Winter Garden Lantern Making

Winter Garden Lantern Making

It’s nearly time to light up the darkest night with your own lantern

The Dunedin Midwinter Carnival’s annual lantern making workshops begin soon and spaces are limited.

The theme for this year’s Midwinter Carnival is ‘The Winter Garden' bringing a beautiful bouquet to the centre of the city. Now is your chance to make a flower lantern and join the Carnival Procession which will take place on 20 June in the Octagon.

Bookings for the 2015 family lantern-making workshops will open via the festival website www.midwintercarnival.co.nz on Monday 18th May and are on a first-in-first-served basis.

Dunedin Midwinter Carnival Event Manager Paul Smith says many families enjoy making lanterns together and come back year after year.

“This is a great way for the public to get involved in helping make the event happen and a great creative family activity so get in quick as these workshops always book out.”

Almost anyone over the age of seven can make a lantern and it is a great family activity. All materials are provided and trained instructors are on hand. It takes roughly two hours to make a lantern and everyone who makes a lantern becomes part of the procession on Carnival night.

Each lantern made at the workshops costs $7 to cover materials used. This is paid on the day (cash only).

Workshops will be held in three locations across the city in an effort to engage different communities. “We hope people can go to a workshops near where they live but that isn’t always possible.”

Adults wanting to be involved can also volunteer for a range of production and artistic roles. More information on volunteering is available on the Carnival website.

“This is a real community participation event so we don’t usually turn anyone away and the reality is that we need heaps of volunteer help,” said Smith.

The Dunedin Midwinter Carnival is an annual celebration of winter and the year’s longest night held in Dunedin’s Octagon on 20 June. The event involves a spectacular Carnvial Procession featuring giant lanterns, dancers, drummers, music, foodstalls and fireworks. The event starts at 5:30pm. More information can be found at www.midwintercarnival.co.nz

Workshop details:

WORKSHOP #1 - Tulips

Date: 30 & 31st May

Venue: Ocean Beach Scout Hall, 61 Victoria Road, St Clair

Time: 10am - 4pm. Sessions start every half hour (last session is at 2pm ending at 4pm)

WORKSHOP #2 - Snowdrops

Date: 6th & 7th June

Venue: Otago Museum, 419 Great King Street

Time: 10am - 4pm. Sessions start every half hour (last session is at 2pm ending at 4pm.

WORKSHOP #3 - Daisy

Date: 13th & 14th June

Venue: St Mary's Kaikorai School, 6a Cromwell Street

Time: 10am - 4pm. Sessions start every half hour (last session is at 2pm ending at 4pm)

ENDS

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