2016 Luminary Festival
We've been attending the Luminary Festival since its first year and I swear, it just keeps getting better and better! The event is held in beautiful North Delta in the master-planned community called the Delta Sunstone sometime in September. This year the event was held on Saturday, September 10.
This FREE event invites festival goers to illuminate themselves in the most brightest costumes and to bring or create your own lantern! They have really amazing DIY lantern tents set up for kids and adults. Besides the lanterns, the event brings jazz, funk and soul rhythms of Soulstream; performers and buskers; ; art and light displays; food trucks and vendors; kids activities and crafts; and the anticipated Parade of Lights!
The Parade of Lights is when all of the children and their parents are invited to walk around the Sunstone Lake with their handmade lanterns. As you can imagine, this is a beautiful sight to see and the kids absolutely love it! After the parade there is a show with a live band performing some rad tunes for all ages to enjoy. Stevie Wonder has been my constant fav! This years Food Truck line-up was amazing with a total of 4 vendors (which sadly I've forgotten already)! We had poutine, a california dog, chicken strips with a side of chips with a few beverages. There was a coffee truck serving a variety of drinks which I thought was cool because I remember us looking for a coffee truck last year. There was cotton candy, popcorn and other treats being sold as well! When ordering from the trucks, expect a wait of about 10 minutes and don't forget to bring cash.
My children really enjoyed the festival and had a blast playing with all of the instruments in the music tent. It was our first time taking part in this and my kids had the best time. I mean come on, being allowed to make that much noise is so much fun! There were lots of fun game stations around the park and both of my kids loved the fishing game. Craft tents were aplenty and no kid left without visiting at least one! We missed the floating lantern station which I hope they have again next year - It looked so cool! The event is mainly geared to children so there is no doubt that it is lots of fun! Since the event started in the evening at 6pm, my husband and I made the judgement NOT to cave and buy them cotton candy - The sugar high struggle is REAL my friends.
If you're a parent who wants to attend next years Luminary Festival, here's a few tips to make it fun for all of you!
- Don't bring a stroller: My kids are 3 and 1 and both wanted nothing to do with the stroller. It ended up being such a pain to lug around, especially running through the crowds trying to catch up to my kids.
- Dress the kids in bright clothing: My Son is quick. We've had to learn about his agility the hard way! We dressed him in this highlighter yellow zip-up which was perfect for us to keep track of his whereabouts. No joke, we received so many comments on what a great idea it was. Next year, we intend on dressing my daughter in the same bright colour.
- Phone number: Losing your kid is probably the most scariest ordeal any parent can go through. I watch both of my children like a hawk when we're out but I thought that it would be a good idea to stick a piece of paper in their jacket pockets with our phone number just in case. I've heard of parents making necklaces and bracelets with contact information as well!
- Bring extra jackets: IT GETS COLD!
- Bring a blanket: For the potentially chilly evening ahead and/or something to lay on the floor to have dinner and watch the live band perform.
- Expectation: Don't expect to stay at the festival for the whole time. Children, especially younger children are bound to throw fits and get tired a few hours into it. We had a bit of a melt down at the fishing tent but quickly put that fire out by offering food (yay food!). We managed to stay until 830pm which was plenty of time for us. We missed the live band but we live nearby and could hear the music from home.
- Divide and Conquer: If you've got 2 kids like me, your best bet to keep both kids happy is to divide and conquer. While my daughter and I were waiting on food and playing with the hoola hoops, my son and husband were doing more sight seeing and playing with the drums. There was a whole lot of experiencing the event than waiting, which is a total win!
- Bring Cash: Food trucks are typically cash only.
- Save money: If you aren't keen on spending $10 on a few strips with chips on the side, bring your own food! We saw a lot of festival goers bringing boxes of pizza to share. You get way more food for way less money, which is a total win. Next year, we're probably going to do that too and spend money on the treats ;)
- Parking: Most of Sunstone is closed off and only residents are able to drive in and out. You can find some parking along 84 ave but chances are slim to non if you plan on waiting for parking. Good news though, there's a free shuttle from the North Delta Rec Centre (PLENTY OF PARKING) that brings festival goers to and from the event!
We didn't take very many photos as our hands were quite full but here are the few we did take! I hope you all had a lovely weekend and thanks for stopping by.
They had an area filled with hoola hoops and my daughter just loved watching the other kids hoola hoopin! She even gave it a try for herself. She's a natural ;-)
The coolest "lantern" at the event was this air filled fish! Kids can play around or even in it.
Celebrating the festival with dear friends always makes it more special and a lot more fun!
Fun decorations around the park!
Coolest owl costumes!
C really enjoying the drumming session under the music tent!
Spot my Son!
Unsure why some of the photos ended up sideways but hey, whatever.
We always have a blast at the Luminary Festival and can't wait to see what next years festival brings! For more information on the event, check out the following:
Delta.ca: Monthly Event Calendar