Lighting way for Huon festival

THE Burning Man lantern parade, leading to the burning a 6-metre tall effigy, will light the way for tonight’s opening of the three-day Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival.

Festival director Sam Reid said the warmth of the human spirit, along with fireside feasting, music, theatre and storytelling, would be celebrated at the festival which pumps more than a $1 million into the economy.

The festival starts at 5pm, with the lantern parade starting at 7pm.

Willie Smith’s Apple Shed will be transformed by the more than 15,000 people expected to embrace the Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival enjoying the largest wassail, a traditional ceremony, in the southern hemisphere and the inaugural First Nations’ storytelling.

The festival, based around the wassail tomorrow night, is a tradition from the West Country in England and is said to wake-up the dormant apple trees and ward-off evil spirits to encourage a bumper harvest.

“We have less than 30 weekend passes left for sale and we’re expecting more than 15,000 people will enjoy our unique three-day festival,” Mr Reid said. “Our event is quirky and colourful and we are so thrilled that people are embracing what we put together to come out in the cold and dark and help make this event such a success.”

Tonight includes the inaugural Tasmanian Aboriginal storytelling and First Nations artists featuring singer-songwriter Frank Yamma and acclaimed Tasmanian Aboriginal folktronica artist Denni Proctor.

Headlining the Blundstone stage is Melbourne-based Celt folk-punk band The Ramshackle Army.

Tomorrow will be the wassail procession led by the Jolley Hatters Morris dancers, a huge bonfire, a share of $1800 in prizemoney for the best-dressed pagan offering and the second-annual storytellers cup with $400 in prizemoney on offer.