A sea of vibrant lanterns lit up the streets of Port Kembla for a much-loved annual parade on Wednesday night.
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In its third year, the Winter Lantern Parade organised by Our Community Project and Port Kembla Public School, saw its biggest turn out yet.
Port Kembla Public School student Pippa Hancock, 9, was among the swarm of students excited to take the street once again to show off her lantern alongside her friends.
"The lantern was so fun to make, now I get to march with it," Pippa said, who has marched in previous years.
Honora Jenkins, of Kind Art Ed, helped students create their lanterns ahead of the parade, and said it gave families a sense of connectedness to the event.
"Our Community Project has been doing winter feasts for quite some time, and we thought we would actually do something where children were invested in the event," she said.
"I did a couple of sessions with teachers and students on lantern making, and now every single child at Port Kembla Public School has made a lantern for this event. It creates such a wonderful energy and it makes families feels an ownership and connectedness to event."
Ahead of the march, families enjoyed music, hot soup served up by Port Kembla Public School P&C members, and stories from Wollongong poet Lillian Rodrigues-Pang.
Ms Jenkins, sporting her light-up butterfly wings, led the pack of students along with drummers Damian Sterling and Matt Bourne, from The Servo Bar and Food Truck to Port Kembla Public School.
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
