Submitted by the Polka Dot Dragon Arts Society
The eighth annual Polka Dot Dragon Lantern Festival, themed as the Enchanted Forest, will take place at Lakeside Park in Nelson on Saturday, Feb. 11.
Initiated by artist Myra Rasmussen in 2014, the festival is an outdoor, community-engaged arts festival showcasing local artists and performers. The festival was inspired by a desire to have more reasons to come together during this slow time of year to make and appreciate art in an accessible way.
Starting at 5 p.m., the public is invited to stroll among the lantern installations and enjoy multiple performances. Everyone is welcome to bring a lantern and participate in a lantern parade led by Moving Mosaic Samba Band and the Polka Dot Dragon puppet at the end of the evening.
The Polka Dot Dragon is getting a makeover this year. After many years of use, the paper was torn, so it is being replaced with silk by Rasmussen. She first created the Polka Dot Dragon in 2009, and it has since become a symbol of the festival.
Part of the goal of the lantern festival is to get the public involved in making art, and there has been lots of enthusiasm this year. All 10 workshops in schools and community groups are fully booked. Lantern kits can be bought at Cowan’s for $2 each, and people are welcome to make their own creations as well.
Please note that nobody is allowed to release lanterns into the water or air (no sky lanterns), and any candles used to light lanterns must be in fireproof containers.
The festival is hosted by Polka Dot Dragon Arts Society, which aims to promote community-engaged arts in the West Kootenay, to create and promote events that link arts, nature, and community, and to develop and create art and performance in multiple disciplines.
Thanks to the 2023 festival funders: the Government of Canada, Columbia Basin Trust, Kootenay Columbia Cultural Alliance, Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism, and Nelson and District Credit Union. The festival is free to the public, but donations are welcomed.
Check our webpage for volunteer opportunities at polkadotdragon.ca, and our Facebook page at polkadotdragonfestival.
