Friday, February 26, 2021 - Prairie Post West - 33 Best of the Best
Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden sets new attendance records for Winter Light Festival
CONTRIBUTED Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden is extending
their appreciation and thanks to the commu- nity for their continued support during their annual Winter Light Festival, particularly in a year where the pandemic and changing re- strictions have made things difficult for many people. During the garden’s two-month run of the Winter Light Festival, 19,585 guests came through the gates and enjoyed a stroll under almost 170,000 lights. This is a 17.6 per cent increase in visitation from last year’s festival. Although Nikka Yuko had to make changes
to how the festival was ran, they were able to open more evenings than before to accommo- date the community throughout December and January and the community did not dis- appoint. Throughout the two months Nikka Yuko ran the Winter Light Festival, 63 per cent of the nights were more than 80 per cent sold out with half of the nights in De- cember completely sold out. The garden cred- its the mild winter weather as well as being a fully outdoor experience during a pandemic for the jump in visitation. “Being an outdoor location certainly has its
advantages,” says Michelle Day, Executive Di- rector of Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden. “How- ever, we still had to do our due diligence to ensure our guests and staff felt safe and could enjoy this year’s display without the usual large crowds. We always thank those who make our Winter Light Festival their annual tradition, but it was even more important this year to provide the same experience during a time when many people needed something bright and positive to enjoy with their loved ones.” Government lockdowns near the beginning
of December initially put a question mark on whether the garden would be able to move forward with their fifth annual festival, but the staff worked closely with Alberta Health Services to ensure they were either meeting or exceeding guidelines and AHS’s approval
ensured guests were kept safe while taking in their family traditions. One of the more no- ticeable changes this season was the limiting of guests inside the garden at one time. In the past Nikka Yuko could see more than 600 people inside the garden at one time, but this year entry was limited to only 100 guests per half hour. The garden spans approximately four acres, so the limited capacity provided a quieter, private experience for visitors. Nikka Yuko is pleased to announce that, despite the significant increase in visitation, there were no cases of COVID-19 traced back to garden visitations. This year Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden
sent out a survey to those who attended the festival to gather feedback and assess areas of improvement. Of the 847 respondents, 93 per cent rated their experience as either four or five stars, with 56 per cent stating this was their first year at the Winter Light Festival. “In addition to the ratings, we also saw
many anecdotal comments of visitor experi- ences,” explains Day. “It’s heartwarming to read the countless stories of how important the festival was to our community this year, which reinforces the significance of Nikka Yuko as a place of serenity and peace for our guests all year round.” Nikka Yuko was pleased to have Panasonic
Canada as their Title Sponsor for the first year which gave national recognition to the garden. Kim and Sonny Nakashima, who have been Winter Light Festival sponsors since the begin- ning, sponsored the garden again and Tourism Lethbridge came on board for the first year as the Main Gate sponsors. All sponsors can be found online:
https://nikkayuko.com/
detail.as- p?ID=100&CatID=3
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