The Sharrow Lantern Carnival is an annual event which has taken place on the Sunday before Easter for the past 5 years. This year the theme was 'Folklore: Myths and Legends' which gave great scope for some fantastical creations including the genie and the lamp and the iron man, both of which stood at over 3 metres tall! The parade on 5th April was a resounding success; there was no rain, hundreds of people turned out to parade the streets and it all ended with Chinese wish lanterns being realeased and a fire show in the park.
This year I was lucky enough to take part in the Sharrow Lantern Carnival as a workshop artist, running a series of free lantern making workshops in the local community. The lanterns are made from willow, tissue paper and PVA glue and range from simple ball and pyramid shaped designs through to really complex creations, some of which you can see below. The brilliant thing about these lanterns is you don't need an artistic bone in your body to make one and I most enjoyed watching people create a lantern that they were really proud of, which had a function and became part of the celebration.
