About LightnUp Inc.
LightnUp Inc is a community, arts-based, not for profit organisation and Registered Charity based in Lismore, in the heart of the Northern Rivers, New South Wales, Australia.
LightnUp Inc has a strong commitment to social inclusion and access to the arts. As an unfunded not for profit organisation they are proud to welcome people from all walks of life, cultural backgrounds, abilities and socio-economic groups offering them the opportunity to express themselves creatively and to work alongside experienced, and high profile artists.
More About Us
About Us
LightnUp Inc is widely recognised for their expertise in lantern making, spectacular event production and staging. They hire lanterns, produce specially commissioned work and develop lantern parades and events for communities across Australia. They also provide theming for conferences and events - weddings, parties, funerals, celebrations.'
LightnUp Inc has a strong commitment to social inclusion and access to the arts. As an unfunded not for profit organisation they are proud to welcome people from all walks of life, cultural backgrounds, abilities and socio-economic groups offering them the opportunity to express themselves creatively and to work alongside experienced, and high profile artists.
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Our Story
For those of you who are new to the Lismore Lantern Parade here is a bit of our story ...
The Lismore Lantern Parade is an annual community event held on or around the longest night of the year, being the Winter Solstice. The first parade was held in 1994 with just a couple of hundred people in the parade. It has grown more and more each year.
The Lismore Lantern Parade has become renown across Australia and beyond. In 2022 a small LightnUp Team traveled to Qatar to teach some artists and teachers to make lanterns in the lead up to the Soccer World Cup.
The event attracts approximately 30,000 people in a "normal" year and is estimated to contribute $3.4 million to the local economy. With its social, economic and cultural contribution to the City, the event has been formally recognised by Lismore City Council as its Signature Event.
Each year the Lantern Parade involves participants from Lismore, throughout the Northern Rivers and visitors to the region who have attended workshops in lantern, mask and costume making. School and community workshops start at Easter each year with many other volunteers traveling from across the Northern Rivers region, South East Queensland, around NSW, South Australia and Victoria to participate in this event.
The Lismore Lantern Parade is held in Lismore, south from the Gold Coast, 40 mins from iconic Nimbin, and 45 minutes inland from popular Byron Bay.
Lismore is home to around 45,000 people and is surrounded by beautiful, lush countryside, pockets of small villages and nestled between World Heritage Rainforest. It’s a city of contrasts and diversity and is known for its links to the agricultural and dairy industries as well as the Northern Rivers centre for business, education, culture, retail, sport and health. It has a strong connection to culture and education through partnerships with Southern Cross University, North Coast Institute of TAFE, the Northern Rivers Conservatorium of Music and the grass roots arts organisations.
Other Lantern Events
The Lantern Parade is produced by a community organisation called LightnUp Incorporated. Based in Lismore LightnUp travels all over the the place producing parades, facilitating workshops and presenting fiery outdoor theatre.
Over the years LightnUp artists have traveled all over Australia - from Port Fairy Folk Festival in Victoria to the community of Gapuwyak in the Northern Territory.
Other festivals in which we have participated recently;
Woodford Folk Festival, Dubbo Dream Festival, Luminous, Illuminate Wolandilly, Splendour in the Grass, Floriade.
About the Lantern Parade
Lismore’s Signature Event
Established 32 years ago, the Lismore Lantern Parade is a nationally and internationally recognised, award-winning annual festival that celebrates the Winter Solstice – the shortest day of the year, a time of optimism and renewal.
The celebration is based on a breath-taking parade of lanterns, light and performance through the main streets of Lismore, travelling through the heart of the city, culminating in theatrical performance, fire art, pyrotechnics and a spectacular 'cultural burn'. Originally the Fiery Finale was held on the banks of the Wilson's River, but sadly the space has become inappropriate, especially since the 2022 Floods, it is no longer safe for a large crowd.
The Lismore Lantern Parade enjoys considerable community engagement and involvement. Levels of participation and enthusiasm build in the months leading up to the event and culminate in the joyous celebration of the final parade.
The strength of this engagement is underpinned by partnerships with local educational & financial institutions, business, cultural and community groups, and Lismore City Council. The Lismore Lantern Parade has become a favourite date for Family and Friends ‘get-togethers’, with families being our major demographic. Seniors and Grey Nomads are also well represented, with the under 25s a steadily growing representation too.
The Lantern Parade is an icon for the region and is recognised by Lismore City Council as the Signature Event for the city. The Lismore Lantern Parade enjoys unprecedented support from the local community and attracts visitors from all over Australia and the world.
Notwithstanding the Covid Pandemic and the devastating floods of 2022, and the ongoing tight economic environment, the lantern parade attracts a highly diverse audience of over 30,000 people, coming from as far afield as South and Western Australia, North Queensland and Victoria, and of course from throughout NSW and SE Queensland. A small % of International visitors are also regularly entranced by the event.
