Thanks to everyone that joined the Salish Sea Lantern Festival
Thanks to everyone that came out to join the 10th annual Salish Sea Lantern Festival! It was a wonderful celebration of art, light, culture, and community!
Thanks to evening emcee, "Capitan" Cam Culham. And thank you for the warm welcome from Town of Sidney Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith and Councillor Terri O'Keeffe.
Thanks to the Sidney BIA for sponsoring the evening entertainment, including Daniel Cook and the Radiators put on an amazing show for the community!
Affordable Cremations provided memory lanterns at the Salish Sea Lantern Festival, and have donated proceeds to the Friends to St. Andrews outreach to the homeless and food insecure.
Thanks to Thrifty Foods for providing volunteers and refreshments for the Salish Sea Lantern Festival volunteers.
Thanks to Panorama Recreation Centre for hosting the jellyfish lantern bloom during the month of August, and for providing volunteers and free tattoos for the community.
Thanks to Luca Witvliet and Sam McCandlish for providing face painting!
Thanks to our wonderful community for sharing their experience online!
SHARE YOUR PHOTOS of the Salish Sea Lantern Festival (submission form)
We would love to see the lanterns and/or lantern displays that you have created for the Week of Lanterns and Salish Sea Lantern Festival. Please send us your photos using the submission form so we can share them with the community on our website and social media channels.
2023 Salish Sea Lantern Festival – EVENING FESTIVAL: August 26th, 2023 –
Join the community at
Beacon Park in Sidney, BC
August 26th, 2023
Live Entertainment
and Lantern Parade
beginning at 6:30pm
West Shore Crematorium
Look for the Memory Lantern Cart at the evening festival. Purchase a glowing lantern (by donation) in Beacon park during the evening celebration and carry in the Salish Sea Lantern Parade. Memory Lanterns are a unique and personal way to mark our lives; there is a ribbon attached to each lantern write your favourite memory of a time, a person, a pet, or a place. Memory Lanterns generously donated by Affordable Cremation & Burial Vancouver Island West Shore Crematorium.
Bring your lanterns to the festival and join the Lantern Parade!
Where do all the lanterns come from?
The Lantern Parade will begin at the Bandshell in Beacon Park. The procession will circle once around Beacon Park, then proceed along the Sidney Waterfront Walkway to conclude in Eastview Park. Enjoy interactive costumed characters and large-scale lanterns along the parade route.
FREE Lantern-building Tutorials
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 21-26, and bring your lanterns to Beacon Park on August 26th to join the lantern parade!
Paper Bag Lantern Building Tutorial
Materials needed: Paper bag, tissue paper, electric tea light, felt pens, scissors, glue stick.
Paper-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!
Jellyfish Lantern Kits – $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 the Week of Lanterns and bring your lanterns to Beacon Park and join the lantern parade!
Where to find a jellyfish lantern kit (beginning summer 2023):
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
- Buddies Toys, Sidney, BC
- The Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea Store, Sidney BC
- Panorama Recreation Centre (until July 31st)
Bring your completed/customized jellyfish lantern to Panorama Recreation Centre any time between August 1st and August 25th to JOIN THE JELLYFISH BLOOM! The First 40 people to add their jellies to the bloom will receive one free drop-in pass for Panorama / Greenglade. LEARN MORE
Jellyfish Lantern Kit – Tutorial
Download a jellyfish lantern kit colouring sheet (PDF) – you can display this with your completed jellyfish lantern.
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
JELLYFISH BLOOM at Panorama Recreation Centre
Family Friendly Lantern Workshops
You are invited to register for a workshop to build a paper-mache lantern.
Workshop availability is limited, based on space and available materials.
The workshop Includes:
$10.00 CND, paid online during the registration process. Includes materials.
- In-person instruction for a paper-mache lantern-building workshop, which leads you through the process of constructing a completed lantern to take home.
- Materials to build the lantern are included in the workshop registration fee.
- Children under 10 years must be accompanied by an adult.
- Please prepare to be creative and get messy!
Ready to register?
Please fill out the registration form below; have your credit card ready for payment.
- If your registration has been successful, you will be redirected to a confirmation page.
- Don’t forget to bring your finished lanterns to the Salish Sea Lantern Festival.
Adult Fish Lantern Workshop
You are invited to register for a workshop to build a fish lantern.
Workshop availability is limited, based on space and available materials.
The workshop Includes:
$40.00 CND, paid online during the registration process. Includes materials.
- In-person instruction for a two-part workshop (2.5 hours each day) which leads you through the process of building a complete fish lantern.
- Materials to build the fish lantern are included in the workshop registration fee.
Ready to register?
