By Rebecca Bills
FOR the first time the idyllic 8th Belgrave Lantern Festival is on the actual day of the Winter Solstice – the shortest day of the year.
Marking the midst of winter, event organiser Amy Middleton said the event marks the heralds turning point with new beginnings celebrated coming into warmer and longer days in the lead up to Spring.
“The parade signifies a new star, something fresh and new as well as looking forward to the spring and saying goodbye to the winter that has passed,” she said.
“That ethos goes back years and year to medieval times but for Belgrave specially celebrating moving forward is a wonderful thing.”
Another event organiser and Executive Director at Burrinja Ross Farnell said in the lead up to the event they are really focussing on getting community groups, organisations and anyone who is inspired to create their own big lanterns this year to get involved.
“This making the parade more spectacular than ever,” he said.
Each year the Lantern Parade brings together the Hills community in a celebration of friendship and creativity with the street reclaimed for the people with thousands flocking to take part with hundreds of lanterns lining the main street.
Ms Middleton said this is a community driven event that encompasses the community spirit that is typically Belgrave.
“In the previous years there have been up to 7000 people involved in the event,” she said.
“It really had that grassroots community feel and it’s all about bringing the residents together and its one of the few events that the whole family can be involved in.”
The Belgrave Lantern Parade is on Saturday 21 June along the Main Street.
For more information about the event, visit www.belgravelanterns.org.au.
For those wanting to be a part of the Belgrave Lantern Parade, email celebrate@belgravelanterns.org.au or for lantern workshop information email create@belgravelanterns.org.au.
