In normal times every December, organisations in East Belfast get together for the annual Lantern Parade, complete with Santa and all the bells and whistles. This year, things are looking different for a lot of people and we’re all wondering what December will look like. Whilst things are a little strange, we’re determined not to lose out on events that bring us together and give us joy, so we’re launching Bring A Little Light.
Bring A Little Light is an East Belfast wide initiative, inspired by those amazing lantern parades, which aims to connect us and give us that warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with the festive season. We’ve teamed up with Strand Arts Centre, Wandsworth Community Centre and Connswater Community Greenway to offer a variety of different ways for you to take part based on what suits you best.
1. Book your space on one of our free Lantern Making Workshops, held at Strand Arts Centre and Victoria Park. They’re family friendly and all the materials you need will be supplied. (Due to Government guidelines spaces are limited so keep an eye on our What’s On page to book!)
2. Bring your lantern on one of our free Festive Walks! With some fun guests to lead the walks, we’ll be getting together outdoors with our twinkly lights and wooly hats to Bring a Little Light to different places in East Belfast. (Due to Government guidelines spaces are limited so keep an eye on our What’s On page to book!)
1. Make your own lantern at home! You can find an instructional video on how to create a Willow Lantern HERE and written instructions on how to create lanterns from recycled materials HERE.
2. Download and print out our ‘Bring A Little Light’ poster by clicking HERE. Colour it in and display it in your window – why not encourage other people you know to do the same?
3. After it gets dark on Friday 11th December, take your lantern, a torch or anything that lights up safely outside your house to light up your neighbourhood. Maybe other people on your street would like to join in too – you might even want to do your very own Lantern Walk. If you’re going to organise a neighbourhood walk remember to stick to the government guidelines – we’ve created a handy guide HERE which might help.
4. Take a picture of how you’re celebrating the event and send it in to us. You can email it to gillian@eastsidepartnership.com or DM us on our social channels (including Connswater Community Greenway socials)
Remember: We only make willow lanterns and don’t reccommend the use of chinese or floating lanterns as these are dangerous and harmful to the natural environment.
However you choose to take part, have fun and stay safe. We can’t wait to see how you Bring A Little Light to East Belfast this year!
