FREE: Suwanee “Glow in the Park” lantern parade

Lantern parades have really caught on in recent years. This one looks especially fun. Suwanee’s Glow in the Park community event will feature a strolling jazz band leading an illuminated pageant of light, music, and color. It takes place on April 20th at Town Center Park — see the event schedule, below.

This is a family-friendly event, so bring your strollers, your dog, and everyone from young to old.  Anyone can participate. To walk in the parade, you just need an illuminated lantern and/or a glow-in-the-dark costume.

Prizes will be awarded for the best lanterns and best glowing costumes, so give it your best shot! The organizers would like this event to be a celebration of creativity.

For more information, see the event website — it’s really cool!

Need a lantern?

Don’t yet have a lantern? You have options. A simple design only requires a paper globe, like the kind you find at Pier One or Party City, and some sort of battery-operated LED lights (no flames, please!) You may want to attach the lantern to a dowel or stick, to make it easy to carry.

There are lantern ideas all over Pinterest.

Instructables.com has simple instructions.

And there are how-to videos on YouTube (we’ve embedded one below, to get you started).

There have been a series of lantern-making workshops leading up to the event — and there are still a few left. The following workshops cost $30 to cover materials:

• Wednesday, April 
17th — flowers and nature themed lanterns — 6 to 8 p.m.
• Thursday, April 
18th — “Get Lit!” (adults only – BYOB!) | 6 to 8 p.m.
• 
Friday, April 19th — Wacky Lanterns — 4 to 6 p.m.
• 
Saturday, April 19th — illuminated parasols — 7 to 9 p.m.

You can register for these workshops through the North Gwinnett Arts Association.