The Art Kitchen 2026
A free weekly drop-in for artistic expression, healthy snacks and feel-good community vibes.
Macaulay Village Park
This program is returning on June 1, 2026! The Art Kitchen is a free weekly drop-in artmaking group at Macaulay Village Park on London Avenue, Picton (The Heights) every Monday from 4 to 6 PM until the end of September. Creative expression, healthy snacks and feel-good community vibes. Plus free books from County Kids Read! Bring a creative project to work on or make use of our art supplies. Don’t know what to work on? Our team of artists are happy to help guide you through a project. This is an all-ages group, kids and teens most welcome!
Supported by
Flowering Wild
Immersive floral installations rooted in seasonality and place!
Flowering Wild is a collective of independent florists, growers, and land-connected creatives, convened through Studio Free Folk who come together to create immersive floral installations rooted in seasonality, place, and community care. We gather around a shared belief that flowers are both art and offering—ephemeral, expressive, and deeply tied to the land.
On Sunday, July 19, Flowering Wild presents its latest site-specific installation at a private heritage farm in Prince Edward County. This restored location, celebrated for its land stewardship and adaptive reuse of historic agricultural buildings, serves as the canvas for a collaborative floral exhibition.
The installation features the distinct voices of:
Alysia Ausubel (Begonia Moon Flower Studio)
Alexis Bouma (Alexis Joy Florals)
Sarah Crawford (East Lake Farm)
Marilou Perron (Early Grey)
Bethany Puttkemery (Smells Like Flowers)
Lori Richards (Lori Richards)
Kate Turkington (Westbriar Floral)
Interactive programming throughout the day:
The Department of Illumination: Family-friendly creative activities inviting youth to engage with art and ecology.
Kenhte:ke Seed Sanctuary & Learning Centre: Insights into Indigenous seed stewardship, seed rematriation, and community-based food systems.
Both organizations will be onsite accepting donations to support their vital community work.
Tickets include access to the floral installation, all guest programming, and a chance to wander the heritage farm property. Due to the nature of the property, there’s only 30 tickets available per viewing.
Tickets are VERY limited and are on sale now. Get yours here!
BIG FIRES 2026
A solstice party at Slake Brewing
BIG NEWS! We’re delighted to welcome Slake Brewing as this year’s Premier Season Sponsor AND we’re having an epic party to celebrate! Mark your calendars for BIG FIRES, a Solstice party at Slake Brewing on Saturday June 20. Eight hours of music, family-friendly activities, delicious food and drink and all the groovy festival vibes you can handle as we celebrate the longest day of the year and raise some money for The Department of Illumination.
BIG FIRES - JUNE 20, 2026
SCHEDULE:
1 PM - 4 PM Kids costume-making
1 PM - 6 PM Make a flower crown
1:30 PM - 2:10 Andy Forgie (Special Performance for the Young and the Young at Heart)
2:10 - Race of the Mythical Creatures
3 PM - 3:40 Matthew “Doc” Dunn (Roots and Blues)
3 PM - 6 PM Typewriter Poetry
4 PM - Costume parade
4 PM - DJ Ombudsman (Global Grooves)
4:30 - PM Race of the Mythical Creatures
6 PM - MaSHeNKa (Dream Pop)
7 PM - Hayley and The Pirate Queens (Punky Roots)
8 PM - Sandwich Spirits (Psychedelic Jams)
Andy Forgie
Andy Forgie is a beloved Belleville, Ontario-based musician, entertainer, and arts educator. Active since the mid-70s, he is best known as the lead vocalist for the Capitol Records band Photograph, as the frontman of the international Beatles tribute All You Need Is Love. Additionally, Andy is widely respected for his therapeutic music sessions for seniors and for delivering experiential learning and arts education to elementary students.
Matthew “Doc” Dunn
Matthew Dunn is a revered name in underground music circles. A relatively recent PEC transplant, The polymath multi-instrumentalist has toured the globe while appearing on countless recordings and producing a prolific body of work spanning solo releases, as well as collaborations with Jennifer Castle, Kevin Morby, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Woods, Lido Pimienta, Sandro Perri, John Zorn and many more.
DJ Ombudsman
An active DJ for over 20 years, Ombudsman has played venues as diverse as the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (M.O.C.C.A.), the Solstice Festival (OM Reunion Project), the Firelight Lantern Festival (Department of Illumination), The Commissary at Base 31, and Decoy Bar (Toronto). Ombudsman is celebrated for his eclectic, multi-genre sets that seamlessly transition between various global and electronic sounds. Their musical repertoire spans House, Reggae, Funk, Jazz, Rock, Disco, Downtempo and Global Grooves.
maSHeNKa
maSHeNKa splits her time between PEC and Montreal, where she writes, records, and self-produces her original music. MaSHeNKa blends dream pop and alternative textures with cinematic electronic production, creating eclectic songs that explore themes of altered states and psychedelia in a style that is hypnotic and easy to get lost in.
Hayley and The Pirate Queens
Hayley Austin, a native of Portsmouth England, has been writing and refining her songs for many years now. She has joined forces with bassist Tim Hadley and drummer Nathan Mahaffy to form Hayley and the Pirate Queens. They are working hard, carving out a unique place in the alt-roots landscape
Sandwich Spirits
Sandwich Spirits is an instrumental jam band based out of Belleville, ON, heavily active in the Prince Edward County and Bay of Quinte music scenes. Every Sandwich Spirits show is unique, combining ambient soundscapes, psychedelic jams, and funky grooves. The band frequently integrates light and art into their performances. When you attend one of their shows, you are always guaranteed to be asked their signature, defining question: "What's your favourite sandwich?"
