Lismore Lantern Parade 2021

Saturday 19 June 2021

Lismore’s Lantern Parade was held at the LIsmore Showgrounds just outside of town this year. Usually it has been held just as night falls along the Main Street right in the CBD with a fiery finale either by the river or another safe place nearby. It’s usually been a going coin donation with some scattered market stalls and music.

This year it was $15 per adult and started at 11am, had tons of children’s activities starting early, then the parade started just after dark around 530p and the fiery finale was on at 730p. There were tons of food vendors, some retail vendors offering things like a cute faded maroon hip purse which I had to buy for the form and function of it all since my phone doesn’t fit in the pockets i do have, when I actually have pockets. There were multiple stages for music and entertainment, a pavilion with talks and presentations of eco and sustainable ideas. there was a huge feature of Dirt Girl and Costas, two sustainable and gardening figures in Australia. We danced along with them from the kids stage when we arrived, listened to Costas give a talk about how important all the insects and plants are for a healthy eco system, and then saw lantern versions of each of them carried through the dark night at the lantern parade.

We were lucky enough to get in while there were still lanterns to be decorated. It was $15 per lantern and we got 2 since that would allow us all to be a part of the parade, one child lantern and one adult to walk with. We decorated these pyramid shaped white lanterns made of some kind of stiff paper with a Liquide glue paste and tissue paper cut outs of suns, stars, butterflies, raindrops, birds, butterflies, houses, hearts, and trees. After we made scenes on each side we left them to dry ready with a long bamboo stick to carry each one with. Then we circled back just before the parade to pick up the lanterns now affixed with a tall electric candle inside and went on our way to line up for the parade.

Being a part of the parade itself was fun. We were supposed to be a part of the General Public group since we had only done our lanterns a few hours prior, but no one seemed to know where that group was and they all said to just kind of slip in somewhere in the happy chaos of the parade lineup. It was set up in rainbow colours also labeled from A to F with probably 1000 people all some what lined up ready to walk with their lit up creations. There were bands, and Jedi’s, there were belly dancers and bagpipes. There were huge glowing owls, chickens, echidna, elephant, bees, flowers, a sun, an earth mama, a serpent, and so many more. It is always enchanting to see the bright creative lanterns against the dark of night and it was even more striking in the darkness of the Showgrounds this year.

Since were were early, we got a prime parking spot in our motorhome right near the entrance to the event which had an excellent view of the main arena of the Showgrounds. This meant that when the kiddos were tired after walking through the parade, we were able to hang out in the RV and watch in the comfort of our own space! It also meant that we didn’t have to miss the fiery finale and the kids just snuggled up next to us in our warm house on wheels to watch the fireworks. I made out the words “create” and “innovate” were the main lit up themes this year and I just love it. They also had a dramatic performance of the bushfires and how the bees dont have the plants to eat from, and that the bees are needed for all of life. It was accompanied with sad musics. Clearly there is the tie of climate change, food production, and healthy living. We just need to help find ways to bridge it all together.

I left feeling like we need to focus on all of that plus technology since that’s the age we are in. We had a great conversation about it on the way back to the farm.

Lismore’s Lantern Parade was such a treat and I am so very happy we got to experience the rainbow region and it’s core values so strongly exhibited. Thank you Lismore!

Lismore Lantern Parade: https://www.lismorelanternparade.com.au