Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival welcomes the harvest moon with lanterns and live music, to September 26
The event’s 24th edition culminates in a twilight parade and finale performance featuring a giant, community-made puppet
A labyrinth walk at a past Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival. Photo by Maria-José Araujo
Still Moon Arts Society presents the Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival until September 26 at various locations in the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood
AHEAD OF THE full harvest moon, Still Moon Arts Society is set to celebrate the changing seasons through art, music, and lantern light.
Running through September 26, the Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival is returning to the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood, highlighting the community’s diverse cultural traditions and lush greenspaces.
This year’s theme, “Tiny Life”, encourages community members to observe and appreciate the small natural wonders that make up the Renfrew Ravine and Still Creek through a series of workshops and outdoor experiences. Program highlights include a concert at the blooming Colour-Me-Local Dye Garden on September 12, featuring local artist and musician Ace Fable and five-member “galband” Las Satyas; and a meditative walk at the Renfrew Ravine Labyrinth on September 22, accompanied by award-winning cellist Marina Hasselberg playing an acoustic cello soundscape.
The festival’s main day unfolds on September 26, starting with the Harvest Fair from 4 to 7 pm at Slocan Park. Live music features Afro-influenced pop artist MAUVEY and alternative folk and rock songwriter Ballyclaire, plus a graceful performance by House of Indian Dance. Alongside last-minute lantern-making and needle-felting workshops, local artisans and food vendors will offer creative works and hearty eats.
Growing Up with the River by Mengya Zhao at the 2022 Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival. Photo by Chaotic Images
As the sun sets, the Twilight Lantern Procession will be led by Trubači brass party orchestra Balkan Shmalkan along the edge of the Renfrew Ravine. Accompanied by puppeteers and performers, the crowd will transition from Slocan Park to Renfrew Community Park, where Streamside Lanterns takes place.
Illuminated artworks and hundreds of handmade lanterns will be displayed throughout the forest as ambient soundscapes echo in the background. Performers include a cappella group The Heartbeets, the Tiddley Cove Morris dance group, and sister duo The RaRas. Closing the evening is Welcoming Water Woman, a performance choreographed by Isabelle Kirouac, featuring Still Moon Arts Society’s new giant puppet. Created by Carmen Rosen with Willoughby Arévalo, Liz Oakley, Sesemiya (Tracy Cameron), Joe Boyd, and more than 750 community members, the Water Woman puppet represents the neighbourhood’s collective relationship with water, holding shared feelings of love and loss. 
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