Image: Supplied by City of Mission / Public works crews in the city of Mission have installed 16 custom street lamps in advance of Shine Bright Mission, a community celebration and free folk music festival, set for Friday evening, March 3 in Mission. The custom street lamps represent various themes from the community, including the Mission Raceway Park, local First Nations, and the Sikh temple in Mission.
Shine Bright Mission

Mission installs 16 custom street lights for Shine Bright Mission, a free event on Mar. 3

Feb 22, 2023 | 12:49 PM

MISSION — Public works crews have installed 16 custom street lights on street lamps along First Avenue in Mission in advance of Shine Bright Mission, a free folk music festival and community celebration happening Friday evening, March 3.

Residents of Mission will have to wait until the festivities of the Shine Bright Mission event on March 3 to see them sparkle, but they’ll be worth the wait.

Shine Bright Mission will feature a first responders vehicle display, local performances, free activities, light activations, music, ceremonies, late-night shopping, a night market, community booths with children’s activities, lantern making, a red-carpet photo op and opportunities to support Mission-based businesses.

“Our days are getting longer and the sun is starting to show itself once again, so we are all eager to get out and experience all that Mission has to offer,” said Mission mayor Paul Horn. “This year we will celebrate our community through Shine Bright, an event that will highlight Mission’s warmth, light, neighbourliness, and to thank first responders for their tireless work during COVID-19. Join us on Friday, March 3 in celebrating our beautiful and welcoming home.”

The four-foot custom light displays represent different aspects of Mission including the heritage, special locations, and characteristics of what makes the community unique. The designs were created in consultation with community groups. Some of these light designs include representations of mountains, Mission Raceway Park, the railway bridge, local First Nations, and the Sikh temple.

Event goers can enjoy the search as they look up at the lights and find the connection to the city. For this, a self-guided walking map will be available on the night of the event at the Tourism Mission booth and online.

Forty-eight school-aged children, including many who attend Club Kids, entered the children’s light design contest and all these spectacular ideas will be on display at Gallery 202 for the event. Any children who participated will be able to pop in and get a postcard of their artwork.

The lights are simple rope designs to align with the historic downtown ambiance.

Shine Bright Mission is a community event set for the evening of Friday, March 3 in downtown Mission.

Made possible through a grant from the federal government via The Commemorate Canada – Reopening Fund, Shine Bright Mission encourages residents to gather in recognition and celebration of the frontline heroes that made our COVID-19 response possible and to support local business after then hardship of the pandemic

Shine Bright Mission is being organized by the partners in the I Love Mission campaign, a community-based project launched in spring 2020 that sought to bring the community together as neighbours to support local businesses during the challenges of the pandemic.

Visit the Shine Bright Mission for complete details.

This is a rain or shine event, however if an extreme weather event occurs the event will move to March 31, 2023.