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.
After-Party 9PM-2AM
Parade 7-10PM
ALTAR EGO
Thank You East Vancouver!
Parade of Lost Souls
​
Come one come all! It is the time for celebration and for ceremony, for reflection and renewal. Wear a costume. Bring an instrument. Make a dance. Join a dance. This parade is for you and by you, all the lost souls of the world; at least we are lost together. This year’s Parade invites you to alter your ego, with the 2017 theme “Altar Ego”…Bring your own altar and we will have a place for you. Let the reverie and the revelry begin here, at the Parade of Lost Souls! Conceptualized and produced by the beloved Public Dreams Society for over twenty-five years, the Parade lives on under the direction of its producer since 2014, The Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret.
​
When &Where We March
​
Returning, as in tradition on the last Saturday in October, the Parade of Lost Souls will take place on October 28, 2017. As it has for decades, the final parade route is kept a closely guarded secret - revealed only at midnight the night before. Keep checking into our website and social media feeds for updates and other exciting surprises along the way!
Lost Souls After-Party
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 Legion on Commercial Drive. Doors at 9pm, live music, visuals and performances from 10pm-2am. Proudly presented by the Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret, this year we celebrate ALTAR EGO, create an altar to an aspect of yourself- let's let go of the parts of ourselves that no longer serve us.
Experience personal growth through the death of the ego. Bring forward an aspect of yourself you might not usually express. Costume yourself in your ALTAR EGO. Let's dance.
​
Workshops
Join in the revelry early and prepare yourself for the parade by participating in one of our many artist-led community workshops in dance, music, art and costuming. Find workshop descriptions, times, locations and volunteer opportunities below.
As All Hallows’ Eve crawls slowly from the autumn mist, preparations are well underway for the Parade of Lost Souls Festival. 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 of Lost Souls Festival 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 of Lost Souls 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 it serves. It is a parade of spectacle and
performance, an inclusive celebration for the thousands of lost souls that join us every year to meander along its route.
​
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 and creative costumes!
Parade donations can be made online, or at the event, and volunteer and performance opportunities can be found in the “Get Involved” section below. We are eternally grateful for your generosity!
refuge &release
community &collective
for thousands of lost souls.
COUNTDOWN TO THE PARADE
The Time-Honoured Commercial Drive tradition attended annually by over 10,000 lost souls
Parade Donation
Entry by $5 Recommended Donation
After-Party Tickets
​
Online tickets get you on the guest list.
Bring a photo ID & email confirmation.
Tickets will not be sold at the door.
19+. No Minors Admitted.
#ParadeLostSouls #Pols
October 28th
Parade of Lost Souls ALTAR EGO, featuring Altar Ego Plaza, Third Eye Birds Eye Plaza, Cerebral Pathway, Threshold Alley, Carving Pavilion, Telegraph Arch, Thalumus Stage, and the Main Stage. Parade starts at Napier & Commercial!
Location + Parade Route
Lost Souls After-Party
#LostSoulsAfterParty
Following the Parade, all of the lost souls keep the party going at the
Lost Souls After-Party, this year at The Legion on Commercial Drive
PRICING
​
Early-Bird [Until Oct. 20]: SOLD OUT
Mid-Bird [100 Available]: SOLD OUT
Regular [Until Oct. 28]: SOLD OUT
​
[service fees apply]
Online tickets can be claimed at Will Call.
Bring photo ID & your email confirmation
19+. No Minors Admitted.
Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret Presents
​
Lost Souls After-Party
OCTOBER 28TH|9PM-2AM
19+
Workshops
#ParadeLostSouls #PoLS
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.
Thriller Flashmob
​
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. 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?
​
At the Britannia Secondary School Cafeteria
​
Thurs Oct 19 7:00 - 9:30pm
Sat Oct 21 12:00 - 2:30pm
Sun Oct 22 12:00 - 2:30pm
​
Min. Donation: $5-10 per person
​
RSVP on the Facebook Event page.
Mask Hat Making
w/ Kate Romain
This is a mask-making method that I learned in Nipissing First Nation (near Sudbury, Ont) while on a cross-country community arts tour with Jumblies Theatre. Cathy Stubington of Runaway Moon Theatre came up with the technique and taught us. It simply uses newspaper, masking tape, white glue and tissue paper. It is known for being quick, relatively mess-free (no paint or clay involved), and pretty easy-- with awesome results.
​
At the Britannia Community Centre - FAR Building
​
Tue Oct 24 5:00 - 9:00pm
​
Min. Donation: $5-10 per person
Leather Mask Making
w/ Wryly Anderson
​
Wryly will be putting on a new type of lather mask workshop, bringing a new perspective on the craft.
At the Britannia Community Centre - 55+ Centre
​
Sat Oct 21 11:00am - 2:00pm
Sun Oct 22 11:00am - 2:00pm
Tues Oct 25 7:00 - 9:30pm
​
Min. Donation: $5-10 per session
Motion, Meditation,
Dance + Theatrics
w/ Joylyn Secunda
"Explore your "Altar Ego" in a healing ceremony facilitated by Joylyn Secunda. The evening will include meditation, yoga, authentic movement, sacred song, and exercises to develop the intuition.
​
At the Dusty Flower Shop
#141 - 2050 Scotia Street, Vancouver
​
Sun Oct 22 7:00 - 10:00pm
​
Min. Donation: $10 per person
Giant Found Object Puppetry
w/ Wryly Anderson
​
This year’s Parade of Lost Souls invites you to alter your ego, with the 2017 dream theme “Altar Ego”! In this workshop you will learn about puppetry using found object. Think of the possibilities around you when you can make anything you find around the house come alive! In addition to learning these puppetry skills, we will be building one or more Giant Puppets from scratch that will become a main attraction in the Parade of Lost Souls 2017. Come be part of the the creation, and performance if you choose.
​
At the Arc
1701 Powell Street, Vancouver
Buzzer: #0969
Phone: 778-899-2079
Sat Oct 21 6:00 - 10:30pm
​
Min. Donation: $10 per person
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 astounding, talented and hard-working group of souls. But, we can always use more help. Won't you be one of those souls?
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.
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.
DONATIONS &TICKETS
Give A Parade Donation
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 every year: covering everything from permitting, to insurance, security, porta-potties, artist fees, built infrastructure,
and so much more!
​
Help Keep Parade Alive!
Please consider donating whatever you can afford. Your donations will help keep the parade alive this year and for years to come.
See you at the parade. We tip our masks to you!
Lost Souls After Party
19+
The Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret Presents
The Lost Souls After-Party at The Legion on Commercial Drive.
​
​
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
​
PRICING
​
Early-Bird [Until Oct. 20]: SOLD OUT
Mid-Bird [100 Available]: SOLD OUT
Regular [Until Oct. 28]: SOLD OUT
​
Online tickets can be claimed at Will Call.
Bring photo ID & your email confirmation.
​
19+. No Minors Admnitted
Production Staff
​
Kat Single-Dain
Artistic Director
​
Shoy
Production Manager, Gaffer
​
Julia Siedlanowska
​
Stage Manager, 1st Production Assistant,
Public Outreach Officer, Transportation
​
Ron Skolney-Elverson
Head of Installations/ Set Dec
