September 14 @ 4:00 pm – 9:30 pm
The Annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival is back for the 17th year on Saturday, September 14th, 2019! This popular, family-friendly event in Renfrew-Collingwood will bring you tons of live music, entertainment, beautiful art displays, food, and more, for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and evening. Each year, the festival attracts upwards of 5,000 participants from local East Vancouver neighbourhoods to enjoy the environment around them with displays of colour, light, and music that pay homage to the Renfrew Ravine: one of the last vestiges of both open stream and urban forest in the city.
Co-produced by Still Moon Arts Society and the Renfrew Park Community Association, the festival celebrates the harvest abundance and the full moon. The festival spans the afternoon and evening, beginning as a harvest celebration during the day and ending off as a lantern festival during the night. As dusk gathers, a procession will begin to form along the banks of the ravine, featuring illuminating lanterns that are beautifully hand crafted by local artists, community members and students.
Moon Festival Schedule
Harvest Fair: 4:00 – 7:30 pm
Slocan Park
The Moon Festival kicks off with the Harvest Fair, which includes a home-grown harvest competition, featuring entries by local gardeners of some of Renfrew-Collingwood’s best fruits, vegetables and flowers. Enter for a chance to win some awesome prizes! Alongside the presentations, we will have live music and food. You will also be able to explore the booths of local organizations, artisans, and non-profit groups from the community.
Twilight Lantern Walk: 7:30 – 8:00 pm
The Twilight Lantern Walk is a sunset parade from Slocan Park to Renfrew Park. Festival-goers will light their own lanterns and walk the trails along the ravine, serenaded by live music as darkness falls. Passing by the river-stone labyrinth, you will be invited to join in a walking meditation surrounded by music and light. The parade will pass by various art installations and maybe even surprise performances until it reaches Renfrew Park.
Lantern Festival: 8:00 – 8:45 pm
Renfrew Park
At nightfall, time slows down as you take in the beauty of candlelight, exquisite lanterns, ethereal music and the shimmering stream. Just outside of the stream, you will find musicians playing at the main stage, a Tea Garden full of delicious treats for you to enjoy, and a final spectacle featuring dancing, stilting, fire spinning, and an explosion of light.
NOTE: The event will happen rain or shine. Make sure to dress for the weather!
Accessibility Information
Harvest Fair
The festival at Slocan Park is accessible via East 29th Avenue. Street parking is VERY limited – it is recommended that you attend the event via transit or on ground. 29th Avenue Skytrain Station is located directly adjacent to the park. The Harvest Fair is completely wheelchair accessible. Please watch for bikers on the bike lane before crossing into the park.
Thinking of riding your bike? The friendly folks at The Bicycle Valet will be waiting to securely park your ride for FREE while you enjoy the Harvest Fair! You can find the valet by the wading pool at Slocan Park – there will be signs and volunteers to direct you to the area. The service will run from the beginning of Harvest Fair (at 4:00pm) until 30 minutes after the Harvest Fair ends (8:00pm). Please note that this service is not provided at the Renfrew Park portion of the festival – you may use bicycle racks located around the community centre and library.
Twilight Lantern Walk
The Twilight Lantern Walk is wheelchair accessible for its entire length from Slocan Park to Renfrew Park. Some sections of the route may be narrower than others.
Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival at Renfrew Park in the ravine is accessible via the West parking lot (by the dog park), the downhill ravine path on East 22nd Avenue, and the path from the Renfrew Library parking lot entrance. The Tea Garden and performance areas are accessible via Nootka Street or East 22nd Avenue.
Workshops and Events
Come take part in our public workshops and events offered throughout the month of September. Prior to the festival, you can make your own lanterns to help guide your way through the night, or learn how to make moon cakes. We also have events after the Moon Festival, such as the final performance of our youth performing arts production, Cracks in Creeks: Live Streaming. All events take place at Slocan Park Fieldhouse or the Collingwood Neighbourhood House Annex for a reasonable fee.
Sept. 3-6: Arduino Lantern Workshop (5-8pm each day) at Slocan Park Fieldhouse // $100 (4 days)
Sept. 7, 8: Mooncake Workshops at Collingwood Neighbourhood House Annex // $20 (1 day)
Sept. 7: 5:30-7:30pm
Sept. 8: 10:30am-12:30pm
Sept. 7 & 9: Fire and Water Lanterns at Slocan Park Fieldhouse // $20 (2 days)
Sept. 7: 1:30-4:30pm
Sept. 9: 4:00-7:00pm
Sept. 8 & 9: Mushroom Lanterns at Slocan Park Fieldhouse // $25 (2 days)
Sept. 8: 1:30-4:30pm
Sept. 9: 4:00-7:00pm
Sept. 10, 11, 12: Glass Jar Lanterns (4:00-7:00pm) at Slocan Park Fieldhouse // $10 (1 day)
Sept. 22: Cracks in Creeks Performance (6:00-7:30pm) at Collingwood Neighbourhood House Annex // Sliding Scale $5-20
Sept. 25: Moon Music at the Dye Garden (6:00-7:30pm) at Colour Me Local Dye Garden (Renfrew St. and East 24th Ave.)
For more information about each of these events, visit our Art and Lantern Workshops page.