Stores in Summerland’s downtown area will offer Friday evening shopping for the next four weeks.
On Friday, with the Festival of Lights, stores will extend their hours into the evening.
In the weeks following, the Summerland Chamber of Commerce is asking downtown merchants to remain open until 8 p.m. on Dec. 6, 13 and 20.
Christine Petkau, manager of the Summerland Chamber, said the ambiance of the downtown will add to the shopping experience.
“There aren’t a lot of communities that are as beautifully lit,” she said. “It’s really very pretty.”
She added that the chamber would like to have regular evening shopping hours in the downtown throughout the year.
Attempts have already been made as the chamber has organized movie nights in Memorial Park for the past few summers. This year, a Friday evening country market was also held on Victoria Road North.
“This is a wonderful idea,” she said. “Many merchants are already beginning to embrace it.”
The work involved in coordinating a regular evening event is considerable, she said.
The Festival of Lights, held on the fourth Friday of November, involves 800 hours of chamber staff time to organize.
In addition to the evening shopping, a wine event will be held in the downtown area on Dec. 6.
Wineries from Bottleneck Drive will conduct tastings at several retail outlets downtown from 5 to 8 p.m. during Wine Walk and Shop.