2025 Solstice Workshop Registration is live!
Celebrate the Winter Solstice with us by participating in our free workshops in the lead-up to the Solstice Walk on December 21st.
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Workshops are offered to the public free of charge. Free arts programming is important to us - it’s a way to give back to the community that helps us create our season events. Spaces are limited in these workshops, and they usually have waitlists. We ask that you consider the following:
If you register for a workshop, make the commitment to attend - put the dates in your calendar and show up.
If you sign up and realize you can no longer attend, please email us to withdraw your registration so someone else on the waitlist can participate.
If you are able, consider a donation to River Clyde Arts to assist with the administration and material costs of these workshops. Your contributions help us ensure we can continue to offer high-quality, accessible arts programming to the community.
Solstice Choir
A free community choir workshop led by Jamie Feinberg with Marti Hopson, open to youth and adults age 12 and above
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Lend your voice to the Solstice Choir! This is a free community choir workshop open to youth and adults age 12 and above. You don’t need to have previous singing experience or read music - everyone and all skill levels are welcome!
The choir is led by Jamie Feinberg, with musical arrangements & composition by Marti Hopson. Jamie will be teaching 5 Solstice-inspired songs to be performed for the 2025 River Clyde Solstice Walk on Sunday December 21, from 6:00-8:00pm in New Glasgow.
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Tuesday Nov 18, 6:30-8:30pm - Milton Community Hall
Tuesday Nov 25, 6:30-8:30pm - Milton Hall
Tuesday Dec 2, 6:30-8:30pm - Milton Hall
Tuesday Dec 9, 6:30-8:30pm - Milton Hall
Tuesday Dec 16, 6:30-8:30pm - Milton Hall
Thursday Dec 18, 6:30-8:30pm - The Mill in New Glasgow
The Solstice Walk will travel through the Gardens of Hope, across the New Glasgow bridge, and will end up at the Mill restaurant, where there will be bonfires, food, music, fire dancing, and more. To learn more about the Solstice Walk, click here.
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Jamie Feinberg (she/her) is a performing artist, coach, mental fitness trainer, speaker and writer who finds joy in helping people to create a life they love. After spending the early part of her career as a professional musical director, arts educator, and performer, she started her own theatre company in New Hampshire in 2010, toured the states from 2016-2021 in an RV with her husband, and in August of 2021 moved to PEI. She is the director of Island A Cappella, a competitive, community a cappella chorus for women and non-binary people based in Charlottetown, and a freelance vocal coach and collaborative pianist.
Filipino Lantern Making with Emil Tupas
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Learn to make a parol with the Filipino Dance Masters! Parols are ornamental lanterns created in the Philippines and displayed during the Christmas season. These vibrant, star-shaped decorations are a cherished symbol of Filipino holiday celebrations, and traditionally made from bamboo sticks and paper.
Open to all ages, youth under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Advance registration is required.
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Friday December 5, 6-9 pm
The Guild, (111 Queen St, Charlottetown)
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The Filipino Dance Masters is a group of Filipino youth showcasing the rich culture and traditions of the Philippines, blending traditional Filipino dances and modern choreography together.
Twigs, Tracks, and Trees
A Solstice Excursion with Daniel McRae, open to youth and adults.
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Despite the short days and cold temperatures, our wintertime forests still abound with life and activity. Join Naturalist, Daniel McRae, for a guided hike exploring how our forest communities prepare for our long winter and heavy snows. This walk will thread through a number of forest types getting to now our year-round residents, their habits, and the clues they leave behind!
Open to youth and adults, kids under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
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Sunday December 7, 10:30am-12:00pm
Devil’s Punchbowl, 93 Devil's Punchbowl Road, South Granville
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Daniel McRae started working with Macphail Woods in 2008. Since then he has become an expert in botany, data collection, mapping and forest assessment. Daniel is MacPhail’s lead researcher but is involved with many other aspects of the project including ecosystem restoration, sustainable harvesting and nature education.
Palestinian Cooking Workshop
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Join Lina Daas, Reema Elhaj, Dima Alsous, and Rawia Sunaallah - four proud mothers and home cooks - as we make beloved dishes from Palestine and share the stories and traditions that connect us across cultures.
We'll make Mosakhan Rolls, a handheld twist on Palestine's national dish featuring shredded chicken, caramelized onions, and tangy sumac wrapped in crispy flatbread. We'll also prepare Yansouniyeh, a rich anise-flavored semolina dessert soaked in sweet syrup, cut into diamond and square pieces.
Open to all ages, youth under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
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Saturday, December 6, 11:00 am-1:00 pm
The Mill in New Glasgow, (5592 Route 13, New Glasgow)
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Lina Daas: Lina was born in Jordan and moved to Prince Edward Island in 2016. A mother of three boys, photographer, and creative brand designer, she finds beauty in everyday moments and loves sharing her Palestinian roots through her art, stories, and the food she makes.
Reema Elhaj: Originally from Nablus, Palestine, Reema moved to PEI from Dubai with her husband and three children. She works at an accounting firm and loves spending time with her family, enjoying beach days, and cooking homemade meals.
Dima Alsous: Dima is originally from Haifa, Palestine, and was born and raised in Jordan. In 2020, she and her family moved from Dubai to Prince Edward Island. Dima is a lawyer by profession and currently runs her own business here on this beautiful island. A mother of two, Dima has a passion for traveling, discovering new places, and cooking great food.
Rawia Sunaallah: Rawia was born in Saudi Arabia to Palestinian parents and made Prince Edward Island her home in 2016. A math teacher and youth settlement worker, she finds joy in helping people feel welcome and being part of the community. A mother of three, Rawia loves cooking, music, and spending time with her family.
