The Railway Gardens lantern walk is coming on October 29th!
Our annual After Dark event is back – every October we aim to host an alternative event around Halloween with a focus on more community, more connection, tasty food, and less waste. This year, let’s get together and light up the streets of Splott! We’ll be walking a short route through local streets, suitable for little legs to manage, finish back at Railway Gardens. After the parade you’re invited to join us for food, music and craft.
To get ready for the walk we’re holding two family lantern making workshops on Saturday 25th and Tuesday 28th of October where you can work with artist Marijana to craft a beautiful willow lantern. But if you can’t make the sessions – don’t worry! In this blog we’re sharing three easy ways to craft your own lantern at home to bring to the walk on the 29th. walk
Everyone can join the walk but booking is essential if you want to stay for the after party or come to a lantern making workshop.
In today’s blog we’re sharing lots of simple ideas for crafting your own lantern. So get ready to gather your craft supplies and raid the recycling bin… let’s go!
Safety first!
We’re asking everyone coming to the event to use a flameless light in their lantern: an LED tea light, a small torch, battery powered fairy lights or these ‘button lights’ made specifically for lanterns. If you don’t have anything handy we will have some flameless light available for free at the start of the lantern walk for a small donation, on a first come first served basis.
If you’re going to use a glass jar for your lantern please ensure that its handle is secure and that any children carrying glass are closely supervised.
Option 1: Jam jar lanterns
Make a simple but beautiful lantern using stuff you probably already have at home! In its simplest form this is just a jam jar with a strong or wire handle and an LED tea light or some battery powered fairy lights inside. But there are so many ways to jazz up your jar!
- Try this rainbow tissue paper lantern from Mud and Bloom
- Add a message to your lantern with this guide from Sun Hats and Wellies or make your lanterns spooky with inspiration from Le Coin de Mel
- Stick with an autumn theme with these cute mushroom lanterns from Woodlark or these autumn leaf versions from Mud and Bloom
- If your kids prefer to paint then try these simple and colourful lanterns from Suburble
- Finally, we really love these earth day lanterns from The Craft Train.
Option 2: Plastic bottle lanterns
This is a great option for little ones if you’re worried about them carrying glass.
You can use the bottom part of a 2 litre pop bottle, or using the bottom part of a plastic milk bottle gives your lantern a pretty frosted look – check out this simple guide from Hobbycraft.
Just like the jar option, you can decorate your lantern however you like! Tissue paper, patterned paper napkins, wrapping paper, and magazines all work really well for cutting and sticking.
These lanterns can also be attached to a short stick so they can be held up higher in the walk.
Option 3: stick and tissue lanterns
If you’re feeling like a slightly bigger project, why not make a stick lantern? This video from Kew Gardens shows you how or – if you prefer to read – Leamington Lantern Parade have a nice simple guide.
If you want to try this lantern then you really do need wet strength tissue paper unless your lantern is going to be very small – trust us, we’ve tried it both ways and normal tissue paper dissolves into a sticky, stressful mess!
Bonus options...
For all you crafty folk out there who fancy making something a bit more dramatic why not check out this amazing page of inspiration for all kinds of wonderful lantern designs!
See you at the lantern walk!
Don’t forget – you can join us for lantern making on Saturday 25th and Tuesday 28th of October (booking essential) then come along for the walk itself on the evening of Wednesday 29th October. Your ticket for the lantern walk (just £3/ £6 depending on whether you’re a local resident or coming from elsewhere) include hot food, craft and music after the walk. Fancy dress optional but encouraged!
