Mid-Autumn Festival & Fireworks in Nanaimo

Name: Mid-Autumn Festival & Fireworks in Nanaimo
Start: 2025-09-27T16:00:00-07:00
End: 2025-09-27T21:00:00-07:00
Location: Maffeo Sutton Park Nanaimo Harbour

Schedule

Sat Sep 27 2025 at 04:00 pm to 09:00 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

Maffeo Sutton Park Nanaimo Harbour | Nanaimo, BC

✧ ˚ · . Join us for a delightful evening of 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐒, traditional festivities, family fun, and moonlit magic at our 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 Mid-Autumn Festival event! This September we are going to 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐔𝐏 Maffeo Sutton Park with the glow of a thousand lanterns for our 2nd annual Mid-Autumn Festival. This will be a unique cultural celebration from all over Asia that you do not want to miss . ·˚✧
𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐝-𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional event that has been celebrated across East and Southeast Asian countries for centuries. Variants of the festival span throughout China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia, being important times to celebrate traditional culture. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar, corresponding to when the moon is believed to be at its fullest and brightest.
Its origins span to the times of ancient China, with the festival being based on the legend of Chang’e, the Moon Goddess in Chinese mythology. Attached to such long spanning cultural beliefs, it is a time to give thanks for the season’s harvest, and to pray for longevity and good fortune. Across Asian diasporas today, the festival is also symbolic for reunion, the togetherness of the community, and the appreciation of family.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭
The festivities include a plethora of traditional activities, such as moon viewing, various performances such as dragon and lion dances, prayers and offerings, and the display of beautiful lanterns to light up the evening as symbolic paths to prosperity. Synonymous with the festival is the iconic tradition of mooncakes, which are typically filled with sweet bean paste, lotus seed paste, meat, or egg yolk. As representations of the full moon, their round shape symbolizes harmony and wholeness, with their intricate designs incorporating symbols of good fortune. Sharing and eating mooncakes together is a key activity during the festival, being a direct representation of happiness and the coming together of loved ones.
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬
• Fireworks. Graciously sponsored by Kw'umut Lelum Foundation, fireworks symbolize the driving away of evil spirits and the welcoming of good fortune, adding excitement and joy to the celebration of family reunion and the harvest moon
• Floating Lanterns. Lanterns will be available by donation for you to build, decorate and release into the Swy-a-Lana Lagoon. Releasing lanterns into the water is believed to be a way to wish for a good harvest and a brighter future, send away misfortune, or to guide/honour spirits.
• Hanging Lanterns. Join in our mesmerizing display of lanterns by decorating your very own and hanging them in the trees at the park.
• Calligraphy. Get your name written in traditional Chinese calligraphy
• Dances and Performances. Experience live cultural performances such as the lion dance, fan dance, kung fu and other martial arts, and join in for a tai chi demonstration
And much more!!
• Kids Section. Origami, colouring and face painting are among the many kids activities available
• Local vendors. Explore the many offerings of our local vendors, and locate the ones that have created custom Mid-Autumn specialties and treats for you to enjoy
𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬
Moon cakes are the centrepiece of the Mid-Autumn celebration. We will have many flavours to try, along with other delicious Asian treats, as well as local food truck/snack vendors to choose from.
𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
When: Saturday, September 27th, 2025 from 4pm until 9pm
Where: Maffeo Sutton Park, Nanaimo, B.C.