Catch the CP Holiday Train on Wednesday in Ayr at 5:30 p.m. or in Woodstock at 6:40 p.m. This year, Canada’s famous festive train also features a live performance from the Jim Cuddy Band.

According to the CP Holiday Train website, the family-focused event kicks off when the train arrives and the stage door lowers.

“The band plays their first song. After a brief presentation with local food bank officials and other dignitaries, the band resumes performing a mix of traditional and modern holiday-themed songs. The whole event lasts about 30 minutes.”

The performance is free but CP is encouraging healthy donations to the local food bank.

“Each and every month, millions of people across North America use food banks to make ends meet. Through the CP Holiday Train, we not only want to help restock food banks, we want to ensure people have access to healthy, nutritious food.”

CP Holiday Train stops are incredible photo opportunities and visitors to the train can enter their photos of the brightly lit train in the Capture the Spirit photo contest. There are six prizes that include a trip for four aboard the 2018 CP Holiday Train as well as a $1,000 donation to the local food bank.

1,000 feet in length with 14 brightly decorated rail cars, the CP Holiday Train is a spectacle. Each car is decorated with hundreds of thousands of technology-leading LED lights and holiday designs.

CP says that the Holiday Train has raised more than CAD $13 million and 4 million pounds of food for North American food banks since 1999.

“Anything raised in a community stays in that community. In addition, CP makes donations at each stop. In some places, the Holiday Train program can raise the majority of money a food bank requires for the year.”