Moon Festival
The 2010 Moon Festival will take place on Saturday September 25th.
The Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival is a signature festival for the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood. It celebrates the full moon and harvest abundance, honouring diverse cultural traditions. The festival highlights art, music, environmental stewardship, and community participation. The 8th annual Moon Festival begins well before the actual day with lantern workshops, finale rehearsals, ravine stewardship and much more.
The first annual festival was started in 2003 by artist Carmen Rosen in collaboration with the community. The Moon Festival is a co-production of Still Moon Arts Society and the Renfrew Park Community Association.
There are many ways for the community to participate:
Overview – see below for descriptions
4:00-6:45pm Harvest Fair at Slocan Park – food, music, art, and harvest abundance.
7:00pm Twilight lantern parade along Renfrew Ravine from Slocan Park to Renfrew Park.
7:30-8:30pm Lanterns, art, music, tea and moon cakes at Renfrew Park.
8:30pm Finale at Renfrew Park field – live music, dance, stilts, fire, and fireworks.
Moon Festival Harvest Fair
Date: Saturday, September 25th, 4:00 – 6:45pm
Description: This event at Slocan park kicks off the Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival. Community members enter the best from their summer gardens into the competition. The Food Security Institute serves soup made from vegetables donated by gardeners and local produce stores. The Families Branching Out Aboriginal Families group serves their home-made bannock, and people listen to great local music, visit the booths of local community groups, make last-minute lanterns or purchase items from the booths of local artisans. As the moon rises and the sun sets musicians and dancers prepare the way for the twilight lantern parade along our beloved ravine. The appearance of the giant moon lantern tells us it is time.
Moon Festival Twilight Lantern Parade
Date: Saturday, September 25th, 7:00 – 7:30pm
Description: Led by the giant moon lantern, the community lights their own lanterns and accompanied by live music, walks the trail along the ravine as darkness falls. They come upon the outdoor river-stone labyrinth where they are invited to a walking meditation surrounded by music and candles. The parade continues past other lantern installations such as the Watershed lanterns and other surprise performances until it reaches Renfrew Park where night has fallen and a world of magic has arisen.
Moon Festival Streamside at Renfrew Park
Date: Saturday, September 25th, 7:00 – 8:30pm
Description: The paraders cross the street, leave the streetlights and descend into a transformed world of the stream, Still Creek, lined with blue lights, floating with lantern art, and bathed in ethereal music. Time slows down as community members pause to offer Prayers for the Water and absorb the beauty of candlelight, exquisite lanterns, music, and the gently shimmering stream.
Moon Festival Renfrew Field Tea Garden and Performances
Date: Saturday, September 25th, 7:00 – 8:30pm
Description: Outside on the field we have a beautiful lantern tea garden where people can purchase tea and moon cakes, listen to multicultural live music, and fold their own origami boats to float their candle on the reflecting pool while waiting for the finale to begin.
Moon Festival Finale on Renfrew Field
Date: Saturday, September 25th, 8:30 – 9:15pm
Description: The peak of the event, the finale brings together all the talents of the community and performers. The performance begins on the musicians’ stage. Their original music is animated by the youth dancing original choreography expressing the themes of our love for the earth and our struggle to restore it to health. The performance continues with stilt dancers, the Renfrew-Collingwood Aboriginal Youth Canoe Club performers, and fire spinners, and finishes with all the performers on the field silhouetted by fireworks timed to the music. You can be a part of the finale performance .
