On December 31st, AOA and Elizabeth City Downtown, Inc. invite you to flood the streets with light, as we march into the New Year together during our city’s inaugural lantern parade!

This free community event encourages community members and visitors of all ages to join the parade with their own lanterns—all shapes, sizes, and styles of lanterns are welcome. The festivities will begin at Pool St. Park (205 E Main St.) and encompasses a short parade route downtown (exact route to be announced soon), ending on the 600 block of East Colonial Ave., and culminating in a streetside celebration for all.

The Lights of the Albemarle Lantern Parade is made possible with support from artist Gowri Savoor’s A River of Light initiative, the Kate Dean Endowment for K-12 Arts, and the North Carolina Arts Council.

  • When: December 31st, 2025, at 6 PM

    Where: Pool St. Park at 205 E. Main St. to 600 E. Colonial Ave - route map coming soon!

    How to participate: Simply show up with you lighted lantern by 5:45 PM and join the fun!

  • The artist Gowri Savoor’s initiative A River of Light provides training, inspiration, and infrastructure needed to conduct the workshops and steps needed to create beautiful lanterns for a large-scale community parade. Community members are invited to gather together for this special occasion, ringing in the New Year and sharing a celebration of creativity and fellowship.

    Savoor has partnered with Arts of the Albemarle and Elizabeth City Downtown, Inc. to launch the first-ever lantern parade in Elizabeth City, which was preceded by a series of workshop and learning opportunities for community members and students. Furthering these efforts is support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and the Kate Dean Endowment for K-12 Arts, which provided materials and training for student lanterns in our region’s schools.

    Find more information and examples of other lantern parades at this link.

  • More resources coming soon!

Photo by Gordon Miller, courtesy of A River of Light.

Made possible with support from: