The Lantern City 2025 – Vancouver

The Lantern City 2025 - Vancouver

Celebrating Lunar New Year through Stories and Art in the City Where Diversity Shines

Dates: January 29 – February 22, 2025
Locations: Multiple locations across Vancouver

Official Website: The Lantern City

About The Lantern City

The Lantern City is a grand celebration of Lunar New Year that blends art, storytelling, and cultural diversity through large-scale lantern installations across Vancouver. Each location tells a different story, drawing inspiration from local Indigenous, Asian, and global cultures to reflect on unity, change, and new beginnings in the Year of the Snake.

This year’s theme, “Fluidity in Diversity”, explores the symbolic meaning of the snake—a guardian, a mediator, and a symbol of wisdom and transformation—reminding us of the beauty in embracing change and diversity.

Event Highlights & Locations

1. Coastal Lunar Lanterns

📍 Location: Bentall Centre
📅 Dates: January 29 – February 20, 2025
🎨 Featured Artists:

• Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun – Ts’inqwa’ (Lightning Snake)
• Caleb Dysart – Indigenous Peoples Creator
• Chase Gray – Transformer Tricksters, Infinite Horizons

💡 What to Expect:
This installation merges the tradition of Asian lanterns with Indigenous artistry, exploring the snake’s symbolism in Indigenous cultures as a protector of balance.

2. We Are Family

📍 Location: Robson Plaza
📅 Dates: January 29 – February 18, 2025
🎨 Featured Artists:

• Ilya Viryachev
• Angel Kao
• Ris Wong
• Lisa LaRose
• Priscilla Yu
• Lanna Souvanny
• Mayo Landicho
• Janice Liu
• Neana
• Ceiiru

💡 What to Expect:
Inspired by the moulting process of snakes, this series embraces change and transformation, highlighting Vancouver’s diverse communities living together in harmony.

3. Comics on the Island - Taiwan

📍 Location: Pendulum Gallery
📅 Dates: January 29 – February 22, 2025
🎨 Featured Artist:

• Ruan Guang-Min (Award-winning Taiwanese Comic Artist)

💡 What to Expect:
This interactive exhibition explores storytelling across cultures, linking Indigenous snake myths with contemporary Taiwanese narratives to reflect on balance in everyday life.

4. Hundred Pace Snake

📍 Location: šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl'e7énḵ Square (Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza)
📅 Dates: January 29 – February 18, 2025
🎨 Featured Artist:

• Godkidlla

💡 What to Expect:
This series draws connections between Canada and Taiwan, symbolizing infinity and interconnectedness in the cycle of life. The glowing lanterns embody the flow of water and life’s continuous renewal.

5. Forever Young

📍 Location: Granville Island
📅 Dates: January 29 – February 17, 2025
🎨 Featured Artists:

• Arts Umbrella
• Studio 101
• Turtle Island
• Stellamay Arts
• Begin Anew
• Rise
• Do Not Disturb

💡 What to Expect:
A tribute to youthful creativity and imagination, this series challenges our perceptions, encouraging open-mindedness and innovation through vibrant lantern displays.

Why Attend The Lantern City 2025?

🌟 Cultural Storytelling – Experience the fusion of Asian, Indigenous, and global traditions in stunning lantern installations.
🌟 Public Art Displays – Explore free lantern exhibitions across Vancouver’s most iconic locations.
🌟 New Year Symbolism – Celebrate the Year of the Snake with themes of wisdom, transformation, and resilience.
🌟 Community & Diversity – A city-wide celebration of heritage, inclusion, and artistic collaboration.

About ACSEA

The Asian-Canadian Special Events Association (ACSEA), the organization behind LunarFest and TAIWANfest Vancouver, is committed to promoting community engagement, new artistic expressions, and cross-cultural learning.

ACSEA’s Key Initiatives:
✔ LunarFest – A winter festival celebrating Lunar New Year traditions.
✔ The Lantern City – A large-scale lantern project promoting diversity.
✔ TAIWANfest Vancouver – A summer festival connecting Taiwan with global cultures.

Discover More Vancouver Events

Looking for more Lunar New Year celebrations and cultural experiences in Vancouver?
Explore Local Events in Vancouver