One of the city’s biggest community events of the year is back next weekend – with a new route through the streets of South Bristol. The Bedminster Winter Lanterns event has been confirmed to take place a week on Saturday, January 18, and there’s still a chance to get involved.
The event will see community groups and organisations parade hundreds of huge lanterns in Ashton, Southville and Bedminster, with almost all of the local primary schools taking part too. The event, which started more than ten years ago now, has become an annual fixture for Year 3 children to get creative during the autumn term, and the schools and others taking part will line up near St Francis Church, opposite Aldi in Ashton Gate, as dusk falls, before heading out onto North Street for the parade.
And this year there’s a change of route. The parade normally winds its way to the end of North Street, turns right up Cannon Street and then back west again up British Road to end at South Street Park and Compass Point primary school. But this year, the parade is instead going to turn left and head along East Street towards Asda.
Organisers set up a crowdfunder page to raise money to pay for the event, and donations flooded in with more than £4,000 collected back in October. Throughout the autumn, while the primary school children in BS3 have been busy making their lanterns, community workshops have been taking place at the Philip Street Chapel in Bedminster most Saturdays to give people not in a group already taking part the chance to get involved, and make a giant lantern they can then parade on January 18.
There’s still a chance to get involved – the final community workshop is taking place at the chapel this coming Saturday, January 11, with two sessions, either from 10am or 1.30pm. Organisers are also still looking for volunteers to help steward the parade – they need about ten more people. The 2025 theme of the event this year is ‘Bristol Together’.
“Each year on a dark, gloomy January evening, 2,000+ residents, artists, musicians, our MP and local Councillors, join together to illuminate the streets to promote and celebrate togetherness and hope for the new year,” said local pharmacist Ade Williams, who is chair of the organising committee. “Hundreds of lanterns light up Bedminster, lovingly created by members of the community – from nursery children to senior citizens. As the Bristol Samba band approaches, excitement builds for spectators as they hear the music and wait to be delighted by the lanterns, big and small, in all shapes and sizes.
“But the story doesn’t start there. For months leading up to the event, our artists engage with community groups, schools and local businesses to help them plan and bring to life their ideas, helping develop their creative, teamwork and personal skills while they are having fun.
Children of Ashton Gate Primary School making lanterns for the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade
(Image: daisy media ltd)
“We’ve had some really amazing experiences over the years, working with local residents across all ages and walks of life, building thousands of lanterns for our multi-generational project that celebrates the creativity, inclusivity and the wonderful spirit of BS3,” he added.
The event means roads will be closed in BS3 for the afternoon and evening on January 18. St Francis Road in Ashton Gate, North Street, Cannon Street and East Street will be closed between 3pm and 7pm, with the event itself starting at around 5pm when it’s dark enough. There will be live music along the way, too.
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