The Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver will be turning off the lights in its restaurant on Saturday evening. (CBC)

Light bulbs around the province will give way to candlelight on Saturday evening, all part of Earth Hour, an initiative to urge people to switch off their lights for one hour to show support for the planet.

Local businesses, including Vancouver's Four Seasons Hotel, will also take part by hosting a special candlelight dinner, during which all lights in its Yew Restaurant will be switched off between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.

"We have almost 1,500 candles and they will be all lit by the time we open the restaurant at 5:30 so it's going to be a great atmosphere," said chef Oliver Beckert.

Organizers of Earth Hour are asking participants to turn off all unnecessary lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The lights at Science World were swtiched off in honour of Earth Hour last year. (CBC)

A spokesperson for BC Hydro said that aside from creating an intimate ambience, the act of switching off lights can lead to practical energy savings.

"If we did what we did during Earth Hour last year everyday for one year, we'd save enough electricity to power 4,000 homes annually, so it's quite significant," said Simi Heer.

Landmarks across Vancouver, including City Hall, the Vancouver Museum and Vancouver Public Library, are expected to dim their lights on Saturday.

The initiative last year helped officials reduce its power usage in the target hour by two per cent.

Earth Hour was started by the World Wildlife Federation in Australia two years ago and has since become a global movement. This year, one billion people from 84 countries are expected to join in.

Melissa Tupper of the Canadian chapter of the World Wildlife Federation is hoping the action will encourage a shift people’s future habits.

"A lot of people find that when they take that symbolic action, the simple action flicking off your lights for one hour, it does cause you to think about what you can do beyond that hour and inspires further action."

Last year, 50 million people worldwide participated in the movement and dimmed their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in New York's Times Square all stood in darkness.