by Rommy Ghaly | Illuminares is one of those special summer events that brings Vancouverites together for one night – the young, the old, artists, artisans, performers and free spirits all. It’s a donations-funded celebration of summer organized by Public Dreams and staffed by volunteers. Their primary purpose is to bring the community together through creative, immersive experiences. If you didn’t get to go last week, you missed out on what can best (and briefly) be described as a parade of light and creativity. People made and brought their own lanterns and walked around Trout Lake to the sound of music and a non-stop backdrop of performance art. Some of the installations were outstanding and some were over the top, but all were a pleasure to experience first hand. Public Dreams estimates that 40,000 showed up for the festival this year, a crowd that significantly exceeds the 15,000 that went last year when it was held at Canada Place. For a glimpse, check out the photos below. And don’t forget to check out their Parade of Lost Souls this Fall!

EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER

———————————————————————-
Rommy Ghaly was born and raised in New York. He’s spent the past sixteen years moving around from city to city and country to country, trying (and failing miserably) to find himself. You may see him out in the streets with his cameras taking photos of people he doesn’t know. The results of those adventures can be found at vancouverish.com.

———————————————————————-