Arboretum’s Lantern Parade Going On-line!

Due to the ongoing Covid restrictions this year’s Luminate cannot go ahead as a lantern parade around Derby’s wonderful Arboretum. The organisers, The Friends of Derby Arboretum, following on from their summer festival success via Zoom and YouTube will be organising the celebration online.

One of the Friends’ members, Natalie Bayfield, will be once again hosting a live broadcast on their YouTube channel (www.YouTube.com/FriendsofDerbyArboretum). Natalie was instrumental in organising and running the very popular nine-day online Lark in the Park in September. All the recordings and videos are still available to watch.

The upcoming live event is scheduled for this coming Saturday at 5p.m. You can now see a short trailer on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBX2kZKBv3g.

To maintain the spirit of Luminate Spiral Arts will be displaying their lanterns in the various buildings in the park. These will all be lit up so that passers-by can enjoy them and be reminded of previous years’ parades. Spiral Arts has also been making more lanterns using plastic milk bottles. They have been handing out kits for people to make their own versions at home.

Jenny Anthony of Spiral Arts has posted a video on the Friend’s channel showing how to make your own lantern. You can watch this now on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfkMYZIjCp4&t=6s.

Luminate isn’t all about the lanterns. There’s usually music and dance as well as poetry and storytelling. So, these features will also be incorporated in the live show. In previous years the Friends have organised hot soups and a roll in the Orangery to finish off the event. Amazingly, this will also be a reimagined for the evening’s fayre!

This year the Friends of Derby Arboretum is marking 180 years since the opening of the park in 1840 when Joseph Strutt donated 11 acres of land for the benefit of the City’s townsfolk.

Date: Saturday 7th November 2020

Time: 5 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Location: www.YouTube.com/FriendsofDerbyArboretum