!

• All I want for Christmas (Mariah Carey)
• Bring me love (John Legend)
• Carol of the Bells (Lindsey Stirling)
• Frosty The Snow Man (Michael Bublé)
• Holly Jolly Christmas (Burl Ives)
• Let It Go (Frozen, Elsa)
• Little Drummer Boy (Lonestar)
• Miracle of Light (8th Day)
• Mistletoe (Bieber)
• No Roots (Alice Merton)
• Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt)
• Thunder (Imagine Dragons)
• We three gentlemen (L.Sterling)
• Xmas every day (Simple Plan)
• Merry Christmas (Ed Sheeran & Elton John)
• Merry Christmas Everybody (Slade)
• You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch (How the Grinch Stole Christmas) – This one was voted in by attendees at last year’s show!

Come by early (or late) for a sensory-friendly experience

Each night, between 5pm and 6pm, and again between 10pm and 11pm, the lights are turned on, but the full light and music show is not in full force. The trees and features are lit up with soft lights that slowly change from one colour to the next.

This is a more peaceful experience that is more accessible to anyone with sensory concerns who don’t enjoy (or can’t be around) flashing lights and music. (Plus, see #5 on why this is a great time to take photos!)

Book an overnight stay

There are a few other light shows in the area, including Clow’s Christmas Trail, so you may need more than one night to see all of the lights that can be found in this area. Why not book an overnight stay and try them all? If you are from Brockville, invite your friends or family for a visit and make it a fun weekend in Brockville.

Overnight stays in Brockville also count as eligible entries towards Shop Where Your Heart Is prizes! Save your receipts and turn them in to the Brockville & District Chamber of Commerce.

Check our our Events Calendar for more holiday events and activities in Brockville!

Vote for a song to be added to next year’s show – survey coming soon!

We know you’ll be back next year, so make sure to complete our event survey when available and where you can tell us a bit more about your experience, and where you will have the opportunity to vote for a song to add to next year’s production.

This year we added “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” to the line up based on last year’s votes, and added new songs to put to the vote based on the suggestions in the comments.