Let Your Bright Light Shine!
On Saturday, July 21st, 2012, Public Dreams’ Illuminares Lantern Festival is returning to its original home, Trout Lake and John Hendry Park!
This year, Illuminares is a celebration of the light within us – of togetherness and creativity, sustainability and artistic expression, of rebirth and new beginnings. Illuminares is about you and your community. As participants, you are integral in making this beloved community event happen and our hope is that Public Dreams inspires you to create, to imagine and to participate. For 24 years, you’ve been the true architects and creators of Illuminares, and we’re once again creating a platform for you to showcase your creativity and Let Your Bright Light Shine!
How you can get involved:
Make a lantern
Anyone can do it! We’re offering a plethora of lantern making workshops, so please scroll down for descriptions and schedules. Can’t make it out to the workshops, no problem! Make a lantern at home with these easy instructions: http://bitly.com/milkcartonlantern. Invite your friends over and make a party out of it!
New this year is the addition of several workshops on giant puppet building, community choir and backlit tempera painting. Descriptions and schedules are below.
Donate
As a charity, Public Dreams needs your support to return Illuminares to its birthplace. By donating today, you will help to ensure that festival production and city costs are covered. Please be generous when you see our donation volunteers on the site. Your gift will help us to create the magic of Illuminares again next year.
Volunteer
There are many volunteer opportunities for the event. If you have some time to spare, we’d love to have you. Fill out our volunteer form or send an email to volunteer@publicdreams.org and we’ll get back to you. In exchange for your volunteer contribution, you will be able to access our Illuminares workshops free-of-charge.
Event information
Date: Saturday, July 21, 2012
Time: 6:00-10:30pm
Admission: $5 donation.
Illuminares is our gift to the community. If you love the event and see value in the work that we do, please make a financial contribution. All funds raised will help sustain Public Dreams so we can produce Illuminares’ 25th anniversary next year.
For your convenience, donations can be made at the entry gate at Victoria and 15th or at any of the four information tents. We’ll also have a group of roving ambassadors who will be identifiable with Illuminares name tags.
Payment options: all admissions/donations, lantern sales and food vendors are CASH ONLY. We will have an ATM on site for your convenience.
Location: Trout Lake/John Hendry Park, Victoria Drive at East 15th Avenue
Parking: there will be NO PARKING at Trout Lake or in the surrounding neighbourhood. If you choose to drive, you will be tearing your hair out trying to find a parking space. Tow trucks will be out in full force. Save yourself the hassle and walk, transit or cycle to the park. The nearest Skytrain station is Commercial Drive.
Food: you’re welcome to bring your own food and there will be food vendors and concessions on site (cash only). Please be mindful of your waste and help preserve the natural beauty of the park.
Park bylaws ban smoking and alcohol within the park. You may be subject to search by Vancouver Police.
Illuminares 2012 Workshops
This Year’s Illuminated Offerings:
Open Lantern Studio
This workshop if perfect for anyone aged 6 and up who wants a bit of guidance to learn how to build a lantern. A Public Dreams artist will lead you through the steps to create various styles of lanterns—everything from simple glass jars to complicated bamboo and paper. Once you’ve paid for your lantern, feel free to come in as many times as you like to build and embellish your illuminated creation.
Cost: Small lantern: $5, Medium: $10, Large: $15
Thursday, July 12: 5:00-8:00pm
Friday, July 13: 5:00-8:00pm
Saturday, July 14: 12:00-4:00pm
Sunday, July 15: 12:00-4:00pm
Monday, July 16: 5:00-8:00pm
Tuesday, July 17: 5:00-8:00pm
Wednesday, July 18: 5:00-8:00pm
Thursday, July 19: 5:00-8:00pm
Friday, July 20: 5:00-8:00pm
Saturday July 21: Illuminares Lantern Festival! NO WORKSHOPS
Trout Lake Community Centre
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Light Painting with Mitchell Soulfeather
A skilled visual artist and intuitive, Mitchell Soulfeather has been a student of fine art and shamanism, since the early 1990s. His unique live light-painting technique uses large backlit screens, and a thick tempera paint that can be shaped and re-sculpted by the fingers to create ever-changing textures and images. Come learn how the technique works, try your hand at your own live painting, and learn about the giant 12 paneled medicine wheel he will be creating at the Illuminares event. He will also be bringing a few additional tricks up his sleeve, including recycled material lanterns and more. This is not a workshop to be missed! By donation.
Thursday, July 12: 6:00-8:00pm
Thursday, July 19: 6:00-8:00pm
Trout Lake Community Centre
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Shadow Cube Creation with Mere Phantoms Art Collective
Join Montreal-based Mere Phantoms in creating a shadow installation in the park. In this hands-on workshop participants will create intricate paper cutouts and 3D shadow puppets to add to an interactive shadow-installation. The installation, Shadow Box – A City of Lanterns will be at featured at Illuminares on July 21st where the public will be invited to activate, illuminate and animate the installation. By donation.
Saturday, July 7: 2:00-4:30pm
Britannia Community Centre
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Owl Puppet Creation
Truly a community collaboration, these larger than life Owl Puppets will be constructed and puppeted by you. Under the direction of local artists Candice R. Curlypaws and Tahina Awan, participants will work together to build three 10-foot owls. Participants will then have the opportunity to learn how to move and dance these large light-up parade puppets the following week, and bring them to life at Illuminares. By donation.
