Media Release

Preparations are underway for 2017 Lantern Parade

Light-filled coloured lanterns will again be parading around Palmerston North’s Square for the Lantern Parade on March 3. The parade is a lead event for the city’s Festival of Cultures, one of the city’s longest running community events.

This year’s lead lantern – The Rooster, will be made by the talented team of Jim Richards and Bridgette Murphy from REACT (Rangiwahia Environmental Arts Centre Trust.)

“We are pleased to have REACT hosting the lantern workshops, and organising the Lantern Parade,” says Palmerston North City Council’s Manager – Community Engagement Ian Littleworth. “We know it will be magical for everyone involved and it is great for our community to have input into the creation of the lanterns through the free workshops. We encourage the community to make and bring their own lanterns of any shape or size to the parade.”

Free public Lantern workshops will run from 14 – 28 February in an open workshop space in the central city. Anyone is welcome to attend and create their own lantern under the instruction of the REACT team. Further details of the workshop will be announced nearer that date.

Based in Rangiwahia, the REACT team are already working on creating spectacular new centrepiece lanterns, one for the Year of the Rooster (2017) and the other for the Year of the Monkey (2016).

“We intend to add a few special surprises to set the bar even higher and create a night that is both enchanting and magnificent for the community,” says REACT’s Jim Richards. ‘We are elated to be involved in this local event and to once again to be involved in creating lanterns with, and for, Palmerston North’s community.”

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 natures.

REACT are reinstating a Lantern Lottery. This is an opportunity for schools to win a free lantern—making workshop. They have three full day workshops to giveaway. These can take place at the winning schools or in the open workshop space in the CBD during February.

If any school or educational group would like to enter into the draw for a free workshop, they should email details to:ranginviroartscentre@gmail.com by December 15. Workshops will take pace in February.

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