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City of Red Deer

Red Deer Lights the Nights offers festive fun all season long

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Red Deer Lights the Nights returns as a month-long celebration of the holiday season, starting this Friday, November 17.

Free, family-friendly activities are happening downtown and throughout the community, including:

  • North Pole Patio Party – November 17 from 4-7 p.m. at Ross Street Patio
  • Writes of Winter writing contest – through January 15, hosted by Red Deer Arts Council
  • Winter Market – November 24 and 25 at Millennium Centre
  • Rare & Remarkable Artisan Market – November 25 at Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery
  • Capstone Winter Nights Festival – December 1, 2 and 3 at Canada 150 Square
  • Downtown Twinkle Tour – December 15 throughout downtown
  • Santa’s Bus Tour – December 8, 9, 15 and 16 starting at 5:30 p.m.

Residents are invited to visit City Hall Park any time after November 16 to enjoy a beautiful display of colourful lights and festive decorations. Lights are turned on every day from sunset to sunrise until mid-January.

“We’re excited to welcome Red Deerians downtown once again to celebrate the season and enjoy the festive decorations in City Hall Park and along nearby streets. Everyone is invited to come out and participate in all the free activities that are planned, especially Santa’s Bus Tour which returns in December to bring Christmas joy to local neighbourhoods.”


North Pole Patio Party
Friday, November 17: 4 – 7 p.m.
Ross Street Patio

Santa Claus is coming to town – downtown! Visit with Santa in person on the Ross Street Patio as we celebrate the kickoff to the holiday season. Enjoy a free hot chocolate and cozy up to the warm firepits while the kids play candy cane games with the elves. Be sure to pick up a children’s craft bag from the friendly Family Services of Central Alberta team and check out the CMHA’s fun photo booth.

Kraze 101.3 will be live on location cheering on the holiday fun. We look forward to seeing you at this free family event!


Writes of Winter contest
November 17 – January 15

Red Deer Arts Council and The City of Red Deer have partnered on a writing contest to keep our imaginations warm this winter.

Red Deer youth, teens and adults are invited to create a short poem or story (fiction or creative non-fiction) with a maximum length of 500 words about winter and/or the holiday season in Red Deer.

All submissions can be sent to the Red Deer Arts Council at [email protected] for a chance to win exciting prizes. Works will be published for folks to read on We Are Red Deer and the Red Deer Arts Council’s social media pages.

Deadlines:

Holiday Season story deadline: December 10, 2023
Winter Blues story deadline: January 15, 2024

For more information, visit the Red Deer Arts Council website.


Winter Market

Downtown Market logo

November 24: 3 – 7 p.m.
November 25: 12 – 7 p.m.

Millenium Centre (location tentative)

Every winter, the farmers’ market makes a special appearance in downtown Red Deer to help you finish your holiday shopping. You can purchase tasty food and baked goods to feed the whole family, local beers and wines for holiday parties and beautiful handmade gifts sure to impress that special someone at this accredited Alberta Farmers’ Market. Join us November 24 and 25 for a great local shopping experience, with tastings and live music from local artists.


Rare & Remarkable Art Market

Saturday, November 25: 10 – 4 p.m.
Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery: 4525 47A Avenue

Join us for a unique Christmas shopping experience where you can explore the arts and crafts of some of central Alberta’s premier artists and craftspeople. Up to 15 artists will set up their displays throughout the MAG’s Remarkable Red Deer exhibit and gallery spaces, with artwork ranging from pottery, beaded jewelry, wool felting, textiles, oil, acrylic and watercolour paintings, sculpture, mixed media, printmaking, and more.

For more information, visit the MAG’s Rare & Remarkable Artisan Market web page.


Winter Nights in Capstone

Friday, December 1: 5 – 10 p.m.
Saturday, December 2: 5 – 10 p.m.
Sunday, December 3: 4 – 9 p.m.

Canada 150 Square, Capstone

Capstone presents “Winter Nights” an imaginative light and art festival featuring art installations by B!G ART, live music, entertainment, late night shopping, activities and more! For more information, visit www.liveincapstone.ca/events.


Frost Street PatioDecember 8: 4 – 7 p.m.
Ross Street Patio

Join the DBA and Spandy Andy on the Ross Street Patio for some frosty fun! Check out the children’s entertainers, activity booths and sip hot chocolate under the festive downtown lights. Bring the whole family together for an unforgettable outdoor celebration. Whether you’re grooving to the DJ or simply basking in the warm glow of the fire tables, the Ross Street Patio is the place to be for an evening of free family fun. Visit the DBA’s Frost Street Patio Party web page for more information.


Santa’s Bus Tour

December 8, 9, 15 & 16
5:30 – 8 p.m.
Red Deer neighbourhoods

Santa is back on the bus, merrily cruising down the streets of Red Deer! Check out the route maps below and give Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the dancing elves a wave – they light up this bus just for you!

We’ve done our best to help Santa visit each neighbourhood in the city, but due to his busy schedule he cannot visit every street. Please choose the route closest to your home to catch a glimpse of the jolly man and his crew. For safety reasons, please remain on the sidewalk or in your yard and stay off the street during the bus tours.

Tours operate from 5:30 p.m. to approximately 8 p.m. on the following evenings. Follow along on the MyBus website or app to see when Santa will arrive in your neighbourhood.


Downtown Twinkle Tour

Friday, December 15
4 – 7 p.m.