Please fill out the registration form below; have your credit card ready for payment.
- If your registration has been successful, you will be redirected to a confirmation page.
- Don’t forget to bring your finished lanterns to the Salish Sea Lantern Festival.
Salish Sea Lantern Festival – Open Studio
OPEN HOUSE:
Salish Sea Lantern Studio
Come in and meet the main makers of the event!
These amazing volunteers work along side
Festival Artistic Director, Jennifer Witvliet,
throughout the year to plan and prepare for the annual Salish Sea Lantern Festival.
Heather Priest, Eloise Merrideth and Sylvia Maddocks.
They invest so much time and energy into making this event sing!
Location: St. Andrews Church, Sidney (lower level)
Address: 9691 Fourth St, Sidney, BC V8L 2Y8
Drop in to see the lantern team at work
Salish Sea Lantern Festival
Open Studio – DROP IN
Hello fellow makers!
This is YOUR INVITATION to check out the amazing behind the scenes creativity that goes into the Salish Sea Lantern Festival. Meet the makers and decorate your own paper bag lantern that will be showcased at the event.
Please Note: There will be no open studio the last week of August, after the conclusion of the Lantern Festival on August 26th.
Location: St. Andrews Church, Sidney (lower level)
Address: 9691 Fourth St, Sidney, BC V8L 2Y8
Photo Gallery – 2022 Salish Sea Lantern Evening Event
Photos Submitted by members of the community
Please enjoy a selection of images from the 2022 Salish Sea Lantern Festival evening event. These photos were taken and shared by members our wonderful community. You can enjoy additional photos from the festival, as well as media coverage from the festival by clicking and expanding the the title bars below.
Photos taken by our community – thanks to everyone for sharing your images!
Thanks to everyone that shared their beautiful images. Enjoy additional photos and festival information by clicking to expand the Title Bars below.
Photo Gallery – 2022 Salish Sea Lantern Festival
Setting up for the Evening Festivities…
The community arrives to enjoy and participate in the evening celebrations and enjoy interactions with the many costumed characters and performances by Daniel Cook & the Radiators and the Uminari Taiko Drumming Ensemble.
Thanks to everyone that came out to celebrate and that helped to make this community event possible!
Salish Sea Lantern Festival Media Coverage
Seaside Magazine – August 2023
CLICK to read text for Full Article
The Salish Sea Lantern Festival, Illuminating Community Unity through Art and Light.
The Salish Sea Lantern Festival is a highly anticipated event that inspires creativity and community spirit. From August 21 to 26, the Week of Lanterns encourages people from all walks of life to create and display lanterns inspired by creatures from the Salish Sea. Throughout the Saanich Peninsula, individuals, families, neighborhoods, and organizations create stunning lantern displays, transforming the region into a mesmerizing gallery of light that captivates the imagination.
On Saturday, August 26th starting at 6:30 PM, the community is invited to Beacon Park in Sidney to join the Salish Sea Lantern Festival. This community celebration offers a multitude of activities, including music, entertainment, interactive costumed characters, and photo-worthy lantern installations. Memorial lanterns will be available by donation, allowing attendees to carry a lantern to honor their favorite memory or loved ones. With the talented Daniel Cook and the Radiators taking the stage and Captain Cam Culham as the evening emcee, the undercurrent is sure to be electric.
The true highlight of the evening is the breathtaking lantern procession along the Sidney Waterfront Walkway. As the sun sets, hundreds of participants gather, carrying their hand-crafted lanterns, ready to illuminate the waterfront as part of a magical parade. This awe-inspiring spectacle creates a living tapestry of light and color, uniting the community in a truly unforgettable experience. According to long-time organizer and Artistic Director, Jenn Witvliet, “this experience holds a transformative power for many people.”
The Salish Sea Lantern Festival goes beyond mere entertainment; it breaks down the barriers of culture, language, age, and gender, and provides an inclusive arts and cultural experience for the entire community. Through the Week of Lanterns, lantern-building workshops, mesmerizing lantern displays, and the grand evening event with its enchanting lantern procession, the Salish Sea Lantern Festival showcases the transformative power of art and culture to bring people together and create lasting memories.
Visit the website to get involved: view free online lantern building tutorials, register for a lantern building workshop, discover where to purchase a simple jellyfish lantern kit ($10 cash, includes all materials), or view images and get inspired to create your own unique lantern. Don’t miss out on this incredible event that celebrates the power of community, art, and the mesmerizing beauty of the Salish Sea Lantern Festival. artsea.ca
Photo courtesy John Stephen (corrected from Seaside Article)
Source: https://seasidemagazine.ca/
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.
Photo gallery – Week of Lanterns 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.
