Canadian Heritage lighting up downtown Ottawa for the holidays

The 34th edition of Christmas Lights Across Canada kicks off in Ottawa's Confederation Park, along with the annual illumination of Parliament Hill. 

The centre block building will be covered with festive multi-media projections once again this holiday season, starting at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday. The show runs nightly until 11 p.m., all the way to January 7. 

Canadian Heritage explained, this years theme is 'The Quest For Light.'

“'So we have different characters — we have Grizzly, Fox and Snowman, who are on an exciting journey on their quest for light through imaginary landscapes,” said Director of Capital Celebrations Melanie Brault.

Other live musical attractions are expected to accompany Wednesday's show.

Meanwhile, the Illumination of the Capital also kicks off Wednesday evening.

“We illuminate the Confederation Boulevard with 300,000 lights. It's basically illuminating Canada's ceremonial route and circling the heart of the capital region.”