Each year the town of Inuvik experiences about 31 days of darkness. From about December 5 to January 6, the sun does not come up. So about ten years ago the town decided to celebrate the return of the sun with food, festivities and fireworks. Because of the 24-hour sunlight in the summer, we cannot have fireworks for Canada Day or the Midnight Sun Festival, so our yearly fireworks display takes place in January. Instead of sitting at a park or beach in shorts and a t-shirt, we bundle up in our warmest clothes, bring along blankets and thermoses full of hot chocolate and watch fireworks explode over the frozen Mackenzie River.
Many people come by skidoo but others walk or drive their vehicles down onto the ice road.
For about 30 minutes, the dark sky will be lit up. And then people will trudge off home or to Ingamo Hall for an old-time dance. At Ingamo there will be coffee and tea, and men will be tuning up the fiddles and guitars ready for a night of jigging. Women will be dressed in traditional parkas of calico trimmed with Delta braid and sunburst ruffs of wolverine fur. Small children will be there as well.