Friday, July 13: 5:00-8:00pm
Saturday, July 14: 12:00-4:00pm
Trout Lake Community Centre
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Owl Puppet Performance
Candice R. Curlypaws teaches all the essentials of learning how to move, animate and give character to the community-created owl family. Three giant puppets will be brought to life, and will give participants the chance to animate them during the Illuminares event on July 21. By donation.
Thursday, July 19: 7:00-9:00pm
Friday, July 20: 7:00-9:00pm
Britannia Community Centre
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Song Bird’s Choir
Join acclaimed singer-songwriter Joanna Chapman Smith, as she leads this vocal workshop and community choir, to create a musical piece to be presented in conjunction with East Vancouver’s The End Tree, a chamber-squawk four piece ensemble comprised of violin, guitar, cello and vocals. Absolutely no previous experience necessary! Come out and express your voice, explore your music, and create some magic with us! By donation.
Wednesday, July 11: 7:00-9:00pm Britannia Community Centre
Wednesday, July 18: 7:00-9:00pm Britannia Community Centre
Saturday, July 21: 3:00-5:00pm Trout Lake – John Hendry Park
2012 Photos
Check out photos from the 2012 event here.
Hello,
I am inquiring about volunteer opportunities for the Illuminares event. Please send me more info on how I could get involved.
Thank you.
Awesome! Please fill out the volunteer form http://publicdreams.org/get-involved/volunteer-form/ or send your questions about volunteering to volunteer@publicdreams.org.
Hi there! I’m planning my transit trip to and from the festival and would like to know approximately what time the flight of the lanterns takes place. Really looking forward to this year’s festival!
The lantern procession is at 9:45pm but there is lots of stuff to check out before that! There is a blog post with additional event details at: http://publicdreams.org/2012/illuminares-event-details/
I would love to bring my grandaughter to the Lantern parade on teh 21st, she is three (almost 4) therefore, too young to participate in the lantern making workshops. She came to the Lost Souls parade last year and we had so much fun. Can we bring our own lantern, or purchase one on site?
Looking forward to the 21st.
Thanks so much.
Absolutely, you can bring your own lantern! It sounds like there are lanterns for sale at the event too, but keep in mind all admissions/donations, lantern sales and food vendors are cash only. See you there!
Just confirmed:
for $15, $35 or $50—all made by community artists! Brilliant!
I would like to inquire about what time the night of the event will the procession start? Will it start before dark as it did last year? What time does my family needwe to arriveyou in order to participate?
The lantern procession is going to start at 9:45pm but there will be light installations set up by artists at Trout Lake. Lots of people bring their lanterns to this festival and wander around with them, so there is lots to see before the procession starts.
I am interested in helping the night of during the times that the Carnival Band is not performing,,
since I am a member of the band. I have volunteered in the past so have some knowledge …if I can be of help do let me know!
Hi Debbie, I’ve forwarded the contact info you provided to volunteer@publicdreams.org but feel free to contact them directly as well. Thanks (and your band rocks!).
Is the $5 entrance fee required to get into the Trout Lake area also, or just inside the community center portion of the evening? Also do you have to pay this year to see the light procession? This would mean some of my friends would not be able to attend for the first time, which would be sad.
We’re asking that everyone donate $5 for admission, if they can. It’s not a gated or ticketed event, and nobody will be turned away. See you there!
I am also worried about the admission fee – I was going to go with a group of friends, but I think people will be put off by the cost, we’re all just scraping by. Is it a donation box like in past years, or actually an admission charge?
Illuminares is our gift to the community – everyone is welcome! It’s not a gated event and no one will be turned away.
Hi! My child is in a mobility walker – are there any wheelchair / handicap parking spaces anywhere nearby?
Thank you!
Hi! There are parking lots associated with Trout Lake Community Centre http://vancouver.ca/parks/cc/troutlake/, I’m not sure about the locations or availability during the event – please call them directly.
I forwarded this question to someone at the Public Dreams office but not sure if they will get it in time -
Hi, can you tell me if dogs are allowed at the festival?
I think according to park regulations dogs must be leashed. I saw lots of dogs at Midsummer Fete but later tonight this event will involve dark, crowds, and noise – and not all dogs will enjoy that. Sorry, it’s too late for me to check with anyone about this! I will recommend they include this in the event information next time -
Well done, all.
I took my niece this year and we both loved it, she is currently planning for next year. Great to be back in the park.
Wonderful to hear! See you next year!
Hi,
I attended the Illuminares festival this year and really enjoyed it. I keep thinking about one of the bands I heard, but cannot find their name (and therefore music) anywhere. Do you have a list of the bands that played?
Thanks!
Hi Lily, I just asked around and the bands from Illuminares were Sambata, Samba du Soleil, and The Carnival Band.
I am trying to find out when the lantern festival will be in 2013. A couple of years back I learned of this but it was held in September. Missed it last year and again this year. Can you please let me know when the next lantern festival will be in Vancouver? I live in WA state and need to plan in advanced.
Thanks!
Ann-Marie
Hi Ann-Marie, I just did some research and the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Illuminares took place in July – I’m not sure about earlier Illuminares festivals. It’s a safe bet that next year’s festival will be in July as well – please send an email to info@publicdreams.org to confirm or check back here in the Spring for more information.
Hi, I was wondering if there is a reason as to why you have this event at Trout Lake.
The event started at Trout Lake and was an annual event there – it was moved to other locations for 2 years and then made its triumphant return to Trout Lake in 2012.