On Sunday 17 February, an estimated 1,400 people turned up on Guildhall Square and the John Hansard Gallery (JHG) to celebrate Lunar New Year and take part in a major lantern festival and parade.
BCB Media created a wonderful short video showcasing the highlights of the event, which you can view below.
This was a multi-cultural offering organised by Dr Alan Wong, Associate Professor Michael Ng and Dr Ping Hua from the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, in conjunction with the Public Engagement with Research unit (PERu), the Chinese Association of Southampton, Chinese Arts Southampton (follow their Facebook page here), the Confucius Institute, Southampton City Council and the JHG.
The festival gave families the opportunity to create Chinese paper and balloon lanterns using LED lights, which were taken on a one-mile guided walking parade across the City Centre. The parade began with a Taichi Fan performance, and was led by a nine-person, lighted ‘dragon’, with a dancing ‘lion’ at the rear to ward off evil and wish good luck on everyone who took part.
There was also a ‘Science Tent’ on the square, which allowed families to learn about light-themed research from our Quantum Technology group and Lightwave, as well as our three PERu-lead local Public Engagement Hubs.
The parade itself was launched by Winnie Eley, Vice President (International), who welcomed people to the event and shared her experience and our credentials of being part of, and supporting the local community.
Winnie said:
“This first-ever Southampton Lantern Festival Parade is made possible through the partnerships, support and hard work of many organisations and volunteers. Our 245,000 alumni and current students from over 180 countries will be proud to know that their University and the region are committed to being truly global, and is welcoming, embracing diversity and open to the world.”
In addition to promoting wider culture and inclusivity in the City, this initiative is part of a three-year Horizon 2020 project between the University and the City Council to create a more vibrant and child-friendly Southampton, where walking and cycling is encouraged.
More images of the event are available on the Chinese Association of Southampton Facebook page.
The success of the event was widely reported across local news, including ITV news and ITV social media, That’s TV Solent, as well as the Daily Echo.
