
The Salish Sea Lantern Festival is an annual celebration of art, culture, light and community.
August 14 – 20th, 2022
During the Week of Lanterns, display your lanterns at work, home, or in your neighbourhood.
August 20th, 2022
Bring your lanterns to Beacon Park in Sidney
- 7:30: live entertainment
- 8:45: join the community lantern parade
Watch Simple Lantern-building Tutorials – FREE
ArtSea has produced free online lantern-building tutorials so that you can make lanterns at home! Check the list of materials needed, get creative, and then display your lanterns during A Week of Lanterns, August 14-20, and bring your lanterns to Beacon Park on August 20th to join the lantern parade!



Paper Bag Lantern Building Tutorial
Materials needed: Paper bag, tissue paper, electric tea light, felt pens, scissors, glue stick.
Papier-Mache Lantern Building Tutorial
Materials needed: Balloon, plastic cup or small container, tape, white glue, paint brush, tissue paper, scissors, hold punch, string or ribbon, and an electric tea light.
Jellyfish Lantern Kit – Tutorial
Pick up a jellyfish lantern kit – all materials and instructions are included.
For locations to purchase your jellyfish lantern kit, see section “Jellyfish Lantern Kits – $10” (below).
Purchase Jellyfish Lantern Kits – $10
ArtSea has put together jellyfish lantern kits for the community – find out where you can purchase a kit and watch a short video to guide you through a simple process of creating a jellyfish lantern. Don’t forget to display your lanterns during A Week of Lanterns, August 14-20 and bring your lanterns to Beacon Park on August 20th to join the lantern parade!
Where to find a jellyfish lantern kit:
The following is a list of Saanich Peninsula locations where you can purchase your Jellyfish Lantern Kit. Kits are $10 each (cash only in the box provided), and all materials and instructions are included to create a fun jellyfish lantern.
- ArtSea Community Arts Council – coming this summer
- Island Blue, Sidney, BC – coming this summer
- Brentwood Bay Village Emporium, Central Saanich, BC – coming this summer
- Buddies Toys, Sidney, BC– coming this summer
- The Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea Store, Sidney BC – coming this summer
Jellyfish Lantern Kit – Tutorial
Jellyfish fun facts:
- Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea
- How to Grow a Jellyfish – Seaside Magazine
- Jellyfish of the Sea – San Juan Safaris
- Record Jellyfish Sightings – JellyWatch
- The Fried Egg Jellyfish – The Marine Madness Blog
- Jellyfish 101 – National Geographic Wild
- Lion’s Mane Jellyfish: The Biggest Jellyfish In The World – Trend Max
- Immortal Jellyfish, The Creature that Defies Death
- Bionic Jellyfish – Advanced Science News
- Dangerous Jellyfish – Planet Deadly
Register for an Online Fish Lantern Workshop – $25
You are invited to register for an online workshop to build a fish lantern.
Workshop availability is limited, based on materials available at each location.









Online Workshop Cost:
- $25.00 CND, paid online during your registration process.
The workshop includes:
- Access to an exclusive online YouTube video, which leads you through the process of building a fish lantern. Once you have submitted your registration details and payment, you will receive an email with a link to the YouTube video. You can work through this video at your own pace, and you will continue to have access to the video as long as you have the video link (address). The process of building a fish lantern generally takes about 3 hours.
- Materials to build the fish lantern are included in the workshop registration fee. You can indicate the location where you would like to pick up your materials (fish lantern kit), during the registration process.
Ready to register?
Please fill out the registration form below; have your credit card ready for payment.
- If your registration is successful, you will be redirected to a confirmation page, and you will receive an email with the online video link. Thanks for participating in the Salish Sea Week of Lanterns!
- Don’t forget to send us the photos of your creations so that we can add them to the interactive map for the community to enjoy!
Register for an Online Star Lantern Workshop – $25
You are invited to register for an online workshop to build a star lantern.
Workshop availability is limited, based on materials available at each location.










Online Workshop Cost:
- $25.00 CND, paid online during your registration process.
The workshop Includes:
- Access to an exclusive online YouTube video, which leads you through the process of building a star lantern. Once you have submitted your registration details and payment, you will receive an email with a link to the YouTube video. You can work through this video at your own pace, and you will continue to have access to the video as long as you have the video link (address). The process of building a star lantern generally takes about 3 hours.
- Materials to build the star lantern are included in the workshop registration fee. You can indicate the location where you would like to pick up your materials (star lantern kit), during the registration process.
Ready to register?
Please fill out the registration form below; have your credit card ready for payment.
- If your registration is successful, you will be redirected to a confirmation page, and you will receive an email with the online video link. Thanks for participating in the Salish Sea Week of Lanterns!
- Don’t forget to send us the photos of your creations so that we can add them to the interactive map for the community to enjoy!
Salish Sea Week of Lanterns Interactive Map
Scroll around, zoom in, click icons for more information and to view photos.
Don’t forget to send us your Lantern Display Location (submit using the form below) so that the community can enjoy your beautiful creations!
Send us your photos and/or location of your display – Submission Form
We encourage participants to send us their photos and the locations of their displays to be added to the interactive map so that we can share your creations with the community (to enjoy from home, or by using the map to navigate to the display in person).
Stay tuned for the 2022 Salish Sea Lantern Festival Map, coming in Summer 2022.
Salish Sea Lantern Festival Media Coverage
Thanks to CHEK News and Veronica Cooper for profiling the Salish Sea Lantern Festival with ArtSea Community Arts Council. Vital People is sponsored by the Victoria Foundation.
CHEK News – Vital People
2020 Salish Sea Festival: A Week of Lanterns
2019 Salish Sea Lantern Festival with ArtSea Community Arts Council.
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Photo gallery from the 2021 Salish Sea Festival: A Week of Lanterns




































Photo gallery from the 2020 Salish Sea Festival: A Week of Lanterns








































































































Photo gallery from the Annual Salish Sea Lantern Festival Evening
The Salish Sea Lantern Festival evening celebration of light, community and artistic expression will return! The opening festival includes performances by Renee Sampson and the SENĆOŦEN Immersion singers and their traditional songs, and Holly Arntzen and Kevin Wright of The Wilds, sharing their Eco-Rock vibes, and original songs about the Salish Sea. Following the performances, community members participate in a procession of beautifully illuminated, hand-built lanterns that reflect in the waters of the Salish Sea.


Photo Credit: Bob Orchard



Photo Credit: Bob Orchard






































































Thanks to Artistic Director, Jennifer Witvliet and the volunteer lantern festival team!


Artistic Director, Jennifer Witvliet, and an amazing team of volunteers plan and deliver the annual Salish Sea Lantern Festival. This incredible team assembles jellyfish lantern kits, fish lantern kits, and star lantern kits, and provides lantern tutorials and workshops so that the community can create their own beautiful lanterns. They also create large-scale lantern displays around the Peninsula and organize the evening lantern parade along the waterfront in Sidney!
ArtSea would like to thank our Local, Provincial and Municipal Partners!
We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia, as well as the municipalities of North Saanich, Central Saanich, and the Town of Sidney.
















ArtSea is fortunate to operate within the unceded territory of the Coast Salish People – within the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation – Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tsawout and Tseycum peoples.