Rivers of Light is a free community lantern parade run by Newmarket Community Arts in partnership with Newmarket Community Nature Reserve and MarketPlace Creative People and Places. The event was first held in 2023 and was attended by over 200 people.
The project aims to bring the community together through the arts to celebrate Newmarket’s rare and ancient chalk stream and to work together to protect and preserve it. Rivers of Light gives people of all ages the opportunity to learn new skills and learn about the ancient chalk stream habitat as well as providing some much needed winter cheer as we walk The Yellow Brick Road with our lanterns and then join together for a celebration at Studlands Park Social Club.
Louise Eatock, chair or Newmarket Arts, said, “Rivers of Light is an important event for Newmarket. It highlights our chalk stream and offers a chance to conserve it. The extra funding that we have secured this year from Newmarket Charitable Foundation means that we can now offer the willow lantern workshops to more community groups this year which is fantastic. We aim to build the event up each year and get more people involved. It is important to us that this remains a free and inclusive event and funding such as this means that everyone who wants to can get involved.”
