Let’s Gather the Light Together
Celebrate the turning of the season this Winter Solstice 2025 with a gentle, lantern-lit procession through Dufferin Grove Park. With glowing puppets, community-made ornaments, seasonal singing, and a wassailing blessing in the children’s garden, the Winter Solstice Walk is a quiet, joyful moment of connection for neighbours of all ages.
This event is made possible with the generous support of the City of Toronto Parks & Recreation Department.
About the Walk
Meet us at 6:15 pm near the Dufferin Grove Rink House for a light-filled procession around the park—glowing lanterns, giant puppets, music, and a joyful crowd of neighbours. Borrow Clay and Paper Theatre lanterns and noisemakers from the Rink House, then help decorate the Children’s Garden and its new apple trees with community-made ornaments. This is the first station of our evening together: the Ceremony of the Ornaments.
At 6:30 pm, the walk begins—the Ceremony of the Journey. Music, bells, and lanterns guide us through the darkness as we take a short walk around the park (east on Dufferin Grove Ave and south on Havelock), approximately 15–20 minutes long.
Upon re-entering the park, we’ll visit the Grove for the Ceremony of the Animals, where we will call on and be visited by our animal kin of the earth, water, and sky.
Our walk continues another 25 metres to the Tree for the Ceremony of the Wassail. In the spirit of old wassail traditions, we’ll symbolically bless the garden’s new apple trees for a good harvest in the coming year.
On the final leg of our journey, we’ll return to the Plaza in front of the Rink House for the Ceremony of the Sun and the Moon. We’ll mark these closing moments with seasonal songs and welcome the returning light together.
Please see Event Map for a more detailed look at our Solstice Journey. This is a FREE event.
Location
Dufferin Grove Park, 875 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON M6H 3K8
Volunteer Puppeteers
Pick up puppets between 5:45 and 6pm
Event Date & Time
Sunday, December 21, 6:30–7:30pm
Unless you have emailed us to reserve a lantern, you can pick them up on a first-come basis, between 6 and 6:15pm
Lanterns & Noisemakers
The whole journey is 660 meters long and is approximately a 50-minute event with multiple performance and resting stops along park paths and sidewalks. We will be travelling at an easy, relaxed pace so that we can enjoy the journey and the night together.
Distance
Warm Drinks & Snacks
Available at the Dufferin Grove Rink House Cafe
Lanterns & Puppets
You are welcome to bring your own lantern or candle — or borrow one of our handmade Clay & Paper lanterns.
We have luminous stars, head dresses, costume tops, and glowing puppets available for anyone to use.
Lantern pick-up: 6-6:15pm Location: Dufferin Grove Rink House
Workshops - Join us in the days leading up to the walk.
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Lantern Making Workshops - FULL
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Tin Ornament Community Studio
Volunteer as a Puppeteer
Help animate our puppets during the procession!
Volunteers arrive between 5:30–6:00pm to meet their puppet and get familiar with it.
Event Map & Accessibility
The route uses park asphalt paths and sidewalks and is flat and level
The Rink House offers:
automatic doors
four private public washrooms + accessible washroom
a heated interior
The Skating rink is open and skates are available for rental
If you have any other questions please email Clay and Paper Theatre at clayandpaper@gmail.com
Music will guide us through this year’s Winter Solstice Walk, and we’re grateful to be joined by a group of extraordinary musicians and longtime collaborators.
Each brings a distinct voice to the journey. From instrumental music leading the procession, to song greeting us in the Grove during the Ceremony of the Animals, to communal singing at the return of the Sun, their sounds will shape the pace, mood, and shared experience of the walk.
We’re honoured to gather again with musicians who have been part of Clay & Paper Theatre’s work across many seasons and celebrations.
Musical Guests
Jim Bish - Saxophonist & procession musician
Bruce MacKinnon - Accordionist & procession musician
Alan Gasser (singer, conductor) & the Echo Women's Choir
Andrea Kuzmich - Singer, conductor, guitarist
