New downtown Christmas light tunnel is 170 feet long, features 30,000 LEDs

"Magic on Main Street" just got a bit more interesting.

The event, brand new for 2023, combines two old-school Penticton happenings – the Santa Claus Parade and the downtown "Light Up" festival -- into one theoretically fast-paced two-hour chunk.

And now the City is adding another incentive – a 170-foot-long light tunnel on the sidewalk in front of Gyro Park.

It features 30,000 LEDs and looks quite fantastic even in the daytime. We suspect anyone walking through it at night will feel like they've landed in a Hallmark movie.

Seriously though, the tunnel does add some punch to a downtown core that could do with an off-season pick-me-up.

“As a city," said Penticton sport and event supervisor Jeff Plant, "we’re really working hard to create a winter vibe and intensity that matches up with the summer feel. And this lighted tunnel fits the bill."

According to Plant, the tunnel is one of "a few surprises" the City will reveal during the official Light Up. We can’t say any more because we don’t yet know any more.

The very first Magic on Main Street kicks off this Sunday, Dec. 3 at the intersection of Main Street and White Avenue with the start of the 2023 Santa Claus Parade, which, we're told, is bigger and better than last year's iteration.

Light Up activities commence at Gyro Park as the parade arrives, with the official illumination set for 6 pm.

The still-unnamed tunnel will be open for all of it, and will remain open right through, and possibly beyond, the BCHL All-Star Weekend, Jan. 19 and 20.

The plan is to bring it back in succeeding years and make it a staple of the downtown holiday winter scene.