Mild temperatures increasing Wildlights attendance

“With better weather people from outlying areas don’t have a problem with driving to come to visit the park. We’re seeing a lot of visitors from Salmon Arm, Vernon, and Merritt. It’s nice to see people from out of town because the locals, they always come.”

Grant says 19,266 people have already experienced Wildlights this year, with the majority of people – 2,808 – coming on Dec. 23 this year. Incidentally, the park’s best day ever on record was Dec. 23, 2023, when 3,129 people checked out Wildlights during last year’s spell of mild weather.

With nine days to go, the Wildlife Park is 8,824 people away from breaking last year’s record of 28,090 visitors.

According to Grant, the 23-day Wildlights event plays a crucial role in supporting the park’s operations during the winter and spring months when it’s closed to the public.

“That money is really important,” Grant said. “We still got [to take care] of the animals. There’s a lot of expenses still with not being open and no revenue coming in.”

The BC Wildlife Park will return to regular winter weekend hours once Wildlights concludes on Jan. 5. It will reopen on weekdays on March 1.

– With files from Victor Kaisar

by Sydney Chisholm

Mild temperatures increasing Wildlights attendance

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