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River of Light Lantern Parade – Bringing Light to the Winter Months

Tasked with a brief from Dacorum Council to bring light to the winter months, we set to work to create the River of Light Lantern Parade, in partnership with the people of Hemel, and funded with support from the share prosperity fund.

We hatched a plan; a feat of creative community engagement, providing opportunity for volunteers, paid opportunity for local artists and training for emerging artists supporting the next generation of workshop leaders and creative producers.

Enjoy a video from the evening by clicking below

River of Light Lantern Parade – 14th March 2026, Hemel Town Centre – Nysa Projects/Puddingstone Arts

Insight in to the process of community engagement.

Things were slow to begin with, it was hard to secure dates with schools, but the project quickly picked up pace and we were fully programmed by the end of Jan.

The partners we found to work with were perfect; Liberty Tea Rooms provided a project Town Centre base for the project, a sales outlet for lantern kits alongside perfect event day and workshop hosts, Hemel Hempstead Library opned up their creator space for the biggest lantern making session of all and No Ordinary Museum welcomed us with open arms. Three centrally located venues programmed within days of each other were completely sold it within week, Dacorum Council’s fab Comms Team must have had a lot to do with that. It was heartening to see such an appetite for creative making. The lanterns began to appear with over 300 lanterns created over a six-week period.

River of Light Lantern Parade, Hemel Hempstead – Welcoming Spring and celebrating Hemel’s unique chalk streams on International Day of Action for Rivers.

Created in partnership with Puddingstone Arts, Dacorum Borough Council, Hemel BID, Riverside and the people of Hemel Hempstead.

What a night, it’s taken almost a week to recover.

Big thanks to all, our next blog is coming soon with insight into creative process, access to video content and of course the poetry.

If anyone is still need of some lantern making kit, please let us know wee have some left in the studio.

Email kerry@nysa.co.uk

River of Light Lantern Parade, Hemel Hempstead – Welcoming Spring and celebrating Hemel’s unique chalk streams on International Day of Action for Rivers.

Created in partnership with Puddingstone Arts, Dacorum Borough Council, Hemel BID, Riverside and the people of Hemel Hempstead.

Thank yous

Thanks to Nysa Projects, Fishery Wharf Cafe, DENS in Dacorum, Herts Inclusive Theatre, Home School Hang Out CIC, Chaulden Guides, Yew Tree Primary, Chambersbury Primary, George Street Primary, Roman Fields, Hemel Hempstead Library, No Ordinary Museum and Heathers.

Special thanks to our fabulous hosts at Liberty Tea Rooms and the Mayor of Dacorum for speeches and flower duties.

Thank you for the music and performances

New Moon Morris

Bene Tally Band and Friends

Angie Hula Mack

Anton Muckaman Juggler Extraordinaire

Thanks to everyone for coming, everyone that made a lantern and our awesome team of volunteers.

Generously supported by UK government through the ‘UK Shared Prosperity Fund.’

Feedback

School Partner – I was told off by two boys who made the beautiful house lanterns. They said to me “Miss, why weren’t you at the festival on Saturday? We were there and couldn’t see you”. They said “there was this amazing bird with flapping wings!”

(gulp…) with no pertinent answer for them, I could only promise that I won’t miss the next event.

Congratulations for being such a great part of it and thank you for including Yew Tree in your amazing art projects.

School Partner – Thank you so much for bringing the Lantern Workshop to Roman Fields School.

The team from Puddingstone Arts did a great job in tailoring the workshop to our pupils.

The Head Teacher wanted me to share how much everyone enjoyed it.

Looking forward to the River of Light Parade in Hemel Hempstead town centre.

Host Venue –Even the rain couldn’t dampen the atmosphere, and we were so impressed, not only by the event itself, but also by the fantastic turnout from the community. We even had several people arriving on Saturday asking for lantern kits!

Dacorum BC Rep – I wanted to flag up what a fantastic event was held in the town centre on Saturday. As well as breathing life and vibrancy into the town centre, it felt like such a joyous and positive expression of community spirit.