In the thick of my first winter in Vancouver, I hit a little slump. Okay, maybe it was a big one. All I wanted to do was lie in bed all day. I felt lethargic, unmotivated, and depressed... and I couldn't really pinpoint why.
The remedy to my winter blues came in the form of an invitation to check out Lights At Lafarge, a free winter event in Coquitlam. According to news articles, this was billed as one of the largest light displays here. It reminded me of iLight Marina Bay, the art initiative in Singapore which sets up cool light installations around the Marina Bay district.
The biggest difference between the two? The weather.
It was a cold December night, and I remember temperatures were hovering around two to three degrees Celsius around Lafarge Lake. I had to wear gloves after a while because my hands were absolutely freezing. It was also a lot more crowded than I expected, but it wasn't too uncomfortable.
Not all of the light installations were impressive, but there were definitely some interesting ones. My favourite was the beehive (you'll see it in the slideshow above). I thought it was pretty clever of them to let it dangle off a tree branch.
This was also the first time I brought my new Fujifilm mirrorless camera out. Sadly, all my photos turned out terribly blurry because I was such a noob at shooting in near darkness. But my friend taught me how to tweak the the long exposure settings, and I thought those shots turned out pretty nice.
What I think is the biggest draw for Lights At Lafarge: The fact that it's FOC. I also like that the installations were pretty well spaced out, and that it showcased a wide variety of themes.
The biggest drawback: There aren't a ton of food options nearby, so if you're ever thinking of heading down next winter, just remember to get some food in your belly first.
And don't forget to gear up suitably for the cold - you won't regret it!
xx,
iz
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