For one night, many Downtown businesses remain open late to help Red Deerians with their holiday shopping and to encourage the support of local businesses. Downtown visitors are invited to pick up a free hot chocolate and a copy of the holiday scavenger hunt on the Patio. Enjoy beautiful window and light displays throughout downtown as you make your way to your favourite shops. Be sure to snag some Reindeer Food and Snowman Soup during your visit, too!

For more information, visit the Downtown Business Association website.


A video showcasing Red Deer’s holiday spirit will be shared on The City’s social media channels so Red Deerians can enjoy the view from the comfort of home.

For more information on Red Deer Lights the Nights activities, presented by The City of Red Deer and the Downtown Business Association (DBA), visit reddeer.ca/RDLIGHTS and follow The City and DBA on social media.

City of Red Deer

Cindy Jefferies is Mayor. Tristin Brisbois, Cassandra Curtis, Jaelene Tweedle, and Adam Goodwin new Councillors – 2025 Red Deer General Election Results

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Showing official results for: Mayor of The City of Red Deer

# Candidate Name Votes Percentage
1 JEFFERIES, Cindy 6237 41%
2 SCOTT, Gareth 3483 23%
3 DOERKSEN, Victor 3143 20%
4 LEE, Lawrence 2215 14%
5 GALLAGHER, John 298 2%
Rejected Ballots 0 0%

Showing official results for: Councillor of The City of Red Deer

# Candidate Name Votes Percentage
1 BRISBOIS, Tristin 6703 7%
2 CURTIS, Cassandra 6422 7%
3 KRAHN, Chad 6249 7%
4 BARNSTABLE, Kraymer 6235 7%
5 WYNTJES, Dianne 6069 7%
6 TWEEDLE, Jaelene 5635 6%
7 GOODWIN, Adam 5290 6%
8 BURUMA, Bruce 5241 6%
9 GOULET-JONES, Calvin 5050 5%
10 HUIZING, Hans 4810 5%
11 BOUCHARD, Brandon 4528 5%
12 MACDONALD, Ashley Jason 3832 4%
13 BUCHANAN, Buck 3660 4%
14 MOHAMOUD, Zainab 3478 4%
15 SYPKES, Thomas 3459 4%
16 BECK, Gabriel 3370 4%
17 PARKS, Gail 2809 3%
18 YZERMAN, Calvin 2265 2%
19 WILE, Haley 1986 2%
20 COMÉTE, Christian 1843 2%
21 KLERKS, Kevin M. 1699 2%
22 ROBINSON, Don 1296 1%
23 MARTIN, Greg 656 1%
24 KLYWAK, Anthony 444 0%
Rejected Ballots 0 0%

Showing official results for: Trustee of the Red Deer Public School Division

# Candidate Name Votes Percentage
1 SOMMERS, Angela 3320 9%
2 BUCHANAN, Nicole 3180 9%
3 MACAULAY, Dianne 3119 8%
4 WATTERS, Jim 3038 8%
5 BAIRD SMITH, Emilee 2753 7%
6 DAVIES, Nathan 2749 7%
7 DALSTRA, Jason 2722 7%
8 CHRISTENSEN, Sheri 2701 7%
9 PARKER, Jenessa 2581 7%
10 PEACOCKE, Cathy 2573 7%
11 WILLIAMS, Danielle 2342 6%
12 ODISHAW, Shelley Lynn 2187 6%
13 SYMONS, Jessica 1881 5

Trustee of the Red Deer Catholic Separate School Division, Red Deer Area Ward

# Candidate Name Votes Percentage
1 ANDREW, Chris 2020 14%
2 MACDONALD, Brenda 1354 10%
3 REED, Martin (Marty) 1082 8%
4 LEYSON, Cynthia 1050 8%
5 HUBER, Emily 1037 7%
6 HOLLMAN, Murray 1036 7%
7 DONOVAN, Matthew 1021 7%
8 GROENEN, John 974 7%
9 STEEVES, Rod 921 7%
10 PASULA, Kim 911 7%
11 BECK, Gabriel 825 6%
12 HUNTER, Ashley 811 6%
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City of Red Deer

Plan Ahead: Voting May Take a Little Longer This Election Day

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News release from the City of Red Deer

Voters are encouraged to plan their vote and allow a little extra time at the polls this Election Day, Monday, October 20.

Because this year’s election uses Alberta’s new Permanent Elector Registry, voting may take slightly longer than in previous years. Municipalities are required to provide updated voter information back to the province after the election. As a result, many voters will be asked to complete an Elector Register Form (Form 13) at the voting station — even if they are already registered to vote. This ensures that voter information is accurate and up to date. Once the registry information has been updated, all forms are securely shredded.

Additionally, the Permanent Elector Registry is not shared with local school boards, so anyone voting for a School Board Trustee must also complete an Elector Register Form (Form 13).

We appreciate voters’ patience as our election teams work to ensure every eligible voter can cast their ballot accurately and securely. Once the voting process begins, most voters complete their vote in about 10 minutes.

To help avoid lineups, voters can visit Red Deer Elections website to check real-time wait times at each voting station and choose the location with the shortest line.

Anyone who arrives at a polling station and joins a line before 8 p.m. will be able to vote.

Thank you for your understanding and for taking the time to make your voice heard in Red Deer’s 2025 Municipal and School Board Election.

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