Thanks to everyone that participated in the 2022 The Salish Sea Lantern Festival, an annual celebration of art, culture, light and community.
We loved seeing your lantern displays in the community during the Week of Lanterns, August 14 – 20th!
And we were thrilled that so many people joined us for the Salish Sea Lantern Festival evening event in Sidney on August 20th. It was a spectacular evening with live entertainment and the largest community lantern parade to date.
Enjoy some festival images below, and send us your photos too!
Salish Sea Lantern Event Photos
Here are just a few images from the 2022 Salish Sea Lantern Festival evening event that took place on August 20th, 2022. We would love to see your images as well – share photos with ArtSea using the submission form below, or by sending them to admin@artsea.ca!
Photos taken by our community – thanks to everyone for sharing your images!
Setting up for the Evening Festivities…
The community arrives to enjoy and participate in the evening celebrations…
The Lantern Parade …
Thanks to everyone that helped to make this community event possible!
Submit your photos from the Lantern Festival evening event, or photos of your own lanterns or lantern displays.
2022 Salish Sea Week of Lanterns Festival - share your photos
Share photos of your lantern creations or your photos from the Salish Sea Lantern Festival evening event. ArtSea will include your submissions (with credit) on our website or social media channels. Thanks for participating!
Salish Sea Lantern Festival Evening Celebration – August 20th, 2022
August 20th 2022
The 2022 Salish Sea Lantern Festival Evening Event will begin at 7:30pm in Beacon Park, Sidney. Everyone is welcome to come and join the celebration!
Enjoy Live Entertainment, beginning at 7:30pm
Brought to you by festival partners, the Sidney Business Improvement Area Society (SBIA)
Create Your Very Own Lanterns
Don’t have a lantern yet? Pick up a jellyfish lantern kit (includes all materials to create a quick illuminated jellyfish lantern) at Island Blue, Buddies Toys, or the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea.
You can also build a Memory Lantern or Cup Lantern at Beacon Park during the evening festival.
Look for the new lantern building stations! Memory Lanterns are a unique and personal way to mark our lives; create a lantern in memory of a time, a person, a pet, or a place. Purchase a glowing lantern (by donation) in Beacon park during the evening celebration and carry in the Salish Sea Lantern Parade. There will be a ribbon attached to each lanterns to write your favourite memories. Memory Lanterns proudly donated by Affordable Cremation & Burial Vancouver IslandWest Shore Crematorium. You can also create a simple cup lantern; materials and volunteers for The Cup Lantern Station are generously donated by the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea.
Join the Community Lantern Parade
Please join us for the community lantern procession along the Sidney waterfront, beginning at approximately 8:50pm – see the parade route below.
The 2022 Lantern Parade will begin at the Bandshell in Beacon Park at 8:45pm. The procession will circle once around Beacon Park, then head along the Sidney Waterfront Walkway to conclude in Eastview Park. Enjoy interactive costumed characters and large-scale lanterns along the parade route, and onto the Sidney Fishing Pier.
View the Salish Sea Lantern Festival Interactive Map
Scroll around, zoom in, click icons for more information and to view photos of lanterns and lantern displays. You can also learn where to purchase lantern kits, navigate to marked locations, or print the map.
Click to view full screen – top right corner of the interactive map.
Click to view a map list – top left corner of the interactive map.
jellyfish icons – pick up jellyfish lantern kits at these locations.
fish icons – view community lantern displays at these locations between August 14-20, 2022.
heart icons – 2022 Salish Sea Lantern Festival sponsors and supporters.
The 2022 Lantern Festival Parade Route – begins at 8:50pm on August 20, 2022 and is marked with a purple line on the interactive map.
Don’t forget to send us your Lantern Photos and Display Location so that the community can enjoy your beautiful creations!
Jellyfish Lantern Kits *AVAILABLE NOW* – $10 (cash only)
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 below. 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.
- Island Blue, Sidney, BC – Now available!
- Buddies Toys, Sidney, BC– Now available!
- The Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea Store, Sidney BC – Now available!
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
Watch 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, hole 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).
Fish-lantern Building Tutorial
By popular demand, the amazing Salish Sea Lantern Festival team created a new, self-guided fish-building tutorial. For this FREE lantern-building tutorial, please see the list of required materials below, before you begin.
Materials needed:
- Bamboo strips for the internal frame of the fish – various sizes, according to the size of the fish you would like to create (extras are good in case some break). (See also tomato cage option below.) Bamboo can be purchased
- – 3 thin for ribs
- – 2 medium for body
- – 2 medium for body and tail
- – extras for fins and modifications
- Alternative for the internal frame of the fish: Collapsible tomato cage (use the three rings for ribs). These are available at garden centres, hardware stores, or dollar stores.
- White glue
- Masking tape
- Paintbrush (bristle or foam)
- Tissue paper
- – white or cream for 2 base coats
- – varied colors as wished for decoration
- Tea lights (2)
Have fun!
Salish Sea Lantern Festival Media Coverage
Seaside Magazine – August, 2022
By Alice Bacon for Seaside Magazine
Lanterns Light Up Sidney’s Salish Sea – CLICK to Read Full Article
Reproduced from article above, written by Alice Bacon for Seaside Magazine
It’s hard to imagine that Sidney’s waterfront could be more beautiful than it already is, but visualize a summer’s eve11ing at dusk, the tide reflecting the light of hundreds of handmade lanterns, the park filled with elaborately costumed characters and a convivial atmosphere of creativity and community, and you have the Ninth Annual Salish Sea Lantern Festival, returning to light up the night on Saturday, August 20, 2022.
