About this Event
Fanal Art Workshop
Join us for a fun and creative fanal making workshop at Citadel Creole Cuisine!
Get ready to unleash your inner artist and explore your creative side while learning more about this Haitian end-of-year cultural practice and celebration. A fanal is a traditional Haitian Christmas lantern – see links below for more background information.
Haitian Teaching Artist(s) will be guiding and leading fanal making workshops on Sundays, November 8 and December 6, 2:00 pm -5:00 pm at Citadel Creole Cuisine, 11300 Fern St., Silver Spring, MD 20902. The artist(s) will demonstrate and showcase workshop participants how to make fanal houses.
Fanals will be exhibited at the Embassy of Haiti on Dec. 11, 2026, in partnership with AHP.
The workshops are open to ages 5 and up, including adults.
Workshop admission is free, but Fanal templates are available for purchase for $20. Donations are encouraged for supplies and other misc. items. Older participants are encouraged to bring their own cutting tools, e.g., exacto pen knives/sharper scissors, as we will provide child-safe cutting tools. Assistance from parents (with or without an arts background) is welcomed to manage the volume of children we expect.
Portions of the workshops will be photographed/video-recorded for display on the social media feeds of co-sponsoring organizations/teaching artists.
Please note this will be in a restaurant setting where you can also purchase food and drinks, and support our local business(es) during the workshop.
Useful Background Links for reference:
https://minustah.unmissions.org/les-fanaux-or-traditional...
https://haitiantimes.com/.../haitian-christmas.../
Enter our 2026 Fanal Art Contest and Soup Joumou Contest.
Click for more information and to sign up
Caption: 2023 Attendees memoralizing 1st Edition of Preservation, Restoration and Reapproppriation of the Fanal Tradition of our Heritage
Caption: 2024 Winners of the Fanal Competition: left to right - Marie Josée Arthus, André Kearns and Christelle Domerçant
Caption: 2025 Winners of the Fanal Competition: left to right - Mildred Cilius, Armelle Dejoie, and, Stefen Fahrasmane
Event venue & nearby stays
Citadel Creole Cuisine, 11300 Fern Street, Silver Spring, United States
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