Once a year Lismore’s streets are lit up with hundreds of handmade paper lanterns, carried through the town to the collective sounds of awe and cheer, as the annual Lantern Parade brings together the region.
Running for over 20 years now, the Lismore Lantern Parade and Fiery Finale is a volunteer-organised and run event which celebrates everything wonderful about the Northern Rivers region, and marks the Winter Solstice (the longest day of the year).
The lanterns on show at the event span from the simple triangular-shaped lanterns made during workshops at local schools and other community groups, to the extravagant art pieces created by the Lantern Parade committee, Lightn’ Up.
Many of the larger lanterns have been part of the parade for years now, such as their well-known Queen of Hearts piece, and their DirtGirlWorld characters, but each year there are always new lanterns on show, which are kept top secret until they are unveiled on the night.
As you’ll know if you saw last week’s post, my friend Tom and I decided to try our hands at creating our own simple lantern – and we actually did better than I expected!
Well, following on from that, it was only natural that I showcase to you the Parade and Fiery Finale that followed.
Tom and I got ourselves a great spot alongside the path of the Parade, and watched right until the end, when we jumped in – with our own lanterns in hand – to follow the stream of the parade down to the oval where the Fiery Finale would take place.
The Fiery Finale, as always, did not disappoint, and I know this particular finale would have meant a whole lot more to many of the members of the community than any finale before it.
See, through music, dance, art, and fire, the 2017 finale portrayed the only story that was worthy of being told in such a way that year: Of the devastation of our region by that year’s terrible flooding (the worst in 50 years) and the resilience of the community that followed it.
The way the committee chose to tell the story of destruction was one full of hope and positivity – which I’m sure would have been appreciated by those who lost their livelihoods and homes in the natural disaster – and focused on the community spirit which was the shining beacon of Lismore throughout the whole ordeal.
The whole thing concluded, following tradition, with the headlining lantern (In this case, a large heart, which happens to be the symbol of Lismore and also a metaphor for the community heart that kept beating following such a disaster) being set on fire as fireworks lit up the sky in the background.
The Lantern Parade is always such a magical night, but I think that year the magic was flowing even stronger than ever through the collective veins of Lismore as we all took to the streets for the biggest night of the year.
