Silvermere Lakelight Festival

What Lakelight is

When the days get short, Silver Lake gets bright. Each winter the lake promenade, The Narrows, the Old Mill Footbridge, and downtown fill with illuminated installations, paper-and-wire lanterns, glowing light forms, projection art spilling up building facades, and fire-and-ice pieces carved and lit along the shore. Because the winter lake sits so still, every light is doubled in reflection, and the whole town reads double. That is Lakelight, and it is why Silvermere, “silver light on the water,” calls it the city’s signature season.

It is also why the festival draws visitors in the off-season, when a lake town would otherwise go quiet. Installations are made by local artists, schools, community groups, and invited light artists, then set against the dark water and the Silvercrest Mountains behind.

Where to find the lights

Lakelight strings out along the Silver Lake shore. Tap a marker to see what’s lit there. The route is free and self-guided, and you can join it anywhere, though most people start at the north end of the promenade and walk south toward the footbridge.

How it works

• The Light Call: each autumn the City and the Lakelight Society invite proposals for installations. Selected works are commissioned and installed for the season.
• The festival: the lights go up for the dark months, roughly late November through February.
• The lantern parade: one signature night, the community walks a lantern parade across the Old Mill Footbridge, with lanterns made at the weekend community build.
• The Lantern Trail: a permanent run of solar and LED light installations lines the ~4 km promenade year-round, refreshed each edition, so there is always something glowing after dark.

How to visit

Lakelight is free and self-guided. Come after dark, dress for a winter lake, and give yourself time to stop, the reflections are the whole point. The full route map is published by the Lakelight Society and is available at:

• The Lakelight website
• The Silvermere & District Visitor Centre
• Many participating downtown businesses

Allow about an hour to walk the promenade end to end at a relaxed pace, longer on lantern-parade night.

The Lakelight Society

The festival is run by the Silvermere Lakelight Society, an independent non-profit, in partnership with the City. The Society runs the Light Call, curates and commissions installations, organizes the community lantern build and parade, and maintains the year-round Lantern Trail. The City partners on the program, the promenade, and public safety along the route.

For installation proposals, sponsorship, or volunteer opportunities, contact the Society through the official site at silvermere.example.