PHOTO REVIEW: Light-UP Lantern Festival 2011

PHOTO REVIEW: Light-UP Lantern Festival 2011
A Fairytale Fall Evening of Light and Fantasy Sat 10/8 @ University Park

It was like stepping into a summer fairytale, and the beautiful weather made the illusion complete at the Light-UP Lantern Festival on Sat 10/8 in the University Park neighborhood of Akron. The festival occupied a small area on Crouse and Kim street, surrounding the Don Drumm Studios & Gallery. Now in it’s third year, the Light-UP Lantern Festival is the brainchild of Leandra Drumm of Leandra Drumm Designs. Surrounded by characters from beloved children’s stories including Alice in Wonderland, the Queen and King of Hearts, Little Miss Muffet, Red Riding Hood and The Little Mermaid, it was easy to guess the 2011 theme: Storybooks. People gathered before sunset to craft the lanterns and enjoy the evening. When dusk turned to twilight, hundreds upon hundreds of paper lanterns began to glow, lighting up the sky with a soft glow.

View a slideshow of photographs from the Light-UP Lantern Festival taken by Elise Gaffney here.

The streets were teeming with festival goers, dancers, stilt-walkers, aerialists and, of course, many of them were children. Children were break-dancing and performing along with many adult performers, making lanterns, eating cotton candy and enjoying a real-life fairytale. From pirates to princesses the small stretch of street was filled with delights for all ages. Entrance to the festival was free, and all of the goodies inside were affordable. Local restaurants were peddling their wares including Indian, Middle Eastern and many other types of cuisine. KC Coffee was offering large steaming cups of delicious coffee and Ms. Julie’s Kitchen was serving up locally grown vegan fare. In fact, there were so many fantastic local businesses and artists, you should take a look at the Artists & Vendors page for the Light-UP Lantern Festival, where you can find links to most of these local treasures and try them yourself.

Music filled the air from several stages from a number of local bands including Hey Mavis, Fast Molasses, Zach Music, Pinch and Squeal and more. The musical line-up is also available on the Artists & Vendors page for the Light-UP Lantern Festival. The sounds floated over the crowd of fairies, witches and costumed revelers who gathered around the Paper Moon Stage, the Patchwork Stage, Aunt Emm’s House Stage and Little Theatre Corner to enjoy the performances.

When dark had fallen and festival goers had gotten their faces painted, their fortune told, their handwriting read or their photo taken, it was time for the parade of lanterns. Lanterns had been made ahead of time and at stations throughout the festival by children and families. They were hoisted in the dark night air and a soft glow fell over the scene. In addition to the parade of lanterns there were a variety of other lit novelties including fire twirlers, blinking costumes and glow-in-the-dark booths. The UA African Drumming Ensemble closed out the evening in a grand finale of drumming.

If you missed the 2011 Light-UP Lantern Festival, do not fret! The event is an annual collaboration between Leandra Drumm and a number of local sponsors including the presenting sponsor, the University Park Alliance. In the meantime, visit the Light-UP Lantern Festival website and click on “lanterns” for instructions on how to make your very own lantern at home. With some practice, you’ll be ready to showcase your awesome lantern at next year’s Light-UP Lantern Festival.

Click here to view photos of the event.

Get ready for next year’s Lantern Festival at the Light-UP Lantern Festival website or become a fan of the festival on Facebook. Check out what’s happening in the University Park neighborhood of Akron.

 

Elise Gaffney studies Communication and Photography at The University of Akron. A lover of exploring, she documents the unique, the beautiful and the undiscovered parts of her hometown.

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