After-Party 9PM-1AM
Parade 7-10PM
MAGIC+REALISM
Parade of Lost Souls
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Tighten your boots, folks, cause your socks are gonna get blown right off! Parade of Lost Souls invites you to indulge in this year's theme of Magic and Realism! Come prepared to feast your eyes and ears on live bands, art installations, clowns galore, delicious food trucks, and much much more from the minds and hearts of our beloved city's artists! And don't forget to bring something for the altar! Whatever and whoever you want to remember this night, all offerings will be accepted! THIS IS YOUR EVENT! For you and by 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.
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When &Where We March
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Returning, as in tradition on the last Saturday in October, the Parade of Lost Souls will take place on October 27, 2018. 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!
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PROCESSIONS START @ Britannia Library
7pm Parade of Little Souls (Carnival Band, Greenhorn Band, Vancouver Fiddle Club)
8pm Parade of Lost Souls (Balkan Shmalkan and the Carnival Band)
9pm Parade of Lost Souls (Balkan Shmalkan and the Carnival Band)
Parade of Little Souls
Ho! ho! ho! Merry Hallowe'en! May the little souls in our life light up the night with Magic and Realism!
Parade of Little Souls is for the children who want to join in on the colourful and dazzling festivities! Meet at the Britannia Library. Procession starts at 7pm.
Procession lead by the Carnival Band, the Greenhorn Band, and The Vancouver Fiddle Club! This is your event! For you, and by you, no matter your age!
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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 Wise Hall. Doors at 9pm, with live music, visuals and performances. Proudly presented by the Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret, this year we celebrate MAGIC & REALISM.
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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.
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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.
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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
#ParadeLostSouls #Pols
October 27th
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 Wise Hall.
PRICING
Early-Bird [First 100]: $20.00
Mid-Bird [Second 100]: $25.00
Third-Bird [Last 50]: $30.00
[service fees apply]
Tickets will NOT be sold at the door
Online tickets can be claimed at Will Call.
Bring photo ID & your email confirmation
19+. No Minors Admitted.
Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret Presents
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Lost Souls After-Party
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OCTOBER 27TH – 9PM to 1AM
19+
The Mariachi Band
DJ Pharmboy w/ Band
DJ Tarran The Tailor
and others...
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
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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? Suggested Donation: $10 per person.
Tues, Oct 16 7:00pm-9:30pm
Sat, Oct 20 12:00pm-2:30pm
Sun, Oct 21 12:00pm-2:30pm
Suggested Donation: $5-10 per session
Instructor: Kat Single-Dain, and maybe others!
Location: Britannia Community Center Cafeteria, access from the football field
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RSVP on the Facebook Event page.
Time Warp Flashmob
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Learn the original, super fun and much more 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 for a Flashmob Dance off!!!!
Fri, Oct 12 5:00pm-6:30pm
Fri, Oct 19 5:00pm-6:30pm
Suggested Donation: $5-10 per session
Instructor: Kat Single-Dain, and maybe others!
Location: Dusty Flower Shop 2050 Scotia Street, access around north alley
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RSVP on the Facebook Event page.
Giant Puppet
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The Parade of Lost Souls is upon us yet again! And what better way to get involved than to build a giant puppet with puppet extraordinaire, Wryly Andherson, at the Moth Orbit Object Theatre!
No experience necessary! Wryly is a patient teacher, and will show everyone how to build something that's bigger than life! and death! COMBINED!
This year's theme is Magic and Realism, and we're excited to see what Wryly cooks up!
Sun, Oct 21 1:00pm-6:00pm
By donation!
Instructor: Wryly Anderson,
Moth Orbit Object Theater
Please RSVP HERE by Fri, Oct 19.
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!
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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 Wise Hall.
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ON SALE NOW
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PRICING
​
Early-Bird [First 100]: $20.00
Mid-Bird [Second 100]: $25.00
Third-Bird [Last 50]: $30.00
​
Tickets will NOT be sold at the door.
Online tickets can be claimed at Will Call.
Bring photo ID & your email confirmation.
​
19+. No Minors Admnitted