Illuminares is an annual lantern festival held every summer in John Hendry Park (also known as Trout Lake Park) in east Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

. The event is put on by the Public Dreams Society

Public Dreams Society

Public Dreams Society is a non-profit organization and a registered charity aimed at celebrating and strengthening the community spirit in Vancouver. The group was founded in 1985 by Dolly Hopkins, Paula Jardine and Lesley Fiddler...

, a group formed in 1985 to encourage community events. Illuminares is a mixture of events put on by the society, such as fire-breathers and bands, and participants bringing their own homemade lanterns. Local artists run lantern making workshops to help people make their own personalized lantern. The festival is paid for through corporate and community sponsors, government grants as well as donations from participants at the event.

While it began as a small community festival, Illuminares has quickly grown into one of the most popular events in Vancouver. About 30 000 people come to this event each year. The number of people coming to this even grows exponentially every year. Illuminares happens on the last Saturday of July each year.

Public Dreams also participates in several other events in the Greater Vancouver area. These include the North Shore

North Shore (Greater Vancouver)

"Vancouver's North Shore" is a term commonly used to refer to several areas adjacent to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:*the District of West Vancouver;*the City of North Vancouver;*the District of North Vancouver; and...

's Wild Lights Lantern Festival, held in Edgemont Village

Edgemont Village

Edgemont Village is a small commercial area in the District of North Vancouver, in British Columbia, Canada. It is centred around the intersection of Edgemont Boulevard and Highland Boulevard in the north-western part of the District...

, and the Parade of the Lost Souls

Parade of the Lost Souls

The Parade of the Lost Souls is organised by the Public Dreams Society and takes place in East Vancouver's Commercial Drive area. It occurs the Saturday closest to Halloween...

, a parade through Vancouver's Commercial Drive area around Halloween.

External links

• Public Dreams' Illuminares page