Dogwood Lanterns with Laura Stinson
We're excited to offer a Summerside session in collaboration with the Summerside Yuletide Festival!
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Learn how to make your own illuminated sculpture out of red osier dogwood and old bedsheets with puppet designer Laura Stinson. Participants will be guided through a multi-step process in advanced yet accessible sculpting techniques to build their own lanterns. All ages are welcome; no experience is necessary. We will be using sharp tools, so participants under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
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New Glasgow Session: Thursday December 11, 6-9pm at The Mill in New Glasgow
Summerside Session: Saturday December 13, 4:15-7:15pm, Summerside Baptist Church (219 Church Street, Summerside)
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Laura crafts images from both found and traditional materials. These creations become narratives, characters and atmospheres in a variety of theatrical spectacles. She began her career in puppetry with Bread and Puppet Theater in 2016, where she apprenticed under Peter Schumann and has continued to develop her puppet manipulation and construction techniques with Mermaid Theatre (NS, Canada), Compagnie Arketal (Cannes, France) and Compagnie Coatimundi (Châteaurenard, France). In 2017, she collaborated with Noella Murphy and Julia Walker to form A Road Less Gravelled Productions, which has performed puppet shows at art festivals throughout Nova Scotia. After four years working as a touring member and subsequent resident puppeteer for Bread and Puppet, Laura co-founded The North Barn Theatre Collective in 2020. She currently lives and makes art in Mi’kma’ki.
Want to learn more about the lantern-building technique? Check out the 2022 Solstice’s three part video tutorial here.
Cooking Workshop: Pico's Paella
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Learn how to cook two distinct paellas with Pico Sine and celebrate the warmth of family-style cooking and the joy of sharing meals with the community!
Originating from the sunny shores of Spain, paella is a vibrant rice dish that combines seafood, meats, and fresh vegetables, all simmered to perfection. It's the perfect way to celebrate the wonderful ingredients of PEI while cooking family-style around a flame. As we cook together, we'll explore how this communal dish connects us through the delightful aroma of spices and the simple pleasure of creating something delicious to share.
Open to all ages, youth under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Advance registration is required.
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Saturday December 13, 11:00 am-1:00 pm
The Mill in New Glasgow, (5592 Route 13, New Glasgow)
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Originally from Senegal, West Africa, Pico has called Canada home since 2008, with Prince Edward Island holding a special place in his heart. By day he is a Workstream Director at Health PEI, but he also hold a passion for the culinary world. You can often find him where food is involved, whether it's food styling, demos, or sharing his love for cooking. Known for making one of the most amazing paellas in PEI, he draws inspiration from the island's beautiful ingredients to create a dish that brings everyone together.
Lantern Making for Little Ones
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Let’s design shiny lanterns made from brightly coloured tissue paper, and recycled bottles to celebrate the Winter Solstice! In this free workshop for children ages 3-8 years old and their caregivers, Becca Griffin will lead participants through an easy, hands-on lantern-making process. All materials are supplied.
First, we'll glue our design made from cut-up tissue paper onto a thin white sheet of paper! Next, we'll take a clear, recycled bottle base and punch two holes in either side, then string a ribbon through each hole to act as our lantern handle. And lastly, we'll take that colourful design we make and wrap it around the bottom half of a clear plastic bottle and secure it using tape. For the finishing touch, we'll add a light to the inside of the bottle, and then, voila! Our lanterns will be bright, shiny, and ready for the Solstice Walk.
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Saturday December 13, 2:30-4:00pm
The Loft at The Mill in New Glasgow, (5592 Route 13, New Glasgow)
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Becca Griffin (she/they) is a local artist, educator, and administrator! They've been in the River Clyde Pageant Community since around 2020 and continue to participate as a children's ensemble instructor and a member of the Puppetry Ensemble. Becca loves to make new things out of found and repurposed materials.
Spirits of Solstice Mask & Crown Making Workshop
Making flower crowns and animal masks for the Solstice Walk!
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Celebrate the mysteries and traditions of the Solstice with a special mask & crown making workshop! Kirstie McCallum will lead mask-making in the “hooden animal” tradition, and Carina Philips will share how to make eco-friendly flower crowns with locally grown dried flowers. Participants can take their wearable artworks home and, if they wish, wear them to the Solstice Walk on December 21st!
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Sunday, December 14, 1-4pm
The Mill in New Glasgow, (5592 Route 13, New Glasgow)
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Carina Phillips is an interdisciplinary artist living and working in rural P.E.I. Graduated from Concordia University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Fine Art, Major Studio Arts. She is also a florist and a farmer and gains much inspiration from the labor and practices that go into running her businesses organically. Fiber arts, video, installation and sculpture are all mediums that she loves to explore in her art practice. She is deeply inspired by the wonder of nature and feels a deep sense of gratitude for her interconnected relationship with Epitwek' and all the creatures/spirits who inhabit it.
Kirstie McCallum is a sculptor and installation artist who uses natural materials to explore shifting relationships between plants, people, and the land. An MFA graduate from OCADU, she interned with Studio F Minus, a public sculpture company in Toronto, and has attended residencies at the Banff Centre, the Darling Foundry, and the School of Making Thinking. Her work has been supported by The Canada Council for the Arts, PEI Arts Grants, and The Ontario Arts Council. It has been exhibited at Red Head Gallery and The Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, the Banff Centre Project Space, the New Gallery showcase in Calgary, and at PEI's Art in the Open. Kirste coordinates the "Lab for Us," a Canada Research Chair project based at NSCAD, in Halifax, N.S.
Thank you to the generous sponsors of the 2025 River Clyde Solstice Walk!
