Every February, all the wild and silly creatures of the valley gather together in Spirit Square to celebrate community, creativity and the magic of light returning to the Columbia Valley. The festivities hearkens back to a time when neighbours joined together to make their own entertainment and bring meaning to their lives through celebration.

Formerly known as the Snow King’s Masque Parade, our festival has evolved into EmberFest—a celebration of creativity, community, and connection. Join us on February 15, 2025 as we gather around the bonfire to share stories, skits, and artistic creations that reflect the spirit of our community. This year we are expanding the festival to include live music. 8 Bands will take to the stage following the fireworks and play into the wee hours of the morning.

This is a grassroots, volunteer lead, event showcasing a wide range of hands-on artistic activities and attracting the widest possible audience – the whole community! Over a period of weeks, professional and community-based artists work in collaboration with folks in the community – both young and old and everyone in between – to create a large-scale outdoor ‘pageant’ performed with more than 1,000 folks in Golden’s Spirit Square. Together, we make low tech magic.