Lantern Project

Stony Stratford Lantern Project 2024 – “Puppets’ Parade!”

This year’s project gives you the option to EITHER make your lantern/s at the York House Workshops OR buy Lantern Kit/s to make at home.

All lantern makers are invited to join in with the Lantern Procession on Saturday 30 November (meet at York House at 3.15pm).

York House Lantern Workshops

The York House Workshops are drop-in from 10am until 4pm, tickets allow access to all sessions but must be purchased online in advance:

Saturday 16 November – Main Hall + Beechey Room + Room 2.3  – Bean in Stony Café will be serving hot and cold drinks, snacks and light lunches.

Sunday 17 November – Beechey Room + Room 2.3 (enter through front right fire door) – sorry, there won’t be a café during the Sunday sessions due to space restrictions.

Saturday 23 November – Main Hall + Beechey Room + Room 2.3  – Bean in Stony Café will be serving hot and cold drinks, snacks and light lunches.

Sunday 24 November – Beechey Room + Room 2.3 (enter through front right fire door) – sorry, there won’t be a café during the Sunday sessions due to space restrictions.

Plenty of Lantern Volunteers will be on-hand at the York House Workshops to help you make your lantern and to check they are all safe ready for the Lantern Procession which is well supervised by experienced Stewards.

We have indoor storage this year to store your partially made and completed lanterns, but please bear in mind that space is limited for both making and storage and DON’T MAKE YOUR LANTERNS TOO BIG!

Make-at-Home Lantern Kits

For those who have purchased Lantern Kits online, you will need to collect your kit/s from York House at one of the following collection sessions:

Saturday 02 November – Main Hall – 4pm til 5pm

Wednesday 06 November – Front Car park – 6pm til 7pm

Saturday 09 November – Main Hall – 2pm til 4pm

It is important that you don’t turn up at York House outside these hours as you won’t be able to collect your kit.

Lantern Kits include instructions and all materials to make a basic sized lantern, plus a bamboo cane and wire fixings so you can join in with the Lantern Parade – you will just need to supply your own battery-powered torch or fairy lights to light it. If you want to make a larger or more complicated lantern at home, you can purchase additional withies (willow sticks) for a £2 donation per bundle of 20.

Ticket Sales

All lantern tickets are sold online – you need to make sure you choose the right ticket type! Cost for all ticket types is £7.00 per lantern (not per person) plus a £0.70 booking fee.

NOTE – we strongly advise that you pre-book your lantern/s as the project sells out every year.

Sales for both the York House Workshop Lanterns and Lantern Kits will go live on 01 October, visit the Stony Stratford Lantern Project Facebook group for the online ticketing links.

Friends of Stony Lanterns 2024 – to support local families in need to join in for free and to help fund future projects. You don’t need to make a lantern to donate, just click on the ticket link and choose the ‘Friends of Stony Lanterns 2024 – Optional Donation’ ticket. Each donation is £5.00 (plus 50p booking fee) but feel free to give multiple donations if you feel able to!

WE NEED YOUR HELP! Grant funding is becoming harder to secure every year, and the cost of materials has risen dramatically. We are asking people to consider making an optional additional donation of £5.00 to become a Friend of Stony Lanterns for 2024. Donations collected will be used to fund free lantern spaces for local families in need, and to help fund future lantern projects. To donate, click the ‘Friends of Stony Lanterns’ ticket type when ordering your lanterns online before you head to the checkout.

DO YOU NEED OUR HELP? We know that some families are struggling due to the cost of living crisis but we don’t want any local children to miss out on taking part. We will be offering a limited number (one per family) of free lantern workshop spaces on a first come, first served basis. Please email stonylanterns@gmail.com for more information.

On Switch-On Day (Saturday 30 November) meet at York House from 3.15pm to collect your lanterns or bring your lanterns along if you’ve made them at home. If you’ve made your lanterns at home, DON’T FORGET the bamboo cane which was provided with your kit, Volunteers will be happy to attach it for you if you need help. As darkness falls, the lanterns are lit and the procession leaves at 4.15pm to make its way through the crowd-lined streets of Stony Stratford to the Market Square in time for the switching-on of the Christmas lights at 5pm – magical!

Any questions? Email stonylanterns@gmail.com

School Sessions 2024

St Mary & St Giles North Site – there is an afterschool frame-making session for pupils and their parents/carers only in the SMSG North School Hall on Monday 09 November, 3pm til 5pm. If you want to attend this session, you need to buy your lantern/s via the designated link which has been sent via a letter in your child’s bookbag. You will need to join the sessions at York House to finish your lantern.

Russell Street School – DETAILS TBC

A BIG thank you to all the Lantern Volunteers; to the Trustees & Staff at York House Centre and to our funders – Stony Stratford Town Council, Stony Stratford Business Association and those who made donations to the Friends of Stony Lanterns 2023.

Join the Stony Stratford Lantern Project Facebook Group for the latest project news.

REVIEWS OF RECENT LANTERN PROJECTS

Lockdown Lantern Project 2021 – A Review

Lockdown Lantern Project 2020 – A Review

Stony Stratford Lantern Project 2019 – Review