Wells Lantern Festival 2027

….. Once Upon a Time…

This January Wells Lantern Festival invites you to step into the world of stories, legends and fairy tales.

Join us for a weekend of friendly, creative workshops and make your own willow-and-paper lantern inspired by our 2027 theme, Once Upon a Time. Your lantern might be a storybook character, a mythical creature, an enchanted castle or something entirely from your own imagination.

The workshops are suitable for children, families and adults. Our volunteers will be on hand to guide you through the process, whether you are an experienced lantern-maker or trying it for the first time.

Saturday 16 January 2027

Once upon a time, the streets of Wells filled with light…

Join us for the 2027 Wells Lantern Festival, inspired by fairy tales, traditional stories, favourite books and magical characters.

Our community lantern parade will take place on Saturday 16 January 2027.

Make a lantern for the parade

Community lantern-making workshops are provisionally planned for:

  • Friday 8 January 2027

  • Saturday 9 January 2027

  • Sunday 10 January 2027

The workshop venue and session times are still to be confirmed. We hope to hold the workshops at the Scout Hut and will publish full details as soon as arrangements are complete.

The workshops will help people create their own lanterns inspired by the theme Once Upon a Time. Information about ages, booking and what to bring will be added when the sessions are confirmed.

Save the date

Lantern-making workshops: 8–10 January 2027, subject to confirmation
Lantern parade: Saturday 16 January 2027 starts at 6.30pm gather in the Cloisters of Wells Cathedral.
Location: Wells, Somerset

Please check this page again for updates, or follow Project Factory on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news.

  • Lantern-making at one of our previous community workshops.

    Workshop details for the 2027 festival will be announced soon.

Get involved

Would you like to help with the workshops or the parade? We would love to hear from volunteers, community organisations and anyone interested in supporting the festival. email hello@projectfactory.uk

If you want to start preparing early for next years lantern parade

You can make your lanterns at home and get your willow kits here

If you are buying your own kits - the willows need to be soaked before hand. Musgrove Willows provide some handy tips