The Beltline Lantern Parade made its westside debut this year, and it was awesome. The parade went down the westside beltline, and ended at Lee and White. It was very well attended, and and I can tell that the participation will grow even larger next year. If you're a spectator, I recommend arriving early in order to score a good viewing spot. read more

I experienced my first Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade this past Saturday, September 10th, 2016. It was a lot of fun. The parade has existed since 2010, so 2016 was the parade's 7th year. According to the BeltLine website, more than 60,000 people showed up for the parade in 2015 (http://art.beltline.org/lantern-parade/). It's a big event. The parade took place on the BeltLine's Eastside Trail on an approximate 2-mile stretch that began at Irwin St (near Irwin Street Market and Krog Street Market) in Old Fourth Ward/Inman Park and ended at Monroe Dr (near Piedmont Park) in Midtown (northbound). We had dinner at Two Urban Licks, which is located directly on the Eastside Trail about halfway between the start and end points of the parade, and slipped into the parade from there. This is a completely free and casual event for both spectators and participants. Technically, you need a lantern to walk in the parade, but a couple of us tagged along with our friends who had lanterns, so we experienced this event from a marcher's point of view. While the parade officially begins at Irwin St, marchers can really hop on and hop off the parade route at any point so long as they're polite and don't disrupt the flow of the parade. There are workshops you can go to where they will teach you how to make your own original lantern for the event. Check out the lantern parade's website (link above) for more info and to sign up for these workshops. The lanterns I saw came in all shapes and sizes from giant, imposing Day of the Dead themed skeletons to cute little Pokemon. There were college-themed lanterns, fruits and vegetables (e.g. a bundle of purple grapes, a giant carrot), animals (e.g. sharks, phoenixes, unicorns), cartoon characters (e.g. the Powerpuff Girls), TV/movie themed lanterns (e.g. Stranger Things, Star Wars), and more. People also had fun with illuminated hats and clothing. Our friends made some awesome pineapple (very popular) and Kirby (Nintendo character) lanterns. To me, the parade was sort of like the Dragon Con parade, but with lanterns. You just had no idea what to expect. The creations ran the gamut and that's most of the fun of the parade in my opinion. Most lanterns appeared to be made of paper and illuminated with battery-operated lights. Both sides of the Eastside Trail were packed with spectators, especially around major BeltLine access points such as Ponce City Market and Piedmont Park. There was a concert going on at Piedmont Park afterwards. There were also porta potties located there. I valet parked at Two Urban Licks and after the parade ended (after 10:30pm), we walked back down the trail to the restaurant. By that time, the trail had mostly cleared of the masses. It was still busy, but not as packed and it was easy to walk in either direction. Note: If you take Uber or Lyft to the parade, be mindful of which side of the trail you want to be picked up or dropped off at. This can save you a lot of time since certain streets and intersections will be blocked off by the police. read more

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This is the 3rd year I believe, but my first time attending this. I brought along one of my littles too! So this starts once it gets dark out, so closer to 9 than 8, but it was on a weekend so no biggie! We got there early and found parking close to the beltline. The Beltline was lined with people with chairs, coolers, food and drinks, music, etc. You had a great representation of Atlanta -a true melting pot of people which was amazing. Once the parade started it went north on the beltline from Krog Street Market past Ponce City Market. The latterns were all so creative and fun. You had giant dancing onces as well as a ninja holding the smallest little one ever. You had kids walking with latterns and grandparents dancing to the music. GREAT EVENT! read more

WHAT A FANTASTIC EVENT!!! My expectations were blown away by the sheer amount of participants. I thought it would be a modest amount of people, but this things was HUGE! Lanterns of all shapes, sizes and colors... some were super creative. The most creative always seemed to get a huge roar of cheers from the approving crowds as they passed. My favorite part of the parade were the bands proceeding every wave of lanterns. Many were playing music that had a New Orleans vibe. Probably because Hurricane Katrina drove many NOLA residents to Atlanta, to which they now call home. If you've ever been on Bourbon Street in New Orleans at night and heard the music and felt the excitement of the crowds, this felt a lot like that! We were so pleased to see & hear a second wave in the distance after the first wave had already passed. We thought it was over, not realizing there were still many more waves of participants to come! The parade began at the Atlanta Beltline near Krog Market, so we perched ourselves a little further downstream (near Parish restaurant). Many people had been camping out for hours, lining the Beltline with portable chairs and coolers. The crowds were amazingly friendly and a wonderful feel of comradery filled the atmosphere. The first wave began with a lead vehicle clearing the path followed by an amazing band. The first wave was so large that if that had been all there was, it would still have been great. However three more waves of lantern participants came after, each with a few show-stopping creative designs. It was a real privilege to experience this community event, designed to highlight art along the Atlanta Beltline. FINAL THOUGHTS I was raised in a big city (Chicago), but since moving to Georgia I have only lived in the quietness of the northern suburbs. For two decades now I have loved our quiet life in Gwinnett County, but the work Atlanta has done to make this a destination city is drawing my attention. I find myself wanting to own property here. Life surrounding the Atlanta Beltline in areas like Inman Park, Cabbagetown and Old Fourth Ward have a vibrancy and excitement that is undeniable. There is a culture here that is missing from the burbs. We've been visiting the inner city more and more often as of late, unable to get enough of the soul stirring stimulation from all the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Atlanta. The family and I will definitely be back for next years parade, maybe even as participants. Better start designing our lanterns now, because I wanna show up and show out! 2017/132 read more

