Whooooo is in the mood for a lantern parade?
On Friday, August 3, 2018, head to Midtown Atlanta for the Parliament of Owls, an owl-themed lantern parade. For this event, the Parliament of Owls are opting for a black-and-white theme–The owls themselves are white masks illuminated by a flashlight (your phone’s will suffice), and their (and your) attire is black. If you’ll be donning a mask & bringing a lantern to join in the parade, please stick to the costuming theme.
To make it easy on you, you can make a free owl mask at an upcoming event. The templates, designed by Chantelle Rytter, feature three owl species: the Southern Urban Forest Owl, the Crested Creeper and the Starred Bard Owl. And each species comes in adult, juvenile and owlet lantern sizes (lantern kits are $10-$20 each).
- 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 14: Head to Colony Square (15th Street & Peachtree Street, Atlanta) to make a free owl mask. Need a lantern? Kits will be available for purchase for $10-$20 each.
- 3:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. on July 18 & 25 and August 1: Stop by The Owls’ Nest (1230 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta) for a BYOB mask-making party. Lantern kits will be available for purchase for $10-$20 each.
Can’t make it to the mask-making events? You can print out one of the owl mask templates on 11″x17″ card stock & make your own.
If you’re participating in the parade itself, you should arrive at the Promenade II building (1230 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta) at 8:30 p.m. on August 3, 2018. The parade steps off at 9:10 p.m. & flies across 15th into Sifly Plaza at the High Museum, where the owls will circle the band for a song or two at the end of First Friday. Next, the owls will head down the sidewalk on Peachtree Street toward 14th Street, cross Peachtree, and walk to the Plaza at Colony Square to circle the band again.
After the parade, stop by the veranda at The Castle for post-parade drinks with the owls. It’ll be a hoot!
–Jennifer Maciejewski
