Aqualumina Festival
Brian Sanders’ JUNK performs amid a sea of glowing aquatic creatures
ArtYard’s biennial Aqualumina, a riverside lantern festival involving music, dance, and inspiring lighting along the river’s edge, returns this spring with a celebration of water itself — as a vulnerable resource, necessity, bellwether, and mirror of the sky.
Set for Saturday, May 18, 2024, the second Aqualumina Festival features a site-specific dance performance by Brian Sanders’ JUNK and musical performances by PhilHarmonia and Sister Cities Voices. It features a community procession of illuminated jellyfish parasols, fish lanterns, crochet coral reef hats, illuminated cardboard boat creations, and fish tank skirts guided and created by community members and artists.
Please note that joining the Aqualumina procession involves walking in low-light conditions on uneven terrain. Participants assume all risks associated with this activity. ArtYard is not responsible for injuries.
Rather than join the procession, those who prefer to be spectators for the event can meet along the rail trail in front of ArtYard Center.
Registration is full! If you missed the chance to register, stay tuned… the Hatch returns in 2025 and Aqualumina is set for 2026!
Aqualumina was designed to bring the community together around the dreamy charms of a riverbank at dark. It launched in 2021 with a performance by JUNK in Ancestral Lights, an outdoor dance performance illuminating refugee narratives and kindling light in a time of darkness and displacement.
Read on below for Aqualumina FAQ.
Aqualumina begins at 7 PM and winds down at 10 PM. Community members taking part in the procession are invited to gather at Lenape Sunbeam Park from 6 PM to 7 PM.
The timeline for the event is as follows:
- 5 PM: Parking opens (Old Frenchtown Field)
- 5 – 6 PM: Aqualumina Workshop participant arrival for costume distribution and technical repair (Sunbeam Lenape Park)
- 6 to 7 PM: Registered participant arrival and lantern distribution (Sunbeam Lenape Park)
- 7:15 PM: ArtYard Remarks (Sunbeam Lenape Park)
- 7:30 – 8 PM: Communal dance instruction/rehearsal (Sunbeam Lenape Park)
- 8 – 8:30 PM: Line-up at Lenape Sunbeam Park (Sunbeam Lenape Park)
- 8:30 PM: Procession begins led by the Aqualumina Surrey and drummers (Lenape Sunbeam Park).
- 9:30-10 PM: Procession ends at ArtYard Center
Community members will process along the rail trail stopping along the way to experience performances. More than 150 people created aquatic costumes in ArtYard’s Aqualumina Workshop in the leadup to the event or in workshops with partner organizations, like Studio Route 29, Frenchtown Elementary School, Secret Garden Montessori School, and coLAB Arts.
Disclaimer: Please note that joining the Aqualumina procession involves walking in low-light conditions on uneven terrain. Participants assume all risks associated with this activity. ArtYard is not responsible for injuries.
Rather than join the procession, those who prefer to be spectators for the event can meet along the rail trail in front of ArtYard Center.
More about the parade is under the Activities section.
You’re encouraged to come wearing your own aquatic-themed costume or bring a homemade lantern. A limited number of ArtYard lanterns will be available for participants without a costume to borrow for the duration of the event.
Yes, registration is required so we can limit overcrowding and ensure we have adequate parking, facilities, and public safety in place to keep the community safe. Registration is free, and donations are gratefully accepted to help keep the cost of ArtYard’s programming affordable to all.
We wish we could welcome and accommodate everyone. We have capped registration at 500 to limit overcrowding and keep the event safe and under control, to ensure ArtYard and Aqualumina attendees are respectful to our community, to maximize the experience for all attendees, and ensure we can continue to host Aqualumina and other community festivals in the future.
Please join the waitlist if you missed the chance to register so we can notify you of any changes.
And, stay tuned… the Hatch returns in 2025 and the next Aqualumina is set for 2026!
In the event of inclement weather, we will update our website and social media and send an email to registered attendees the morning of Saturday, May 18. We have a rain date of the following day on Sunday, May 19. If inclement weather is forecast both days, we may adapt the plan to have as safe an experience as possible, or depending on the severity of the weather, we may need to cancel the event entirely.
You may send us an email at [email protected].
Parking opens at 5 PM and is at Old Frenchtown Field at 10th and Harrison streets. Parking is a suggested $5 donation that benefits the Delaware Valley Regional High School Performing Arts Booster Club. Lenape Sunbeam Park is a 5-minute brisk walk along the rail trail from the field.
Acquiring a parking spot near ArtYard or in Frenchtown can be challenging enough during a busy weekend so we recommend arriving early and parking at Old Frenchtown Field. If you do utilize a parking spot in Frenchtown, please be conscious of all parking signs. Illegally parked cars are subject to being towed at the vehicle owner’s expense.
We encourage walking to the festival if you live nearby as well as carpooling.
Yes. Portable restrooms will be available at Sunbeam Lenape Park and ArtYard Center’s parking lot at 7 Lott St. Bathrooms will also be open at ArtYard Center until 8 PM.
Accessible portable restrooms are located at Sunbeam Lenape Park and ArtYard Center’s parking lot, as well as inside ArtYard Center.
Aqualumina Workshop participants may pick-up their jellyfish parasols, illuminated boats, Medieval fish, and their other aquatic creature wearables from 5 to 6 PM at Sunbeam Lenape Park. You may leave (to grab a bite to eat!) and return for the festivities.
Aqualumina Festival is fun for all ages as long as children are accompanied by adults. The parade route takes place along the rail trail and should accommodate strollers at the parents’ discretion.
This festival is primarily for the owners of our four-legged best friends, however leashed, well-behaved pets may attend. Please consider your pet’s behavior around large groups/other animals and decide if it’s a good venue to bring them along. We also ask you to keep a distance from crowds especially while performances are taking place.
The procession will be led by the ArtYard surrey and drummers. It will progress up the rail trail, turn at South Washington Street by the community garden, and progress back up Old River Road to an area of land near the two bridges, where participants will observe a brief dance performance. The dancers will then continue on their way for a short Nishisakawick creekside choral interlude and then follow the singers back along the rail trail to the front lawn of ArtYard for a communal dance.
The procession includes gravel pathways and a secluded, rocky street that may be challenging for people with limited mobility. The majority of revelers will have illuminated lanterns and objects to light the way. Volunteers posted all along the route will guide you on where to turn and when to keep things moving along so others can experience the performance.
Brian Sanders’ JUNK designed a site-specific immersive dance experience that includes performances along the procession route as well as musical performances by PhilHarmonia and Sister Cities Voices.
Sorry, tours are not available to the public at this time. ArtYard is open during its regular gallery hours of 11 AM to 5 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
Frenchtown offers several food and beverage options. Please see What’s Nearby to learn more about local eateries and other visitor information. We recommend planning ahead to make reservations.
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