Forget about lighting candles to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday as a nation. The Peace Bridge will flick the proverbial switch on more than 600 LED lights to mark the milestone.
July 1 is Canada Day, and officials at the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority say they will host a dazzling display Saturday night to showcase the occasion.
“We’ve got a special light show planned,” said IT Manager Roger Ripa. “A red and white, dynamically-changing light show on the Peace Bridge, in order to commemorate the special day and bring light to the special event for the region.”
The display will start at dusk. The light show will last about 20-minutes, but will run on a continuous loop until around 1 a.m.
The bridge has 621 individual LED lights – all computer controlled – that will be used to flash Canadian colors. Ripa predicted that people will be impressed by the display.
“It’s a pretty dynamic light show,” he said. “We’ve got a whole bunch of different changes and features that we’re going to show. We’ll be showing some different sections of the bridge in different colors alternating in red and white.”
Canada Day is proudly commemorated by many people.
“It’s kind of the day Canada officially became Canada,” said Ripa. “For Americans, it’s similar to your July 4th holiday. So, this being the 150th anniversary, it’s a significant milestone and it’s something that we’re looking forward to celebrating here on the Canadian side.”
People who would like to watch the light show are encouraged to find a safe location on the American or Canadian side to take a safe glance while driving past the bridge.
