Festival Design Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Great Lantern Festival returns to Derr-Okamoto Park in Elk Grove — Saturday, September 26, 2026, 4–9 PM. Rooted in Tết Trung Thu (Vietnamese Mid-Autumn), it is a free admission afternoon & evening festival capped by a lantern procession at dusk. Hosted by VACOS, cPALSs, and NVCC with CCSD (Cosumnes Community Services District).

This is a live product lab: co-chairs already hold permits, site, and vendor baseline — and bring fintech-style data and automation thinking plus an open-source ethos to nonprofit festival work: automate what repeats, improve quality, publish playbooks others can fork (the same share-it-forward spirit as the open source software we're grateful for). Every director is encouraged to find a counterpart at another festival or event — bounce ideas, get feedback, share learnings.

We're recruiting Directors (one owner per lane) and Committee Members (execution help on any lane). Nineteen director slots are open — and members are welcome on every lane, whether or not the director seat is filled. Each lane is a bounded module to test on a real weekend, document what worked, and publish as open best practice on Festival Season Network (https://cpalss.github.io/festival-network/) for any event producer improving their craft.

WHAT IS A DIRECTOR (PRODUCT LANE LEAD)

• Plan the module — volunteers, members, vendors, or contractors may execute; you don't have to do every task

• Advise on budget and schedule — flag when volunteers won't cover the lane and paid help is needed

• Contractor sourcing — multiple provider leads, fair selection process; co-chairs approve spend

WHAT IS A COMMITTEE MEMBER

• Join a lane team — the director plans the module; members help execute sub-projects and day-of work

• Bring a skill — vendor liaison, communications, crafts station, load-in crew, sponsor follow-up, and more

• No solo lane ownership required — good entry path if you want festival experience before directing

• Welcome on every lane — open director slots and filled ones (Sponsorship, Marketing, Honor our Elders)

WHAT YOU GET

• Live product test — real families, real budget constraints

• Repeatable ops — clean data, automation, and workflows so your lane isn't lost in one-off spreadsheets

• Open playbooks — forkable post-mortems on Festival Season Network; pay forward what we learned

• Cross-festival peers — find a counterpart at another event; bounce ideas, get feedback, share learnings (co-chairs can help intro)

• Coalition network — VACOS, cPALSs, NVCC, CCSD (three Vietnamese orgs + park district)

• Co-chair shell — you don't invent permits, insurance, or site map from scratch

SITE & OPERATIONS

• Finance & Administration — How can one keep festival money honest on a live event weekend?

• Foundation — How can one build a solid base of operations so every other lane can play?

• Operations & Logistics — How can one choreograph everyone so they know how to get to the site and load-in without causing a traffic jam?

• Security — How can one ensure safety on a sliding scale of available funds and plan for contingency conditions?

• Amenities — How can one keep guests comfortable so they can stay as long as they want?

• Power & Lighting — How can one power the park safely — load math, generators, and stage hookups?

PROGRAM & EXPERIENCE

• Stage — How can one ship an MVP stage stack — tent, sound, lion dance — on a community budget?

• Program & Entertainment — How can one keep the public entertained while keeping entertainment participants on time?

• Lantern Procession — How can one create a moment families — especially children — will remember?

• Children's Village — How can one keep children entertained through interaction, rather than walk-and-see — without it turning into chaos?

• Children's Show — How can one stage family sets that hold kids in 15–20 minute blocks?

• Light Up the Park — How can one design and install the park's dusk atmosphere so the vibes land for procession hour?

• Honor our Elders (director filled — members welcome) — How can one offer tea hospitality so every elder feels honored — including someone who showed up alone?

OUTREACH & PARTNERS

• Sponsorship (director filled — members welcome) — How can one create win-win-win situations — great guest experiences, producers who make it happen, and sponsors growing their business?

• Marketing (director filled — members welcome) — How can one get the word out and gather public feedback that feeds into future event design?

• Vendor Operations — How can one create a winning balance of vendor profitability and guest experience — families looking for great tastes?

• Volunteers — How can one create a great experience for volunteers — and help them see the value of their contributions?

• Partnerships & Grants — How can one position Great Lantern Festival as a pillar of the community-at-large — and build mutually beneficial relationships with every organization around it?

CO-CHAIRS (not recruiting): Festival co-chairs — Thuy Pham · Bao Thien Ngo

Open and filled volunteer roles (directors and committee members): https://greatlantern.com/team/

GOOD FIT IF YOU

• Want to test-run event production on a live community weekend — as Director or Member

• Want to contribute on a bounded committee without owning the full lane (Member path)

• Are open to networking with a counterpart at another festival — same lane, bounce ideas, share learnings (directors especially)

• Can commit planning time now through September and event weekend

• Communicate clearly — directors own the plan; members execute with director backup

• Have event or committee experience (helpful for Director; Member path is a strong entry point if you're building experience)

HOW WE PLACE DIRECTORS

• We review applications on a rolling basis while director seats are open — no closing date to wait for.

• Reply within a few business days = we acknowledged your application — not that you are placed.

• Co-chairs confirm Director seats after a short triage conversation (lane fit, season conflicts, scope). Applying early does not reserve a lane.

• If several people apply for the same lane, we compare fit after triage — not first-come-first-served.

• Director placements need lead time. We generally do not place new directors after:

— Aug 1, 2026 — Site & Operations, Foundation, Finance, Vendor Operations

— Aug 15, 2026 — Program, Outreach, Volunteers, and other lanes

After those dates we may still welcome Committee Members or discuss a future season.

• Check open and filled roles: https://greatlantern.com/team/

WHEN YOU APPLY: Tell us which product lane(s) interest you and whether you want Director or Member — open or filled lane. Include your preferred contact method (email, text, or phone) and any events you're already committed to this season so we can coordinate schedules.

Unpaid volunteer roles — not employment. One director name on the roster per lane; members welcome on every committee, including filled director slots.