Have you seen the lights?

The procession at Sharrow lantern festival

Sunday night saw the annual lantern festival take over the streets of Sharrow. I don’t live in the neighbourhood but the reputation of the festival has been growing for a few years now so I decided it was time to check it out.

In the weeks leading up to it, workshops took place to help people craft a lantern to carry in the procession. On the day of the festival, crowds would then gather at dusk in Mount pleasant park before setting off and parading through Sharrow to Cemetery park.

This year’s procession was again led by the Sheffield samba band, who were brilliant. Everyone else followed: many people proudly carried ‘elements’-themed lanterns in all shapes and sizes, while some were dressed up and others had their faces adorned with face paints. It didn’t matter if you hadn’t prepared anything though, as everyone was welcome to tag along regardless.

As the carnival wove its way through the streets, residents gathered in doorways and faces pressed up against windows to catch a glimpse of the festivities and see what the noise was all about.

On joining London road, we turned left towards town and headed for Cemetery park for live music, fire spinners and the spectacular lantern release. And for those wanting to continue the festivities, bands and DJs carried on at the Cremorne pub until late.

It looks like 2011 will be the final year that organisers Creative action network will be managing the event. There is no suggestion that it won’t be going ahead next April though and they are inviting people to get involved with the organisation. Do get in touch with them if you fancy it.

I’d definitely recommend getting involved in next year’s event, whether you are eight or 80. I didn’t really know what to expect, and when the rain came down on Sunday afternoon – following a hefty mother’s day meal – it was quite tempting not to bother venturing out. But I’m really glad I did, as I got to not just see but actually participate in another heart-warming example of grassroots Sheffield culture and community spirit.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.