ORGANISERS of Ulverston Lantern Festival are looking for more companies, community groups and schools to build giant lanterns for the Fantastical Beasts parade on Saturday September 14.

The festival is set to feature up to 700 lanterns creating a river of light through the town and up to Ford Park for the firework finale. More than 5,000 people are expected to pack the streets of Ulverston to see the festival and enjoy the town’s hospitality in pubs and restaurants.

The Fantastical Beasts theme for the 2019 Festival has already created huge excitement with people commenting and sharing ideas via social media. The organisers this year want more big lanterns than ever before and are appealing to local companies, schools, community groups to join the fun, and at the same time get the benefit of a great team-building activity.

Ideas flying around for lanterns include a whole host of creatures from the Harry Potter universe from dragons to dementors, along with sea serpents, griffins, goblins, winged horses, giant scorpions, Minions, minotaurs, and even the fire-breathing wolf from Ulverston’s coat of arms.

Organising committee chair Chris Nelson said: “The skills involved in building a big lantern include planning, design, creativity, problem solving and logistics; the team has to come up with a viable idea, get the materials, design it structurally and creatively, and of course work out how it will perform on the night itself – lit up with LEDs or candles.

“It ticks so many boxes for businesses and is a great way of getting a group of people to work together. The Lantern Committee can provide special ‘big lantern’ packs of materials including the willow withies, paper, wire, and PVA glue needed to construct their Fantastical Beasts. We will also offer technical advice if they need it, because between us we have well over 100 years of experience building lanterns.”

Any business or group that wants to make a big Fantastical Beasts lantern should contact Chris Nelson on 07761 930627, or email chris@trafalgar-pr.co.uk. For more information visit the Festival’s Facebook page or go to www.ulverstonlanternfestival.org.

Normal-sized lantern kits are on sale from August 7 for £5 each at Appleseeds, the Coronation Hall, Costa Coffee, the Book Shack in the Market Hall, the Laurel and Hardy Museum, from the launderette at Croftlands, and from 14 Moorgarth in Swarthmoor.

Lantern workshops will be held on September 7 and 8 at the Parish Rooms on Church Walk from 2pm to 6pm, and Monday through to Friday during the week before the festival from 5.30pm to 8.30pm.. There will also be workshops in the Coronation Hall on September 10 and 11 from 4pm to 6pm.