Come down to Newbury’s twinkling Festival of Light lantern procession on Sunday
The town will turn into a twinkling wonderland on Sunday (December 15) as the much-loved annual Corn Exchange Festival of Light returns at 4pm.
The streets will light up once more as an incredible illuminated procession involving members of the community works its way from the Broadway to Market Place.
From terrific lantern making workshops, to opportunities to lead this phenomenal parade as part of their community Samba Band, everyone is welcome to come together and celebrate the festive season.
The Festival of Light has seen more than 30,000 people involved over the past 12 years, with 9,600 people having participated in the parade during that time. The parade will travel along Northbrook Street from 4.30pm before arriving in the Market Place where there’s some catchy live music going on.
Corn Exchange director Jessica Jhundoo-Evans said: “The Festival of Light is always a highlight of the year for us; bringing together local people and volunteers to create beautiful lanterns and bringing our community together in an illuminated procession. It is a joy to see families and friends gather to enjoy this magical event and to know that people love it enough to keep it fixed in their calendars.”
In preparation for the event the Corn Exchange have been running Lantern Making Workshops at 101 Outdoor Arts up at Greenham to create traditional pyramid lanterns out of sustainable materials. They have also run six Lantern Making Workshops in local schools, so that 271 more local young people can get involved in this festive celebration.
There will be a community Samba Band leading the procession through Northbrook Street.
Workshops for people to take part in this band are taking place at 101 Outdoor Arts at Greenham in the lead up to the event. These workshops are led by Reading-based Music Charity Readipop, featuring experienced drummers from Beatroots Bateria who will guide participants through the process of learning the samba instruments, rehearsing the patterns and routines and forming a marching drumming troupe to perform at the winter parade.
While the Corn Exchange Newbury have been presenting outdoor events in Newbury for over 12 years, this year marks 10 years since they opened the 101 National Centre for Arts in Public Space. With the support of Arts Council England and Greenham Trust, they host hundreds of artists every year in the centre’s unique facility, which includes residential accommodation and scenic fabrication facilities, and where the lanterns and festival programme will be created ready for the Festival of Light procession. 101 Outdoor Arts produces a year-round, free programme of national and international outdoor arts performances with the Corn Exchange, engaging audiences of thousands annually, and aiming to involve thousands of local participants, volunteers and community groups across Newbury.
Join the parade at 4pm for the procession to start at 4.30pm
