Join a lively lantern procession led by the drums of African Crossing through the streets of Strathcona for a magical evening at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. See www.secretlantern.org for route map.

Start the Chinese winter solstice celebration, dong zhi, by participating in a lantern-making workshop at the Strathcona Community Centre, and join in the procession through the streets of Strathcona from 6:00pm - 6:20pm. Then follow the drums of African Crossing to a dream-like evening at the Garden, where Secret Lantern Society artists have created a unique and delightful environment of beauty and warmth to celebrate the longest night of the year.



Enjoy hundreds of whimsical lanterns throughout the Garden and immerse yourself in The Conference Of The Birds where beautiful bird lanterns have come to roost. Participate in nature-inspired shadow puppetry with the Lost and Found Puppet Company or add your own dash of creativity to the Community Lantern hosted by the Community Arts Council.



Create your own beautiful solstice headdress using organic materials such as leaves and dried flowers or release a lovely Lotus Lantern into the pond and let it carry your illuminated wishes into the night ($5/activity).



Treat yourself to tea and participate in a tea ceremony with Adrian Sinclair & Lars Nielsen while listening to featured performers including the wild drums of African Crossing, the powerful First Nations songs and drums of Audrey Siegl (Musqueam) and Victor Thompson (Haida), atmospheric jazz of the Saul Berson Duo, and the lively Balkan traditions of Zeellia.



Lantern artists include Joey Mallett, Yoko Tomita, Jacquie R