Yellowknife (Feb 25/05) - We may not have seen them for a while, but today Yellowknife kicks off a month-long festival dedicated to the Northern Lights.

But even if it stays cloudy, the festival will go on since you don't have to actually see the aurora borealis to celebrate life under the lights.

Japanese photographer Tugoya Tanaka opens an exhibit of his aurora photographs at the Northern Frontier Visitor's Centre for the kick-off of the first Yellowknife Aurora Festival.

One of the festival's primary aims, aside from making merry, is to educate people about the Northern Lights.

Yellowknife happens to lie in the path of a magnetic field that produces brilliant light shows.

"When you see an aurora that goes straight across the sky, that east-west aurora - it's usually a very light one, often the first one of the evening - that's the magnetic field line that's exactly parallel to Yellowknife," said James Pugsley, general manager of the Yellowknife Aurora Festival.

"That's why our city is fortunate to have aurora on a regular basis," said Pugsley.

At 2 p.m. today at the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre, Mayor Gord Van Tighem will flip the switch on the aurorameter, a natural magnet hidden deep beneath the streets of the capital.

Pugsley said the enhancement of Yellowknife's natural magnetic field should increase our chances of aurora viewing and add creative energy to the city. And even though messing with magnets deep underground sounds like something a villain in a James Bond movie would do, he assured Yellowknifer the aurorameter wouldn't pose a safety threat to low-flying aircraft, small pets or people with pacemakers.

This weekend an exhibit opens at the visitors' centre featuring aurora photos by Japanese photographer Tugoya Tanaka.

Also, the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre will show an NFB film about the Northern Lights on Saturday at 3 and 4 p.m. The film will screen every Wednesday and Saturday throughout the festival.

Aurora-related activities

And those aren't the only aurora-related activities in town.

The Polar Bowl will have "aurora bowling" Tuesdays from noon to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 3 p.m. to midnight.

Astronomy North will continue offering glimpses of the stars through telescopes at the Yellowknife observatory (at the Dettah ice road) every Saturday evening, weather permitting. Some bars will even be serving aurora beer. If an aurora festival volunteer sees you drink one of the green-dyed brews, you'll win a magazine subscription and a chance to win a diamond.

Some might say they're stealing the green beer from St. Patrick's Day celebrations but Pugsley said the good saint would have wanted it this way. Like the aurorameter, aurora beer is also safe.

"Absolutely," said Pugsley. "There are no charged particles in the beer."

Additional aurora promotions will pop up as the month goes on. Also during March is the 50th anniversary of Yellowknife's biggest event - the Caribou Carnival.

There will be a concert series, more art exhibits, aurora menu items at restaurants, an auction and a treasure hunt. Details will be posted on the festival's website: www.aurorafestival.com.

Ultimately the festival is meant to get residents excited about the aurora and show tourists that March is one of the best times of the year to visit the NWT capital.

"This is a damn cool place to live," said Pugsley.

"It's not just about the lights, it's about celebrating who we are and where we are."