The Delhi Park Pageant 2026
The exciting return of a community favourite! August 22nd, 2026.
The Delhi Pageant Returns August 22 2026
Watch this space for details!
The Delhi Park Pageant was the culmination of our residency in the park in the Summer of 2025. Together, our cast and crew of 50+ people told the story of the park through story and song. It was a magical love letter to Picton’s green gem and was presented on August 23, 2025, to a crowd of upwards of 400 people. Due to enthusiastic demand, we will be remounting the pageant in 2026!
WRITER, DIRECTOR, DESIGNER Krista Dalby
STAGE MANAGER Carla McCormick
PROJECT COORDINATOR Hri Neil
Kanyen’kehá:ka perspective Erica Gray
CHOREOGRAPHER Allison Nichol
CHOREOGRAPHER'S ASSISTANT Jocelyn Wattam
COMPOSERS & MUSICIANS Lisa Bozikovic & Annelise Noronha
CHOIR DIRECTOR & MUSICIAN Sam Hirst
DRUMS Heather Kirby
PRE-SHOW MUSIC Matthew Doc Dunn
PROPS & COSTUMES
Nella Casson
Tomas Del Balso
Bear Epp
Susanne Larner
Andrea Piller
Tim Snyder
Jan Swaren
WARDEN OF THE WILDS Stephanie Rose
KEEPERS
Eloise Bergeron
Frank Hannan
Sharon Hart
Ryan Henderson
Catalin Ivan
Angela Lavender
Sarah Selecky
Emmylou Warner
CHOIR
Andrea Dawes
Janet Jephcott
John Lai
Sally McCubbin
Stacey Michener
Keri Nelson
Galen Newman
Jessica Pelchat
Jess Posgate
Lois Russell
Melissa Warren
THE RACCOONS Pierre Bouchard, Kat Burns
THE DOGS Lenny Epstein & Gavin North
THE SQUIRRELS Emberly Doherty, Beth Easton, Artemus Emu, Barbara Leitermanar
THE DEAD Thom Harrison & Nancy Kish
DRAGONFLIES
Elora Faircloth
Hazel Faircloth
Joni Greig
Alice Hanmer
Rumi Hobbs
River Keast
Eden Vreugdenhil
THANK YOU
Christine Renaud
County of Prince Edward
Feral Folc
PECIsh
Picton Home Hardware
PEC Field Naturalists
South Shore Joint Initiative
All our volunteers
Photos by Michelle Beaudette
The Delhi Park Pageant is SUPPORTED BY
Firelight Lantern Festival 2026
A cherished Prince Edward County tradition. Two magical evenings of arts and music, November 6 & 7, 2026.
14th annual Firelight Lantern Festival
November 6 & 7, 2026 ~ Crystal Palace, Picton
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!
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6 ~ 7 PM to Midnight
Ages 19+ - Join us for the art party or the year!
Headliners are alternative Country band The Grievous Angels. Engage with installations from DOI artists, an illuminated performance from North Fire Circus, and as always, a few creative surprises throughout the evening.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7~ 6 PM to 11 PM
Headliners are hometown heroes Cue the Funk
The outdoor portions of the festival are FREE, but please consider dropping a donation into one of our donation boxes to support the festival.
EVENT SCHEDULE
6 PM - Gather at Benson Park. Giant puppets, handmade lanterns and a performance by The Aurora Borealis Community Choir at 6:30. Dress warmly!
7 PM SHARP - Community Processiondeparts towards the Crystal Palace accompanied by Spencer Evans & the Goat Steppers. Doors open at the Crystal Palace at 7 PM in case you don’t want to or are unable to do the parade. BTX CRVTT spins tunes while you take in the art installations made by Department of Illumination artists and play a game or two!
7:30-8:30 - Kids craft inside the Crystal Palace with Sharon Hart
7:40 - Fire show by North Fire Circus outside Crystal Palace
8:30 - 10 PM - Cue the Funk - Main Stage Crystal Palace. My Son the Hurricane is a multi-horn, multi-drummer, multi-singer brass funk band bringing their massive musical energy all the way from Niagara. Get ready to have your socks knocked off!
WHAT TO WEAR: Dress up in whatever wild and wonderful costume you wish – especially if it’s illuminated!
WHAT TO BRING: A lantern! Our lantern workshops have concluded, and our lantern kits are sold out, howeverwe have handmade lanterns for sale at Kelly’s Shop, while supplies last.
EAT & DRINK: Both evenings are licensed inside the Crystal Palace; bar service by County Cider Co. and Kaleidoscope Catering is serving from their food truck all night long.
PLEASE DONATE: The Lantern Parade and outdoor performances are all FREE, however donations are greatly appreciated and help keep this event going!
TICKETS
NEW! LOWER PRICES AND TICKETING SYSTEM FOR 2025!
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!
TICKETS FOR FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6 (19+) - All tickets just $20 (HST inc). Buy wristbands at Kelly’s Shop (cash preferred - 197 Main St. Picton). Tickets available at the door while they last; no online tickets available.
TICKETS FOR SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7 - Adults $25, kids $5. Buy wristbands at Kelly’s Shop (cash preferred - 197 Main St. Picton). Saturday tickets online/at door: $30 adults, $10 kids. Watch here for a link for online tickets.
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
