26 February 2018

Festival of Cultures’ Lantern Parade to light-up Palmy

Light-filled coloured lanterns will again be parading around Palmerston North’s Square for the Festival of Cultures’ Lantern Parade on March 17. The Lantern Parade kicks off the week-long Festival of Cultures, one of the city’s longest running community events. To add further colour to the evening, light projections will feature on a nearby building wall.

Street performances including a Balkan-groove marching band will also add to the exciting and spectacular night. Family entertainment and food trucks start at 7pm. The parade will leave the stage at 8.30pm and wind its way around The Square with everyone encouraged to join in.

The talented team at REACT (Rangiwahia Environmental Arts Centre Trust) will be creating the new centerpiece “Year of the Dog” lantern which will be unveiled at the parade.

REACT are hosting lantern-making workshops in the lead-up to the event. These workshops run from 28 February – 11 March at the former Public Trust Office in the Central Library Building, 4 The Square. The workshops are free for all ages and all materials are provided.

“We are pleased to have REACT hosting the Lantern Making Workshops again following on from last year’s successful and engaging workshops,” says Ian Littleworth, PNCC Manager – Community Engagement. “The workshops provide a creative and exciting space to bring your ideas to life and we encourage the community to make and bring their lanterns of any shape or size to the parade. It is great for our community to have access to the knowledge from REACT and materials supplied for them.

The lanterns are created from bamboo and/or willow – local sustainable resources and covered with tissue and decorated. There are varying beliefs about the origin of lantern festivals, however it is generally accepted they are about celebrating and cultivating positive relationships between people, families and nature.

The lantern-making workshops are being held at 4 The Square at the following times:

ENDS

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