Birdbone Theatre's Broom Dance
The DOI presents Broom Dance, shadow puppets with live music and song.
WHEN: Friday May 30, doors at 7 PM, show at 7:30
WHERE: DOI Studio, lower level of The Armoury, 206 Main St, Picton
TICKETS: $20 available HERE!
After the recent ice storm cancelled their March performance, we're delighted to welcome our friends Birdbone Theatre back to Picton for an intimate shadow puppetry performance of Broom Dance, joined by their partner in song and musical magic Ekaterina.
Broom Dance is a shadow puppet show for winter and winter witches. It is a shadow song for the threshold, for the liminal place between light and dark, between house and the howling wild. A luminous bow of song and cut paper to the wild dark and winter night.
The shadow play will be followed with lively music by Chanter la Pomme, a duo whose accordion and hurdy gurdy welcomes the tapping of toes and the dancing of feet!
Join us for an evening of puppetry, Slavic polyphony, hurdy gurdy and some sage crones to help you to make some sense of these wild days.
Firelight Lantern Festival
A cherished Prince Edward County tradition since 2013. Two magical evenings of arts and music.
The Department of Illumination lights up the night with The Firelight Lantern Festival, a cherished Prince Edward County tradition since 2013. Two magical evenings of arts and music will unfold at the Crystal Palace in Picton, Ontario. November 6 & 7, 2026. Friday night’s musical headliner is Grievous Angels and Saturday night’s headliner will be Cue The Funk! Save the date!
The Firelight Lantern Festival draws inspiration from traditions of many lantern festivals throughout the world which use light as a symbol to bring people together. The timing of our festival in mid-November coincides with the European tradition of Martinmas which originated in France in honour of St. Martin, a friend of children and patron of the poor. Martinmas is celebrated throughout Europe, its signature being children’s lantern processions. As fall ends and the darkness of winter descends upon us it is easy to feel isolated, especially living in a rural community. Our festival acts as a beacon to encourage our residents, both adults and children, to conjure their own light, bringing it into their hearts and homes to sustain them through the darkness. Making a lantern is a literal application of this metaphor, but in gathering people together to make lanterns in town halls, schools and living rooms, our camaraderie grows and we feel the warm glow of making beautiful things with our hands alongside friends and neighbours.
2025 EDITION SUPPORTED BY
Scarecrow Festival
A fun group activity building functional scarecrows from old clothes, straw and imagination.
Thanksgiving Weekend! {{ A fall event dedicated to making scarecrows. A fun group activity building functional scarecrows from old clothes, straw and imagination. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting us with materials for many years. }}
After 13 years of hosting Prince Edward County’s annual Scarecrow Festival, we have passed the torch to our friends at North Fire Circus for the 2024 event which will be happening at Macaulay Museum with proceeds supporting their production The Witches. To the countless people who attended and supported the Scarecrow Festival while it was in our care, thank you for the all years of fall fun, and we hope you will continue to support this community event.
Alvar
A festival celebrating this unique and precious ecosystem of the Great Lakes region.
AN ECOLOGICALLY-INSPIRED ARTS FESTIVAL
In August 2022, The Department of Illumination presented ALVAR, a festival celebrating this unique and precious ecosystem of the Great Lakes region. We held sunrise dance parties, created eco-inspired art and activities, presented live music & finished up with some secret popsicles.
Artists: Nella Casson, Krista Dalby, Andrea Piller, Chrissy Poitras, Victoria Taylor | VTLA Studio, Kyle Topping, Bay Woodyard. Music: Teilhard Frost and Roper & Roper. Dance: Arwyn Carpenter Hands-on nature exploration: Cheryl Chapman of NatureHood-PEPtBO. Bead talk: Moira Gaddes
Funded by the Government of Canada
Venue Sponsor
Hands-on Nature Exploration courtesy of
WILD THING: a celebration of biodiversity
Bringing together the arts and sciences to create a delightful celebration of the natural world around us.
