Less than 20 years ago Lansing’s Old Town celebrated the summer solstice a little differently than we do now. The Festival of the Moon, and its sister event the Festival of the Sun, was an annual celebration of the shortest night and longest day of the year, respectively. Started in 1999, the Festival of the Moon and Sun was a two-day event that featured live music, gourmet catering, beer and wine tastings, vendors and the origins of ScrapFest!
From 2003-2011, with a break in 2006, Ciesa Design created unique brand identities for the two festivals that were applied to a variety of products and prints: billboards, posters, logos, tickets, wine glasses, beer glasses, t-shirts and more! In 2008, Scrapfest was introduced to the festivities and for five years starting in 2009 the Ciesa team produced new posters each year for the ScrapFest as well as designed their original logo.
While at the Moon festival, people could taste gourmet food and beer while enjoying live music in the evening sunset of Old Town. At the Sun Festival the next day, people would enjoy more gourmet food and wine, listen to music from two separate stages and relish in the transformative powers of artists to turn scraps into sculptures. Tickets were about $15-20/day and would come with prepaid food and beverage tickets as well as free access to all performances and ScrapFest.
The last recorded year of the Festival of the Moon and Sun was in 2014. Little is found online concerning the end, but the idea of celebrating the solstice is alive and well in Lansing. The ScrapFest is stronger than ever, with the Great Scrap Run, refashion show and documentary, there are more ways than ever to interact with and celebrate the festival. Another event in Lansing still celebrates the solstice, and long before the Festival of the Moon and Sun, the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival which is hosting its 29th year in 2025!
Linked below is a youtube playlist created using the band list archives from some of the past Moon & Sun Festivals. Step outside, enjoy a drink, put this playlist on and be transported back in time with the bands’ and artists’ music that might have been playing in Old Town during the Festival of the Moon and Sun back before 2014.
Moon Festival
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxQPUcXZv0lNPzYDUX-WJcbbPVoPB8fdR
Sun Festival
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxQPUcXZv0lPHplKuvkPyFKMSenuDWswN