Originally conceived of in 2013 by Artistic Director Jennifer Witvliet, the festival began as a simple lantern walk for children, and has since grown into a large-scale celebration of culture, creativity community and ecology, with elaborately constructed light-up structures of mermaids, orca, salmon and many other creatures of the sea, real and imagined.
Sidney has been Jennifer’s home base since age nine. Her family has strong ties to the water: her father Peter was a crab fisherman in Tofino and her mother Sheila has been very involved in the boating community in Canoe Cove and Sidney. Jennifer has always loved the water and her art practise has long been connected to themes of the sea. She attended the Victoria College of Art and Camosun College’s Visual Arts program before transferring to Emily Carr College of Art and Design where she studied fine art and filmmaking. After working as a production artist for the Inter-Cultural Association’s Luminara Lantern Festival for six years, and as artistic associate for Saanich Recreation’s Autumn Moon Festival, Jennifer felt strongly about creating the same kind of light and magic in her home community. She approached the ArtSea Community Arts Council to partner with her on the idea, and the Salish Sea Lantern Festival was born.
After a change in format due to Covid restriction, Jennifer is particularly looking forward to the return of the festival environment and the enhancements to the event chat are planned. “I am really, really excited about coming back together, creating spectacle and beauty as a community, ” says Jennifer.
“This year we have more installations, more performers, and more time to enjoy the magic together.” In addition to a procession of lanterns around Beacon Park and the Bandstand area, there will be more static installations set up for people to enjoy at their leisure. Areas along the walkway and the Pier will be emblazoned with various creations that have been produced by Jennifer and her team of volunteer artists.
“I just love working with the volunteers,” enthuses Jennifer. “It’s really neat – it keeps me going. We get together in a creative zone, working, talking, laughing and creating. Everyone lights up – it is just so positive. They seem to need me as much as I need them. The sense of community is really strong”.
In face, community participation is integral to the magic of the festival and the Week of Lanterns leading up to the event. The public are encouraged to create a lantern
to display at home August 14-20th and then bring it to the festival. Costumes, face paint, light-up accessories or whatever catches the imagination are also encouraged. Live entertainment at the Bandshell and throughout the waterfront area includes folk rockers Daniel Cook and the Radiators, the Uminari Taiko drummers, local singers, musicians, costumed interactive characters, giant puppets and stilt-walker. The price of admission? Your creativity and community spirit.
Salish Sea Lantern Festival is presented by ArtSea Community Arts Council. Details available at www.artsea.ca.
Photos courtesy Chris Cheadle, Nuttycake Photography, Bob Orchard and Sharon Stoose.
Source: https://seasidemagazine.ca/
Read Full Article (Click)
A lantern festival snuffed out by COVID-19 the past two years has reignited.
The 2022 Salish Sea Lantern Festival, organized by ArtSea community arts council, is in progress on the Saanich Peninsula and runs through Aug. 20, when the familiar procession of lanterns will parade along Sidney’s waterfront starting at 8:45 p.m.
The event also features costumed characters and music, with this year’s performances at Beacon Park coming from Daniel Cook & the Radiators, as well as the Uminari Taiko Drumming Ensemble, starting at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday.
The event sees participants create lanterns of various complexities, many with an aquatic theme. People can either build their own following a free online tutorial, or pick up a jellyfish lantern kit for $10 with all materials included at Island Blue, Buddies Toys and The Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea store in Sidney. Organizers also invite the public to create a lantern in memory of a time, person, pet, or place at a new memory lantern station.
RELATED: Traditional salmon designs brighten Salish Sea Lantern Festival
The event also features large-scale lantern installations around the region, with residents invited to tour them using an interactive map.
Thousands of residents and visitors have been drawn to Sidney for past editions of the festival, which ranks among the highlights on the region’s events calendar, offering a celebration of art, culture, light and community.
For more information visit artsea.ca
Source: https://www.vicnews.com/community/salish-sea-lantern-festival-lights-up-sidney/
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.
Salish Sea Festival: A Week of Lanterns
Salish Sea Lantern Festival with ArtSea Community Arts Council.
2022 Fish-Lantern Workshop Complete – Thanks to everyone who attended!
You are invited to register to join an IN PERSON fish lantern workshop.
Lantern Festival Artistic Director, Jennifer Witvliet, will lead registered participants through the process of building a fish lantern.
Workshop Details:
- Date: August 10th, 2022
- Time: 6:30 – 9:30pm
- Location: St. Andrew Anglican Church, 9686 Third Street Sidney, BC
- Cost: $30.00 CAD ($20 for ArtSea Members) paid online during your registration process.
- Materials: All materials to build the fish lantern are included in the workshop registration fee.
- Workshop is limited 20 people.
Registration is now closed – thanks to everyone that attended the workshop!
- Click the green button below to link to the registration form; have your credit card ready for payment. $30.00 CAD (or $20 CAD for ArtSea Members).
- If your registration is successful, you will be redirected to a confirmation page. Thanks for participating in the Salish Sea Lantern Festival!
- 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!
Photo gallery – Community Lantern Displays
Photo gallery – Salish Sea Lantern Festival Evening Celebrations
The Salish Sea Lantern Festival evening is a celebration of light, community and artistic expression! Past celebrations have included 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 and activities in Beacon Park, community members have joined 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 would also like to thank our community partners and festival sponsors!
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.
