On Saturday, January 10, at 6 PM, the lantern parade known as Under the Silver Moon will be held in the Downtown Cary Park! The parade is a part of GLOW, which lights up Downtown Cary with a temporary outdoor display of technology and light art installations from January to March, courtesy of Academy Street Artwork Projects (ASAP). The lantern parade will kick off the exhibition, with beautiful handcrafted paper lanterns being carried throughout the park!
Those participating in the event either made their lantern at home with tutorials or by being in one of several workshops that have been hosted since October 2025, led by Gowri Savoor and Angelo Arnold! The visionary behind this event is Gowri Savoor, an artist who started this annual tradition with the first parade in 2022. She explains the origin of the parade in an interview with Cary Magazine in late 2021, shortly before the first parade in Cary:
“Moving to a new town can be hard, especially for a self-employed artist. After settling in, I contacted a few local arts organizations and told them about my work organizing lantern parades… Community art, collaboration and teaching are all important to me and I was keen to make some connections and share the work that I love to do.”
This community celebration continues on strong, lighting up the dark winter night with awe-inspiring displays of creative expression. The event is free, so grab a warm jacket and enjoy the spectacle!
Those in the parade are to gather at the fountain at 6 PM with their lanterns. No pets, fires, or candle-lit lanterns are permitted in the parade to keep things moving and safe. Then it is showtime at 6:15 PM!
In addition to the parade will be food trucks and live performances from the Bulltown Strutters, One Tribe Rhythms, and Caroleeena’s Circle of Joy. You can learn more about the event here and we’ll see you Under the Silver Moon!