The Online Home of the Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret
Located at 2050 Scotia St. (entrance through glass door next to building loading bay)
All the News
That's Fit to Print.
The Parade of Lost Souls is BAAACK!
October 28, 2023
PARADE COUNTDOOOWN!!!
Parade of Little Souls
October 28, 2023
Family-Friendly Procession at 6:30pm
Parade of Lost Souls
October 28, 2023
Processions Hourly at 7:30pm & 8:30pm
Lost Souls AFTER PARTY
October 28, 2023
10 pm – 1 am
THE TIME-HONOURED COMMERCIAL DRIVE TRADITION
#ParadeofLostSouls #ParadeofLittleSouls
PLEASE DONATE
TO HELP KEEP
PARADE ALIVE!!!
$10 Suggested Donation per Person
PARADE OF LOST SOULS 2023: EVERYTHING! EVERYWHERE!
ALL AT PARADE!
Parade of Lost Souls: OCTOBER 28, 2023
EVERYTHING! EVERYWHERE! ALL AT PARADE!​
Let’s all jump on the Quantum Bandwagon! It may be impossible to know if there are really multiple universes when we look outward into the sky, but we know for sure that the multiverse is alive and well when we look inward… Because ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN in our imaginations!!! JOIN US for this annual event as Britannia partners with the Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret to bring you this years’ spooktacular & legendary Parade of Lost Souls!
ALL WELCOME to join in this year to take part in the performance, music & art of the Parade of Lost Souls..... for "If we are lost, then we are lost together...”
​
Our parade workshops are inclusive and accessible to all! We offer accommodations for those who need them. Join us and be a part of the fun.
Returning as in tradition on the Saturday closest to All Hallows' Eve, the Parade of Lost Souls will take place on Saturday, October 28th, beginning at the Britannia library located at 1661 Napier Street.
The parade route will be revealed at a later date! Please check the social media feeds for updates and other super exciting surprises along the way!
Happy Halloween! May the little souls in our life LIGHT UP THE NIGHT! Parade of Little Souls is for the ALL the wee children who want to join in on the colourful & dazzling festivities! Join the family-friendly procession and MEET US at the Britannia Library! Procession for the Parade of Little Souls begins at 6:30pm. *please note: this is a half hour earlier than previous years*
You’ve resurrected your identities, faced your fears, saved your souls, and now it’s time to shake those bones and rejoice! Following the Parade of Lost Souls, the party continues through the night at the LOST SOULS AFTER-PARTY, this year again at The Wise Hall. 10pm to 1am with live music, visuals and performances. Proudly presented by Live at the WISE and the DFC.
*Conceptualized and produced by the Public Dreams Society for over twenty-five years, the Parade lives on under the direction of its producer since 2014, The Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret.
2023 PARADE ROUTE
.png)
PARADE ROUTE
LOST SOULS AFTER PARTY
STARTING AT BRITANNIA LIBRARY
1661 Napier Street, Vancouver, BC
WORKSHOPS
Thriller Flash Mob
Let’s party like it’s 1899…learn the ORIGINAL CHOREOGRAPHY of Michael Jackson’s record setting break out hit Thriller! Come to at least two of the three workshops, if you can. Kat is very precise about teaching it exactly as MJ did it – to the step–which means that you can do your homework by watching the video and mirroring the zombies. If you get stuck, just ask yourself, What Would Michael Do?
​
Come to all or one of these workshops! Kat teaches the Thriller from scratch every time, so anyone can come to any of the workshops!
​
Oct 7, 2023 - Oct 21, 2023
Saturdays from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Workshop Age: 15 - 75
Suggested Donation: $10 per session
Instructor: Kat Single-Dain
Location:
Cafeteria
Britannia Community Centre
1661 Napier Street
Vancouver, BC, V5L 4X4
THRILLER TUTORIAL
WITCHES TUTORIAL
Do the Time Warp
Learn the original, super fun, and very simple choreography to "The Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Time is fleeting....Do it this year! BUT you must dress like one of the movie's characters and do join us on the night of the "Parade of Lost Souls 2023" for the ULTIMATE FLASH MOB!!! You will be performing alongside professionals who have played the lead roles from year to year… Or you yourself may want to play a lead!! Come to at least two of these rehearsals, all if you can!
​
Note: Later sessions are meant as practice sessions and people should aim to come to the very first session.
