Since its inception in 2013, Calgary Floating Lanterns for Peace has been a powerful advocate for peace. The Lantern Peace Festival, which honours those lost in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, has served as a poignant reminder of the need to build a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons. With the simple yet powerful gesture of floating lanterns, the festival encourages reflection, remembrance, and renewal of the collective commitment to peace.

In recent years, the festival has grown to encompass an even broader array of events throughout the month of August, now recognized as Building A Culture of Peace Month (BCPM). This expanded programming includes the Lantern Peace Festival, Peace Film Festival, and annual Exhibition, which invite audiences to come together in the spirit of collaboration, creativity, and peace.

Join us in celebrating the transformative power of art and culture in building a lasting culture of peace. Together, we can create a world where peace is not just an ideal, but a reality.　

RECAP Calgary International Speech Contest for High School Students 2025, Click HERE.

August 8, 2026 at Devonian Gardens in Calgary Downtown

Main Initiatives of the BCPM 2026

Calgary International Contest for Young Artists

You are invited to apply to the art contest! Deadline March 1, 2026. For the Guideline + Application form, Click here!

Global Crossroad

in Lantern Peace Festival

Click HERE or an image below to discover inspiring speakers, amazing performers, and kids’ fun events at the Children’s Global Crossroad!

Building A Culture of Peace Exhibition

The Vow from Hiroshima (82 mins): Streaming schedule, August 14 (F) – 16 (Su)

A 2020 documentary that intimately profiles Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing in Hiroshima. At age 13, she survived the blast and has been prompting a lifelong vow to campaign for global nuclear disarmament.

The film follows her decades-long activism with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.

Uranium Derby (82 mins): Streaming schedule, August 21 (F) – 23 (Su)

Director Brittany Prater’s investigation into her Iowa hometown’s secret role in the Manhattan Project reveals how a culture of denial and corporate secrecy has allowed toxic nuclear waste to spread and remain unaddressed throughout the country.

Credit Where Credit is Due (24 mins): Streaming schedule, August 28 (F) – 30 (Su)

This documentary explores how micro-credit transformed the lives of rural Bangladeshi women at the turn of the millennium. The 24-minute documentary highlights how foundational themes of trust, community, and human dignity remain essential to modern, digital-age financial empowerment and global financial justice efforts. Who will be the next innovator to empower women at the societal crossroads?

Email at floatinglanternpeace@gmail.com

for free online streaming links!

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Lantern Peace Festival: Global Crossroad

Saturday, August 8th, 2026

Devonian Gardens (the CORE in the 4th Floor)

Free Event! For more details, visit Eventbrite!

324 8 Ave SW, Calgary, Free Parking for 3 hours during Weekends

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2013 1st Annual Floating Lantern Peace Ceremony

2021 1st Annual Virtual Peace Film Festival

2022 1st Annual Building A Culture of Peace Month featuring Building a Culture of Peace: The Exhibit, Peace Film Fest, 10th Annual Floating Lantern Peace Ceremony, & Educational Session with special guest Cesar Jaramillo of Project Ploughshares.

2023 Building A Culture of Peace Month featuring *new* BCP Exhibit: Your Life, Our Hope & Peace Heroes, Peace Film Fest, Lantern Peace Festival (formally known as the Floating Lantern Peace Ceremony)

2025 Calgary International Speech Competition My Blueprint for a Peaceful and Sustainable World, alongside the Lantern and Film Festivals and the 80th Anniversary poster exhibit generously donated by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

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