Buxton's Christmas lantern parade will be bigger and better

Last year 450 people turned out for the inaugural event and it will return on Saturday, December 2.

Organiser Andrea Lewis, from Buxton Sparkles, said: “Winter can be a very depressing time of the year when people don’t leave the house but we want to light up the darkness and create an event which brings all ages of the community together.

“When all the lanterns are lit it is a truly special sight.”
The parade will start at 4.15pm outside Boots on Spring Gardens, cross Terrace Road go up The Slopes to the town hall, cross the Market Place and down Fountain Street to the Pavilion Gardens.

The theme is Finding Sleeping Beauty to tie in with the pantomime at Buxton Opera House and a willow lantern of Prince Charming will lead the procession which will stop to sing carols at certain points.
Buxton Sparkles is holding two free workshops where people can come and make a lantern. The first is Saturday, November 25 at Buxton Museum on Terrace Road between 10am and 3.30pm and then an evening session will be held in the Devonshire Dome on Wednesday, November 28 between 6pm and 8pm.

The parade signifies the start of Christmas and once again Buxton Town Team is asking people to decorate the town with stars by Friday, December 1.

The Buxton WI is lighting up The Avenue on The Slopes with help from the rotary club, Morrisons on Bakewell Road is putting trees up on the main road and shops in Spring Gardens are paying to light five trees.

Tina Heathcote from the town team said: “People love where they live and I think it has just come to a point where we are tired of not having decorations and want to do something about it.”