Christmas carolling goes virtual in New Westminster

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NEW WESTMINSTER (NEWS 1130) – At least one city is hoping residents will go online Sunday, Dec. 13 at 11 a.m. to spread Christmas cheer for all to hear.

It’s part of a larger holiday campaign called Shine Bright New West, which is running until January 3, 2021.

Lisa Kempton speaks for the city, and says it’ll be hosting a virtual carolling and sing-a-long event that people can participate in in the comfort of their own home, and with their bubble.

“The campaign started with asking the community to light up the city, and from there we looked at different options for people to celebrate the holiday season in a safe way, and we added this virtual sing-a-long and carolling. The video will be presented online on Sunday, and we’re encouraging people to enjoy the video virtually, or with their immediate household at home.”

Other portions of the celebration include city holiday displays, self-guided walking routes and holiday light games involving scavenger hunts or bingo. Santa is also taking note of the effort to go virtual, and will lead an online storytime even the Sunday following.

The sing-a-long idea was pitched by 17-year-old New Westminster resident Elizabeth Irving.

“She’s a singer and a songwriter that’s really well-respected in the community, and she actually came to us with the idea, so she had done a sing-a-long actually for the Whitecaps, and she showed us what she’d done with the Whitecaps and had an idea for Christmas. We kind of took it from there, and ran with it.”

Kempton understands it’s been a rough year with people needing to stay home to stop the spread of COVID-19, but it doesn’t mean the spirit of the season needs to be put on hold.

“Even if you don’t like to sing, the video is actually something that would be really fun to watch, as well. It’s something you don’t necessarily have to sing, you can do it on your own, or you could do the sing-a-long and carol virtually with a group, so there are many different options to enjoy, and the video will also be available after Sunday.”

You can find a link to the online carolling event here.

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