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Lantern Festival mingles cultures, art, history
Sunday, June 15th, 2008 by GetawayBC.com
It’s an event that adds a load of light and colour to the often-dreary end-of-winter days.
The Cumberland Taiwanese Lantern Festival is held in the historic village each March – an event that fuses performances, art, multiculturalism and history to bring out thousands of people. It’s next scheduled to begin March 28, 2009.
In 2009, the lantern festival will be celebrating its fifth anniversary in the village. Put on by a local committee of volunteers, its dazzling stage is set by a Taiwanese committee based in Vancouver. The lanterns are extravagant and handmade – glowing softly behind their colour and detail.
The week-long festival always ties in more than just the lantern display. While details are still being worked out for the 2009 event, 2008’s festival included a master glass blower and a display of Barbies. Other festivals have included live music and entertainment performances, and a lively foot parade down Dunsmuir Avenue, Cumberland’s main street, that draws a community eager to rattle off the winter blahs.
The culmination of the foot parade – a show in Village Park that includes the release of glowing lanterns into the night sky – is always a treat for guests and residents alike.
Admission to the lantern display is by donation, thanks to the support of businesses in the community.;