The Salish Sea Lantern Festival is set to light up Sidney, BC, for a full week of art, community, and coastal celebration from August 16 to 22, 2026. Organized by the ArtSea Community Arts Council, the annual event wraps up with a free evening festival and lantern parade at Beacon Park on August 22.
Jennifer Witvliet, the festival’s artistic director, started the event in 2013 as a simple lantern walk for children. It has grown into a large-scale celebration of culture, creativity, and ecology, drawing hundreds of participants each year. This year, the lantern parade will start at the Beacon Park bandshell, proceed along the Sidney Waterfront Walkway to Eastview Park, and circle back.
Residents can get hands-on by attending a two-night fish lantern workshop on August 17 and 18 at St. Andrew Anglican Church, 9691 Fourth Street. Led by Witvliet, the workshops run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. each night and cost $75, including all materials. For those who prefer to create lanterns at home, jellyfish lantern kits are available for $10 cash at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea store and Brentwood Bay Village Empourium. Free online tutorials are also available for paper bag, papier mâché, and fish lantern designs.
The main festival evening on August 22 kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with live music from Daniel Cook and the Radiators, a Victoria-based band that blends folk, funk, and reggae. Attendees can also enjoy costumed characters, face painting, and other family-friendly activities. Memory lanterns will be available by donation, with a minimum of $5, so people can carry ribbons inscribed with wishes or dedications in the procession.
The festival takes place on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish people, within the traditional lands of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation, including the Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tsawout, and Tseycum peoples. ArtSea Community Arts Council, a registered charity founded in 1991, receives funding from the Province of BC and the municipalities of North Saanich, Central Saanich, and the Town of Sidney to support arts and culture across the Saanich Peninsula.