Around 2,500 people take part in the actual parade, this includes community organisations, schools and preschools, bands and many performers. Local businesses and organisations participate as a part of their staff team building. Participants come from throughout the region – Evans Head, Byron Bay to Tweed, Tabulam, Kyogle and Casino.
Despite the challenges over the years, the Lantern Parade has never been cancelled. We even created a Virtual Lantern Parade during the 2020 lock-downs, with lantern installations in the Lismore CBD. For the Virtual Parade we set up an on-line shop to sell lantern kits, people then sent us photos of their home-made lanterns, which we turned into a video that we mixed with a live stream broadcast and linked in with people in Atlanta USA, the UK and New Zealand as well as Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. In 2021 in order to meet Covid restrictions we had to move the Lantern Parade to the Showgrounds with a limited, ticketed audience of 5,000.
However, most Importantly in 2022 the devastating floods that brought so much trauma to our community, the Lantern Parade become an important catalyst in our healing after these terrible days.
The role played in the floods by the SES and Civilian Volunteers' Tinnie Army was honoured in the parade in a cathartic and humorous way, with a finale depicting the fiery Phoenix in a heart symbolising regeneration and hope. "The Healing Hearts" was considered to be one of the best lantern parades ever.
In 2023 our theme was ‘’Gates of Renewal’ – taking steps into liminal space, finding a path to renewal. And our return to the riverbank was received with much joy, if a bit of a tight squeeze.
In 2024 – the Lismore Lantern Parade celebrated 30 years, bringing light to the heart of our communities. So many families from all over Australia have grown up in wonderment of the magic of the lanterns each year. The lantern parade is truly an inter-generational tradition, with babies in prams now bringing their teenagers to the lantern parade this year.
Our 2024 theme looked back to our simple parades in the early days, and the growth of the Lantern Parade into the beloved community tradition it is today. The story of the Lismore Lantern Parade was celebrated in a beautiful display presented by the Richmond River Historical Society.
We were also very excited to have been asked by Lismore’s 41st Battalion, Royal NSW Regiment to facilitate and support their exercising a Freedom of Entry to the City of Lismore. The last time the Freedom of Entry was exercised was in June 1979 as a part of Lismore’s Centenary Celebrations. The tradition of Freedom of Entry to a city, municipality or shire originates from a custom dating back to medieval times, Freedom of Entry is the highest honour a municipality may bestow upon a unit.
This was an excellent opportunity to show the people of Lismore's thanks for their continued support to the soldiers and officers. The Freedom of Entry took place early in the early afternoon of the 22nd June before the Lantern Parade.
The first lantern parade in 1994 involved only a few hundred participants and a small crowd, in 2024 over 2,500 people walked in the parade with a crowd of over thirty-two thousand people lining the streets. We saw an even bigger crowd in 2024 as people from all over Australia and beyond celebrated THEIR lantern festival's 30th anniversary!
The 2025 Lismore Lantern Parade was held on Saturday 21 June, its theme - "The Return of the Sun". Once again it was a wonderful success, despite rain all around the region, the misty drizzle in Lismore itself disappeared and the stars came out for a beautiful mild night!
In March 2025 Tropical Cyclone Alfred flooded our finale site on the banks of the Wilson River, leaving a thick residue of sticky mud. After consulting with Council's Open Spaces team it was resolved that we would reverse the parade - starting down by Riverside Park and travel through the CBD finishing in the newly refurbished Oakes Oval.
The Oval is primarily a sports precinct hosting football, soccer and cricket events. However, Lismore City Council is keen to expand its use to include a variety of other large scale events. The Lismore Lantern Parade being the first such event.
The benefits of the oval included access to grandstand seating for 1,500 people, a flat "performance" area, it is fenced and has adequate power for sound and lighting, accessible seating and plenty of storage.
In 2025 there were lots of lessons to be learned, and in 2026 we appreciate our community's patience as we work out what worked and what didn't in 2025.
To help cover costs we sell tickets for the grandstands and open a large area of the oval for free seating on the grass. There are two pavilion areas with accessible seating.
The other change in 2026 comes as a result of Lismore City Council's concerns around parked cars along the parade route and the potential risk they could pose. Mitigating this cost in 2026 would render the event nonviable.
So, we have reworked the parade route and it will now assemble in the Riviera Carpark (behind Molesworth Street) and head straight down Magellan Street and turn up Dawson Street before entering Oakes Oval for the Fiery Finale.
We look forward to seeing you there! Grandstand tickets go on sale in May.
Remembering with love those who have inspired, loved and supported the Lantern Parade
Rhoda Roberts, Jenny Dowell, Bill Hauriz, Johnny Allen, Ted Egan, Sara Tinning, Joanna Macey, John Lush, Joanne Kambourian, Karen Coyle, Paul Barrett, Suzanne Olesen, John Miller, Issy Brent, Bede Flynn, John Fox, Heather Wood,
Shane "Shifty" Petersen, Sandra Schultz, Judith Light.