In 2022 we partnered with South Shore Joint Initiative to bring together the arts and sciences to create a delightful celebration of the natural world around us. We ran a series of school workshops where children learned about local species and created artistic interpretations; we hosted The Society of Stitchers, an embroidery club that collaboratively created a quilt of at-risk local species, and then we had a public celebration in Picton’s Benson Park with live music from KASHKA and That’s What She Said, crafts, the unveiling of our biodiversity quilt and a community procession.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Join our HERD!
Transform your bodies and bicycles into a joyful herd of beasts! We set off in a parade along the Millennium Trail, in PEC.
In September 2021 we hosted two events called Join our HERD! that took place in Picton and Consecon.
We invited the community to transform their bodies and bicycles into a joyful herd of beasts. We set off in a parade along the Millennium Trail, encountering a few surprises along the way, and culminating in a HERD celebration with live music, food and drink.
Presented by ====\\DeRAIL, Join our HERD! provided a much-needed expression of joy and playfulness, while raising awareness of the County’s histories, ecologies and the varied landscapes adjacent to the Millennium Trail. Where time is something to be considered rather than counted, the public was invited to add their own layer of meaning to this heritage landscape beyond its functional use as a recreation corridor. This initiative explored the untapped potential of the trail as a venue for artistic expression.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS + SUPPORTERS
The County of Prince Edward, Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, The County Foundation, Briarwood Development Group, Sarah Crawford + David Kirkwood, PEC Trails Committee, Ontario Provincial Police – Prince Edward County, Consecon Honey House Café, Parsons Brewing Company, Elizabeth Crombie, Noble Beast Farms, Prince Edward County Arts Council, Ameliasburgh Councillor Bill McMahon, Hillier Councillor Ernest Margetson, Picton Farm Supply, The Wellington Times, Picton Gazette, Watershed Magazine and Life Au Lait.
PLASTIC BITES BACK
Part of a water parade; Art that addresses the topic of plastic pollution.
The Department of Illumination was commissioned by Kingston’s Calliope Collective to create a float for HYDRA, a pilot project that took place in June 2021 in the waters adjacent Douglas Fluhrer Park. Designed as a ‘water parade,’ the overall theme of the event was water, and The DOI was asked to address the topic of plastic pollution. We wanted to create something beautiful while at the same time addressing the pervasiveness of plastic pollution in our waterways. The resulting work is a 13-foot rather menacing fish with gnashing jaws entitled Plastic Bites Back.
For six months we solicited our community to bring us their plastic recycling, and we collected more than 200 laundry detergent and water jugs which were painstakingly cut into fish scales. Lead artists Krista Dalby and Nella Casson constructed a lightweight frame out of cane, bamboo and wood, and then covered it in the plastic scales.
In June 2023 we participated in the next evolution of HYDRA: The Spirit of Water. More than 30 artists came together to contribute a dozen art pieces/performances which collectively told a story on water at Kingston Mill Locks.
Ice Box
A magical winter wonderland filled with art, music, dancing, installations and surprises galore. PLUS concerts, workshops, snow dances and cozy campfires!
ICE BOX was a winter festival that we held in 2019 and 2020 on the grounds of Macaulay Heritage Park. It was a magical winter wonderland filled with art, music, dancing and surprises galore, featuring five all-new art installations each year, plus concerts, workshops, snow dances and cozy campfires, all in a charming picture-perfect setting. In 2021, due to the pandemic, we offered an at-home version of the festival.
With so much programming going in collaboration with so many wonderful artists in each Ice Box event, we have a LOT of amazing memories!
Safety Dance
Physically distanced, for safety, while getting our groove on. Led by dancer and choreographer Arwyn Carpenter.
The original Safety Dance took place in September 2020 as a joyful antidote to Covid times.
The original Safety Dance took place in September 2020 as a joyful antidote to Covid times, with spaces carefully measured to keep participants physically distanced while getting their groove on. It was led by dancer and choreographer Arwyn Carpenter. The event was made possible thanks to a partnership with Macaulay Heritage Park. In September 2021 we brought the event to Toronto’s East Lynn Park thanks to East End Arts. Want to bring Safety Dance to your community? Get in touch!
TORONTO EDITION
Invited by East End Arts in 2021.