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Fell in love with this place instantly. You can workout, enjoy art, listen to music, eat and drink. Lots of people but it didn't feel overly crowded. read more

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Atlanta loves an excuse to get together outside in crowds. Seriously, whether it's the Dogwood Festival, Inman Park Festival, Summer Shade, SummerFest, Chomp & Stomp, Kirkwood's "Beers and BreastsFest" (one of these may or may not only exist in my imagination), ATLiens love to stand outside. I don't really know why; it's hot out there. Seriously, the only town with more festivals and events than Atlanta is Stars Hollow. But I'm old and surly. I used to be fun once and I used to like to, uh, stand outdoors. Which brings us to the Beltline Lantern Parade. The Beltline Parade's been around since 2010, preceding even most of the concrete of the Eastside Trail. When it first started, it was pretty small, numbering in the several dozen. Four years later, it's over 10,000 participants (and growing.) Even surly guys like me can see the appeal. First, it's held in the Fall, so no brutal heat. Second, it starts at night, so again, no brutal heat. (At last, an outdoor event I can get behind!) The name is pretty self-explanatory, but if you need the help, here goes. Thousands of people line up on the Eastside Trail, bearing lanterns of all shapes and sizes (some bought, many homemade, several elaborate, and me, with a $4 flashlight I bought at Kroger.) And they parade. They party. It's a fun, raucous event, but it's not exactly Mardi Gras. You can string light sticks on your kid's stroller and roll that along too. I can't wait until they finish the Beltline so we can include even more people. Then again, by the time they finish the Beltline, my kid will be pushing my decrepit ass along in my own stroller. Oof. read more

While there are a few lantern parades around Atlanta, the Beltline Lantern Parade was my first introduction to these awesome events. As the name suggests-- it does involve lanterns and follows along the Beltline starting at Krog and ending in Piedmont Park and has been around since 2010. It acts a bit as an art installation bringing people together to light up the night. Much of Krog toward Piedmont is heavily covered in art from graffiti to elaborate murals to sculptures all showing the beat of Atlanta and how creative the community can really be. The event is pretty big. At least the one here and gathers thousands of people both participating and just watching the festivities. It's essentially a lit up parade. Despite it not seemingly having any sort of ties to old folk tales or religion it's cool to see so many people just enjoying a fun thing and it's informal enough that anyone of any age can also join in with their own lantern. So you'll see a lot of different lanterns with all sorts of themes and styles. Huge moving lit up dragons to horses and skulls. Some eerie and some beautiful and some just kinda your standard everyday lantern you'd get from Target or Ikea. There is no discrimination on lantern etiquette. My favorite are the jellyfish style lanterns and the ones that always mimic plants, but there are really so many. We decided to sit at PCM and wait for the walkers to come through. The place was super packed and I'm sure the area made a killing in sales. If you're not into waiting in lines or want to avoid the crowds at the food vendors you're welcome to bring a cooler and chairs. A lot of people also brought blankets to sit right beside the Beltline, but be aware people are going to be coming and going-- both lantern walkers and attendees. The event is essentially free to see, and free to join in as long as you have a lantern or want to show off your cool lit up outfits or the like. Parking can be a pain. So get there early before it starts to find a good spot and enjoy the atmosphere. read more

A walk in the dark with all your closest neighbors from the metro area! Paper lanterns and other creative items of illumination lit our path from Krog Street Market to Piedmont Park. Marching bands kept the spirits high and our own local celeb - Baton Bob was in great form too! read more

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This was such a wonderful enlightening event. This was my first year attending and to see such a wonderful turnout to such a beautifully creative event was astounding. Every year going forward I will be in attendance. read more

What fun! This was my first year really observing. Last year, I just happened to be dining at a restaurant near the BeltLine and saw some of the action. The lights were lovely. This year, I went out with some friends to watch the whole thing. We were a bit late so it was kind of mad by the time we got there. We got separated from each other and it was hard to find a good spot to view, especially since I am so short. People were still trying to walk toward KSM as the parade was coming up the BeltLine. Sheesh. I was really impressed by the creativity of the lanterns. This has really become a huge deal and people put alot of time into their work. Thank you, artists! As the parade ends, people tend to join in. Since I live off the BeltLine in the direction that the parade goes, I did so. I didn't want to take the long way home. Looking forward to viewing again next year! read more