Canadian Pacific's Holiday Train made its annual visit to Hamilton recently. Below are some pictures from a really fun night. The train was spectacular and the live performances were great. The whole event had a really upbeat, feel-good atmosphere.

There are two CP Christmas light trains, actually, one that travels across Canada and one across the U.S. This year is the 15th anniversary of the train, and along with the regular tour stops, CP picked three cities to hold "signature events". Extra activities were added to these stops, as well as high profile performers. Hamilton (on Nov. 30) was one of those cities, with performers Great Big Sea, Natalie MacMaster, and Tom Cochrane and Red Rider sharing the spotlight with the star -- the train. Each band played for about forty minutes, great sets by all. In Hamilton, CBC anchorman Peter Mansbridge MC-ed the event. The site was packed, with estimations of a crowd of 20,000 showing up to take in the train and the music. The other two cities holding signature events are Calgary, Alberta (Dec. 7) and Cottage Grove, Minnesota (Dec. 14).

Of course, there are lots more stops still on the train's schedule for this year. So if it comes to your city or town, and you're looking for a fun outing, I'd recommend going to see it. And don't forget to take some non-perishable food items for their food drive.

Information about performers, the signature events, and the full Canada and U.S. train stop schedules can be found here on CP's website:
http://www.cpr.ca/en/in-your-community/holiday-train/Pages/default.aspx

Great Big Sea	Natalie MacMaster	Tom Cochrane & Red Rider