​
Oct 7, 2023 - Oct 21, 2023
Saturdays from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Workshop Age: 15 - 75
Suggested Donation: $10 per session
Instructor: Kat Single-Dain
Location:
Britannia Community Centre
1655 William St
Vancouver , BC, V5L 2R3
WITCHES IN ACTION
TIME WARP IN ACTION
WITCHES DANCE WORKSHOP
​
Parade of Lost Souls - East Van Witches Apothecary Decor Workshop and Dance Rehearsals
For those interested in performing at the Parade of Lost Souls on Saturday, October 28. It's time for all witches to rise and dance at this year's Parade of Lost Souls event!
Join green witch Lindy Sisson and white witch Monica Lee to learn the infamous German Witches Dance and Witches of East Van Apothecary installation.
They have gathered their herbs and spells and are ready to prepare the installation and teach you the moves of this worldwide phenomenon.
Weekly Workshops on Sundays in Oct:
Oct 1st - Bring your ideas and witchy visions to our opening workshop. We will build off the last two years' installations, set decoration and expand to fill the Main Stage Attraction at this year’s Parade! Think Cauldron building, lit-up costumes and broom decorating!
Oct 8 - First dance rehearsal for the German Witches Dance! Come and learn the steps, or refresh your memory from last year! Video link at the bottom of this description.
Oct 15 - Building and decorating hands-on workshop - we will work together to bring our ideas to life from week 1 Workshop. Bring your broom and costume, and let's get Witchy!
Oct 22 - 2nd and final German Witch Dance rehearsal.
Oct 28th - Parade!
In greater numbers year after year, the Witches of EastVan are flying in from all over for this event! Get ready to mesmerize parade audiences with our powerful witchy women vibes!
Come alone or in pairs and ready your broom (required for participation). Personalize your own costume for the main event.
If you can't make the workshop and want to learn it on your own or just be better prepared for the workshop, check out this link:
​
October 1st-October 22nd
Sundays from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Location:
Cafeteria
Britannia Community Centre
1661 Napier Street
Vancouver, BC, V5L 4X4
CALLING ALL PRO DANCERS FOR THRILLER FLASHMOB!
paid opportunity
seeking 3 strong dancers
audition - oct 7th 4:30pm at Britannia centre
Must be available - Oct 20th, 27th + 28th
OPEN HOUSE COSTUME SALE
A drop-in evening of variety at the Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret! Join us at the studio where you can do a variety of things including:
​
-
Make a costume
-
Buy a costume
-
Contribute to set decoration preparations
-
Meet potential collaborators
-
DJ (or play music) for the folks enjoying the space
-
Get a tour of the new improvements of the space
-
Meet with the crew of the Parade
-
Talk about any ideas you may have!
Fridays:
October, 6, 13, & 20
​
Location: 2050 Scotia St., Vancouver, BC
​
CALL TO ACTION
​
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28TH!!!
CALL TO ACTION!!! Parade of Lost Souls wants YOU!!! We are putting out this CALL TO ACTION to remind the public that Parade of Lost Souls is an event that was created as a grassroots celebration of life! Which must inevitably include death as well as expressions of art & dance & music and SURREALISM!
The Parade of Lost Souls is NOT a spectator sport, but a sport that YOU play!!! Get on the field and BRING YOUR A - GAME!!! That means that YOU are absolutely welcome to bring your band, your experimental clown show, your dance routine with 12 other people that you’ve been working on, a game that you can play with the crowd... just to name a few ideas! In fact, you don’t even have to ask us – The Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret Society – ahead of time. We LOVE to be surprised… We provide the playground; you come PLAY!!!
If you need a spot to position yourselves, there will be plenty of space available on the Britannia Community Center property. Please come and choose any available spot on the upper library level – there are many nooks and crannies to inhabit! The parades will all land in the gravel field below.
If you prefer to contact us ahead of time, then you are also welcome to email us at paradeoflostsouls@gmail.com, and we will respond anytime up to a week before the event!
We aim to inspire the performer and maker that exists in all of us! A variety of creative workshops leading up to the parade provide an opportunity to dance, play music and make, with opportunities to participate in parade performances.
GALLERY
GET INVOLVED
Since its first rising, the Parade of Lost Souls has been a grass-roots festival planned, organized and performed by, and for, the community that it serves. It's creativity, success, and contributions to the community are the result of the tireless efforts of an outstanding, talented and hard-working group of souls. But, we can always use more help.
