There aren’t many better ways to brighten up a February night in Nelson than following a parade of glowing lanterns down Baker Street – especially when the lanterns are this creative!

Every winter, the Polka Dot Dragon Lantern Festival captures Nelson’s creative spirit with a celebration of light, art, music and community. Handmade lanterns fill the downtown streets, performers accompany the parade, and the festival eventually moves down to the waterfront for an illuminated outdoor gallery at Lakeside Park.

Many are themed after animals, but you’ll see everything from toadstools to mythical creatures represented here, all lit up in their full splendour for a whimsical showcase of Nelson’s creative talent.

This is one of those events that feels like old-school small-town community connection – a feeling that only comes from authentic energy and participation.

And while the lanterns are the obvious main attraction, there’s more going on than simply looking at pretty lights.

What is the Polka Dot Dragon Lantern Festival?

The Polka Dot Dragon Lantern Festival is a free, community-based winter arts festival held in Nelson each February, where anyone is welcome to join in and showcase their lantern art or simply enjoy the performances, art installation and parade.

The festival has been happening since 2014 and is organized by the Polka Dot Dragon Arts Society. Its focus is on bringing together art, nature and community, with local artists, performers, schools and community groups all bringing the event to life through music, dance, and art.

A big part of the festival happens before the actual event. Anyone can join in community led lantern-making workshops and create their own illuminated sculptures to bring to the parade and Lakeside display.

It’s really a special event, and we encourage you to jump in with both feet and be a part of it by creating a lantern of your own. You’re not just showing up to see something that somebody else made — you can actually become part of it and flex those creative muscles!

How it Started

The Polka Dot Dragon Lantern Festival started in 2014 and has grown into an annual Nelson winter tradition – one of our favourites in the Kootenays!

Its artistic inspirations draw from some of the world’s best international art festivals. Artistic director Myra Rasmussen has been based in Nelson since 2009 and developed an interest in large-scale festival arts through work on carnival and parade productions around the world. In 2008, she travelled to Aomori, Japan, where she apprenticed with master artist Sakuryu Chiba and learned to make giant lanterns for the famous Aomori Nebuta Festival.

That influence can be seen in the festival’s combination of large-scale lanterns, procession, music, performance and community participation.

But this Nelson festival has developed its own character over the years. Local schools and community groups participate in workshops, while local artists create installations and performances specifically for the event.

It’s really the handmade art that gives this event such a community feeling, with each handmade piece of art coming together to form a whole world of whimsy.

The Lantern Parade on Baker Street

If you’re visiting for the first time, the downtown parade is a must-see!

The parade typically begins around Hall Street and Baker Street following an evening of entertainment that ranges from dancers to singers, after which participants carry their handmade lanterns through downtown Nelson. Musicians, dancers and other performers join the procession, turning Baker Street into a moving stream of lights and music.

You’ll see small handmade lanterns being carried by children alongside much larger creations made by artists and teams. Previous festivals have had lanterns inspired by everything from birds and insects to mushrooms and fantastical creatures.

It’s fun to mill about the plaza and admire the lanterns up close, but the procession is a great way to see them all together, and is a great time for all ages!

The Lakeside Park outdoor gallery

The festival’s second major component takes place at Lakeside Park.

After the energy of the downtown parade, the Lakeside Park portion is more more of an at-your-own-pace experience, but a pretty immersive one too. The park is set up as an outdoor gallery filled with illuminated sculptures and installations, with performances happening throughout the evening.

This is where you really get a chance to stop and look at the artwork, and talk to the creators about their work. We love being able to compliment artists in an easy setting like this, and snap a photo with our favourites!

The setting is cool too. Lakeside Park is right on Kootenay Lake, and the dark winter backdrop and glowing artwork creates a very different atmosphere from the downtown parade.

Yearly Themes

The Polka Dot Lantern Festival changes themes from year to year, and we look forward to seeing what comes up next!

For example, the 2026 festival’s “Swamp Refuge” theme brought frogs, bugs, birds and other wetland-inspired creations into the event. We saw some incredible herons, cranes, frogs, insects, geese and goslings, along with a moose, among the lanterns, and you can check out our photos here and on our social media as well! .

The Performances

The Polka Dot Dragon Festival isn’t just a lantern display, it taps into Nelson’s rich heritage of performance art too!

Music, dance, theatre, puppetry and other performances are incorporated into the event, alongside the colourful lantern art.

For example, the dragon dance pictured above features a traditional Chinese dragon which was brought to Nelson from Hong Kong over 80 years ago!

If you see a crowd gathered around a performance at Lakeside Park, it’s worth stopping for a few minutes rather than trying to see everything in one pass.

Make your own lantern

If you have time before the festival, it might be time to consider making a lantern yourself.

The Polka Dot Dragon Arts Society and other local organizations offer workshops in the weeks leading up to the event, including sessions aimed at families.

2026 workshops taught participants to make dragonfly lanterns using things like willow, tissue paper, cheesecloth and LED lights.

You don’t need to make your own lantern to attend, but carrying one through the parade is a much more fun way to experience the festival than standing on the sidewalk watching, and is a great way to meet other like-minded people.

Workshops and availability change each year, so check the current festival schedule before your visit.

What Makes It Special?

Nelson already has a strong arts community, and the Polka Dot Dragon Lantern Festival is a pretty good demonstration of what happens when that creativity is put towards a shared goal.

The event isn’t designed solely as something for tourists to come and watch, it’s here for you to be a part of!

Schools create lanterns. Local artists create installations. Musicians and performers participate. Volunteers help put everything together. Residents bring their own creations.

Even if you are visiting, you’re not simply attending an attraction. You’re getting a glimpse of the creative community that makes Nelson different from many other small mountain towns, and reminds us of the energy that made events like Street Fest such an essential part of Nelson’s DNA.

When is the Polka Dot Dragon Lantern Festival?

The festival takes place in Nelson each February, with programming generally split between the downtown lantern parade and the Lakeside Park outdoor gallery and performances.

The 2027 Polka Dot Lantern Festival is scheduled for February 5th and 6th, with the parade on Baker Street on Friday and the outdoor gallery at Lakeside Park on Saturday.

Because dates and programming change annually, you can check the festival website for more information here.

A Special Nelson Winter Experience

Nelson is easy to love in the summer, when Kootenay Lake is warm, the patios are busy and the mountains are calling.

But the Polka Dot Dragon Lantern Festival is a good reminder that winter in Nelson has its own personality!

On a cold February evening, watching a glowing parade move through downtown before wandering among illuminated sculptures beside Kootenay Lake is a pretty memorable way to spend a night.

And perhaps the best part is that the festival doesn’t feel like something imported into Nelson for visitors.

It’s something the community makes for itself — and visitors get to join in. Don’t miss this one!