Our Story

Lanterns, fire & outdoor celebration are deeply embedded in many cultures from China, Japan, Burma, and Vietnam to Europe and Africa. The lantern represents a positive metaphor for community optimism and hope throughout the world, and it was from this tradition that the Lismore Lantern Parade was born. This universal and multicultural theme makes the lantern parade appealing to people from all walks of life and nationalities.

A little history
In 1994 the first Lismore Lantern Parade was seen by local artists and performers as a way for the community to honour the cycles of the seasons in an authentic, contemporary celebration. The lantern parade was also created in response to community concerns about antisocial behaviour and economic decline in Lismore's CBD, bringing people into the often deserted city centre in a safe and celebratory environment - lighting the heart of the city.
The Inaugural Lismore Lantern Parade was organised by the Lismore Folk Trust Inc as a lead up to the Lismore Folk Festival held later that year.

There were just a few hundred people at the first lantern parade in 1994. Slowly over the years the lanterns have become a community tradition, appearing at many other community, corporate and private events around the region and beyond. In 2006 over 20,000 happy people filled the streets of Lismore on the longest night of the year. It poured with rain on the 2007 event, but despite the horrendous weather 10,000 brave souls braved the torrential rain and cheers the lanterns and their plucky carriers along. The Fiery Finale was just that, and by its close the stars were out and the moon shone down on the delighted audience!

2008 was a magnificent typically sunny Winter’s day and chilly evening, and the huge crowd filled the streets and were thrilled by our best theatrical performance yet, leaving with the powerful fiery message “New Beginning’, referencing the local Bundjalung community’s response to the Rudd Government’s Apology earlier that year.

In 2009 our theme was ‘a space for optimism….’ and we surely needed it!!! Floods hit the city 10 days before the event, with 9m of water over the finale site, leaving it sodden and covered with sticky sludge. With a week to go we had to move – finale and parade route … breathe.
With fantastic support from the community, Local Council, RTA and Police we got everything done (sort of) a site with no facilities whatsoever was a great challenge.

Further challenge came with torrential rain the day before and on the day – and STILL thousands of people lines the streets as 700 wonderful lanterneers, danced the lanterns through the streets as the skies cleared, and as the last firework died the heavens opened once again and everyone fled!!

But, what optimism, what great heart, what wonderful community in the heart of Lismore.

It must be said in the 16 years the Lantern Parade has been held there have only been THREE really wet years!! There have been some cloudy ones and many, many brilliant sunny, starry winter nights!!

More about the Lismore Lantern Parade
Lantern Parade themes are drawn from community sentiment and stories, creating a strong sense of place and ownership!

The lantern parade involves participants from throughout the Northern Rivers and visitors to the region who have attended workshops in lantern, mask & costume making, the finale show, carnival dance and the parade bands.

Community workshops start at Easter. Workshops for Feature Lantern making and Sponsored Community Lanterns are held by arrangement. For many years participants in very successful Work for the Dole projects contributed in a major way to the lantern parade, sadly this is no longer available to us these days. However, many volunteers travel from across the region, South East Queensland, around NSW, South Australia and Victoria to participate in the event.

We have a wonderful network of lantern/fire event friends spread across the country, many of whom come to Lismore each year to work on the Lismore Lantern Parade. Thank you everyone.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Neil and Faridah Cameron who have been vital in the development of the Lismore Lantern Parade and LightnUp Inc. Neil and Faridah have long been my personal friends and mentors, their inspiration, wisdom and generosity have been so very important to me and to the lantern parade – thank you.

LightnUp Inc
LightnUp Incorporated is a not for profit community enterprise and the organising group for the lantern parade. LightnUp runs workshops and activities throughout the year, in Lismore, the Northern Rivers and throughout regional and increasingly, metropolitan Australia. The workshops and events include lantern making, shadow theatre, illuminated puppets, masks and costume making, ritual and celebration and story development.

LightnUp also hires out the lanterns, undertakes commissions and creates special lanterns and props for weddings, parties, conferences and special events.

Where will LightnUp be in 2010?

April 14                  International Conference, Multitask, Lismore
April 17                  Festival of Lights, Coomera, Queensland
April 29                  LGSA Cultural Awards, Parliament House, Sydney
May tbc                  Community Workshops for International Refugee Day, Brisbane Qld
June 18                  Candlelight Procession, International Refugee Day, South Bank, Brisbane, Qld
July                        Community Workshops in Dalby, Qld
August                    Some of the LightnUp Crew go to Burning Man Festival, USA                                                    (www.burningman.com)
September 4                     RedFest, Redlands Bay, Cleveland, Qld (www.redfest.com.au)
September 19          Dalby Delicious and DeLIGHTful Festival, Qld (link to be advised)
September 25          Tuliptime, Bowral, NSW (www.tuliptime.net.au)
October 1-4             Bellingen Global Carnival, NSW (www.globalcarnival.com)
December               Woodford Folk Festival, Qld (www.woodfordfolkfestival.com)

A full LightnUp Incorporated website will be ready very soon, please check this space for further information contact us here.

Visit our sister website the Optimism Project and send ‘a little optimism across the world, Or Become a Face Book FAN of the Lismore Lantern Parade