CALL FOR ARTISTS,
PERFORMERS & MAKERS
Calling all artists, performers and makers! We are extending an invitation to you, our community of artists, performers and friends, to find your own inspiration and join us in creating this festival of celebration and ceremony. Are you a maker, a sculpter, an artist or a performer? Are you interested in building an installation, helping to create the parade environments, or performing that one thing you've always been aching to do? We are on the lookout for more performers, musicians, fire dancers, stilt walkers, puppetteers, clowns, acrobats, magicians, voice performers, contortionists, jugglers, and thriller dancing zombies. If performance isn't your thing, we're also looking for artists, costume designers, graphic designers, sculpters, makers, and make-up artists. If you're creative, and interested in the Parade, we want to hear from you! Let us know how you'd like to contribute.
Paid Crew Needed!
​
Installation, Set Decoration, Striking, Clean-up, Buskers
email us at:
dustyflowerpotcabaret@gmail.com
(please note that we will no longer respond to emails once we have enough paid crew)
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
A festival, the size of the Parade of Lost Souls, requires a huge team of volunteers who are willing to do just about anything to help pull off the event. Volunteering with the production team or with the site crew will give you a behind-the-scenes look at how it all works and what it takes to pull of this festival. You'll also be providing an invaluable helping hand. We're looking for souls to help with a wide range of tasks, from helping to construct props and installations, place festival infrastructure on-site, to collecting donations at the parade, and cleaning up at the end of the night. This festival would not be what it is without the generous help of volunteers. If you're available and interested in lending a hand, we want to hear from you! Let us know how you'd like to contribute to the Parade of Lost Souls, and we'll try to match you with our current needs.
​
Volunteers Needed!!!
​
Set Decoration, Makers/ Builders, Hospitality, Costume Design, Installation, Parade Ambassadors, Information Booth, Ushers, Stage Assistants, Clean-up.
Parade of Lost Souls can only exist through the generous donations of the community who support it. It costs many tens of thousands to put on the parade each year: covering everything from permitting to insurance, security, artist fees, and built infrastructure. And, while this year may be a little different, we hope to continue putting on the Parade again and again for many years ahead.
PLEASE DONATE TO HELP
KEEP PARADE ALIVE!!!
$5 Suggested Donation
THE WISE HALL
1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, BC
As All Hallows’ Eve crawls out from the autumn mist, preparations are well underway for the Parade of Lost Souls. The annual tradition, a decades-old East Vancouver mainstay, is refuge and release, community and collective for thousands of lost souls. Participants of the Parade gather together to redefine their ideas of community engagement; to reconnect with one another, and with ourselves, in a celebration of the cycles of life and death. The festival’s true popularity lies in its ability to inspire and accentuate the creativity of those who attend. The Parade is proof that we have not lost our link to the richness and depth of the ritual celebrations of our ancestors.
The Parade of Lost Souls is organized by, and for, the community that it serves. It is a parade of spectacle and performance, an inclusive celebration for the thousands of lost souls that join us every year.
​
It takes a tremendous amount of effort and funding to stage this event, and we are always on the lookout for energetic volunteers, artists and donors to join our team. The festival continues to be successful because of the creative artists and performers who share their talents, our hard-working volunteers who keep us running, and the larger community who join us each year - dressed in wondrous costumes!
refuge &release
community &collective
for thousands of lost souls
CAST & CREW
Artistic Director
Kat Single-Dain
Performers
Stilting Carnival Barker - Anna Thompson
The Mushroom Parade - Isabelle Kirouac and Willoughby Averalo
Tap Dancing Scare Crow - Alexandra McLean-Kelly
Hoop Dancer - Alex Wells
Thriller Leads
Clive Ramroop
Momoko Shimada
Courtney Calnan
Witches of East Van Leads
Monica Lee
Lindy Sisson
"Ghosted" installation by Flail
DJ Collectives + Installations
Inside Out
Tempo
Obsidian
Decentralized Dance Party
Fire Show
Bands
Carnival Band
Samba Du Soliel
Balkan Shmalkan
Batucada
Salalaul
Sospiro Misterioso
Music Vancouver
The Magic Triangle
UBC Jazz Club
The Boytles
Spectator 6
The Dimes
Legion of Flying Monkeys
​
Time Warp Dancers
Clae Brown as Riff-Raff
Ginger Femmecat as Magenta
Ron Skolney-Elverson as the Narrator
Seamus Sullivan as Frank M. Furter
Nathan Barrett as Rocky
Afterparty
DJ May Q Move
Melody Mangler
Chase The Bear
Balkan Shmalkan
CONTACT US!
Special Thanks to:
