"Passing of the Elves" at Dragon Con

[MithLuin]

Each year at DragonCon, a group of elves assembles to process with lanterns through the three interconnected Con hotels (Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, and sometimes food court) while singing.

Here's a few sample videos:
From 2016 (Procession - 20 s):

From 2016 (Hyatt - May It Be):

From 2017 (Marriott Dome - Passing of the Elves):

From 2019 (Food Court - May It Be):

Lantern Elves singing at the food... - Courtney MacDonald

Lantern Elves singing at the food court at #Dragoncon! I had a lot of fun singing with them this year!

www.facebook.com

Best Video
From 2019 (Hilton - Passing of the Elves):

From 2020 (Masquerade entry - Had to be filmed at home on account of...2020):

This didn't happen in 2021 on account of COVID, but the lantern elf procession and singing returned to DragonCon in 2022!
I'm still waiting for a video to pop up on YouTube; the ones I've seen so far are on facebook, in a private group (so I can't share the link)
I did find this preview on TikTok, though (Procession - 23 s):

Chimera Costumes on TikTok

The Passing of the Elves #lotr #dragoncon2022 #elvish #choir #flashmob #cosplay #lordoftheringa #tolkien @dragonconofficial

www.tiktok.com

 

[MithLuin]

That video from 2022 I forgot to post (of the procession):

Lantern Elves 2023, this time with an outdoor photo!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=271803828997144

*me, taking care of something before joining the procession

 

[Arnorion]

This is fantastic! The singing is beautiful, even haunting, and the chiming bells are a brilliant touch.

 

[MithLuin]

The bells are to keep the group in time and on pitch while traveling through a crowd. We didn't have them in the earlier years, and the back of the line couldn't hear the front of the line. So, they do help! But unfortunately, they sometimes encourage people to shout 'Shame!' at us (from Game of Thrones). Less so now than when we first started, at least.

There are a couple of places with great acoustics, so the walkways between buildings and the Marriott dome are great places for singing!

(Also, TSA does open your luggage if you have a battery pack, lights, and IKea lantern in your carryon)

 

[Arnorion]

Having participated in a few Easter processionals I can definitely appreciate the need to keep the back of the line synchronized and avoid pitch drift overall.