It's the Christmas lantern parade and tree lights ceremony this Saturday

Wincanton’s impressive Market Place Christmas tree is up, ahead of the lights and carols ceremony this Saturday, 4th December.

In recent years, 2020 excluded for obvious reasons, the ceremony has been preceded by a Christmas lantern parade. Introduced in 2015, the parade has successfully involved a great many children and families from the local schools in the festivities. Participants march down Wincanton High Street to Market Place to join the tree-lighting and carol-singing ceremony, significantly boosting the usual turnout and energising the atmosphere.

4:45pm - parade assembly at Wincanton Memorial Hall

5:00pm - parade departure

5:10pm - lighting of the Christmas tree and carols at Market Place

This year the lantern parade is changing up a gear with the help of Bootmakers Workshop, supported by South Somerset District Council's Town Centre Regeneration programme funding from the Somerset Association of Local Councils (SALC). On Saturdays 13^th, 20^th and 27^th November, Bootmakers hosted free workshops for families, offering a creative space, designers and materials for making bigger and better lanterns than in previous years. Oh, and pizza.

The lanterns are made from a willow frame covered with stengthened tissue paper, in a variety of shapes including stars, shells and angels, and lit from within by bright LEDs. The lanterns will measure between a foot and several feet and all together should look like an arresting, illuminated river of people and artwork making its way down the High Street.

“I’m delighted to say that thanks to everyone who has come in to the Workshop for our community lantern making, and thanks to Wincanton Primary School, Bootmakers Workshop has around 100 willow and tissue paper lanterns ready for Saturday’s parade. All are brilliant - some are show stopping!

The final lantern making workshop was last Saturday. Anyone wishing to collect their lantern from us ready for the parade is welcome to drop in just before it starts. We have a busy Saturday of parties booked in, so if you could come to collect around 4pm (the parade starts at 4:45pm) we will be here to hand them over.”

 - Safia Shah, Bootmakers Workshop

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