The night will be illuminated in downtown on Saturday, January 15th, like never before!
Gowri Savoor and A River of Light are partnering with the town for the first time ever, brining a historic moment to Cary, and one that the community is playing a huge part in.
“I am a visual teaching artist and I’ve been working with multiple towns and communities in Vermont where we had lived for the last 15 years, and also in England where I was born and lived for most of my life. About 20 years ago, I started working with organizations on lantern parades. It’s such a unique and beautiful way to gather communities together around celebration and celebrating in public spaces while creating the art together,” said Gowri.
Gowri has been leading workshops to prepare for the event, that will start at 6pm on the 15th. The parade leaves Fidelity Plaza at 6:15 pm, proceeds down Academy St, and ends at the old library site, 320 Academy St.
“We moved to Cary last year and I emailed a few people from around town to introduce myself and then I heard from Denise Dickens from the Town of Cary to say let’s do it.”
Parade participants will show off their creations and Gowri says if you didn’t make it to a workshop, not to worry, you can bring your own lantern too.
Learn how to make a simple and magical lantern at home from a 2-liter soda bottle. Find a quick how-to video here: https://youtu.be/yydfd4NE8pM
“The idea behind it is that we, at A River of Light, teach people how to create these lanterns, which we do during workshops, and then we meet together in celebration. The reception to this idea has been fantastic, but despite the pandemic, people have attended the workshops safely, and so bringing that to Cary is wonderful,” said Gowri.
To learn more about Gowri and her organization, visit A River of Light here.
Check out the event page, and we’ll see you at the Lantern Parade on the 15th at 6pm.
Here are a few pictures of lantern parades that Gowri has lead in the past.
