Festival of Nativities is Bethlehem bound

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on December 9, 2022.

Herald photo by Al Beeber A massive nativity scene is one of many on display at the Festival of Nativities which opened Thursday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 2410 28 St. S., just east of the Enmax Centre. The festival with around 400 displays is open to the public and runs through Sunday.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Hundreds of nativity scenes, ranging from delicate origami creations to life-sized displays, present a testament to faith at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints next to the Enmax Centre.

The church’s indoor Festival of the Nativities – Back to Bethlehem was launched in 2015 and has returned after being sidelined due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Last year’s event was a drive-thru with displays set up around the church parking lot.

This year’s festival opened Thursday and runs through Sunday with five community concerts being staged at the church.

There is no admission to view the displays which can be seen today from 1 until 9 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. and Sunday from 2 until 8 p.m.

A concert tonight starts at 7 p.m. while two will be staged each day Saturday and Sunday at 3 and 7 p.m.

About 5,000 visitors annually attend the festival.

While some nativities have been donated, the rest are on loan from members of the community, Cheryl Seaborn of the church said Thursday morning before several community leaders were taken on a tour of the scenes by Stake president Mike Steed.

On the tour, Elaine Leishman said the church tries to depict what Bethlehem may have looked like at the time of Christ’s birth.

The whole building is filled with nativities, some life-sized and done in exquisite detail. In one room, families can don costumes from the era and have their photo taken.

Since its inception in 2015, the festival has received between 350 and 532 scenes each to set up at the church, a process that takes hours upon hours to accomplish. This year’s festival has one of the biggest displays in the event’s history.

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