Lantern Making Workshop: Light Up the Village 2025

In prelude to Light Up the Village, New Dance Horizons and The Artesian are co‑presenting an open-studio lantern-making workshop on Saturday, November 29 and Sunday, November 30.

Event Details:
Light Up the Village: Lantern‑Making Workshop
Date: Saturday, November 29 and Sunday, November 30, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM both days
Tickets: By-donation, suggested donation $10 / person, $20 / family. PLEASE RSVP HERE. Limited capacity to 50 people, so please RSVP!

The Artesian is wheelchair accessible, all-ages, and a proud supporter of positive spaces initiatives with a zero-tolerance policy towards hate, harassment, and/or discrimination. We reserve the right to remove any patron creating an unsafe environment. The accessible entrance is available via a lift, Please ask staff for help if necessary.

Workshop Details

• Over two days, you’ll build beautiful, long-lasting lanterns using traditional techniques: frame construction, paper application, and lighting.
• Materials will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own paper, especially tissue paper, which works best, and your own stick.
• The two-day format gives your lanterns time to dry properly, and you may even have the opportunity to make more than one.
• There will be a break for lunch, so feel free to bring your own lunch or snacks. Please avoid peanuts to keep the workshop safe for everyone.
• Finished lanterns are encouraged to be brought to the Light Up the Village procession on December 4, where participants will walk down 13th Avenue, illuminating the street and celebrating the neighbourhood together.
• This two-day workshop is flexible—you’re welcome to attend one or both days. Some participants finish their lantern in a single session; others take both. Just register to let us know you’re joining.
• All ages (all children must be accompanied by an adult)

Why This Workshop Matters

This is more than a craft session—it’s part of the lead-up to Light Up the Village. Together, we create lanterns that celebrate Cathedral Village’s local businesses and the character of the neighbourhood. The procession of handmade lanterns helps us literally “light up the village” while supporting the shops, cafés, and makers who make it feel like home (shopthevillage.ca).

Led by Robin Poitras, participants learn traditional lantern-making techniques and contribute to a shared creative experience that brightens this neighbourhood-wide celebration.

About Robin Poitras:

Robin Poitras C.M. is one of Saskatchewan’s most prolific dance and performance creators. Creating dance, performance and installation works, she has been actively engaged in contemporary dance practice since the early 80s. For many years Robin has traversed the formal worlds of dance and performance art. She co-founded New Dance Horizons in 1986, with Dianne Fraser, where she continues to act as Artistic Director. Her works have been presented across Canada, in Spain, France, Germany, Mongolia, and Mexico. She is a recipient of the 2021 Order of Canada, the 2016 Lieutenant Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2006 Mayor’s Awards for Business; The Arts’ Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2004 Women of Distinction Award for the Arts.

About Light Up the Village (Dec 4)

Light Up the Village 2025 will take place on Thursday, December 4, from 5:00 pm until late, in Cathedral Village, Regina. During the event, participants of the lantern-making workshop and community members will carry their handmade lanterns in a glowing procession down 13th Avenue, celebrating local businesses, community, and creativity.

Learn more about the event and the Cathedral Village arts and business community here: Light Up the Village