Let there be light
PLANS are being tentatively put in place to sprinkle the town with some extra festive magic over the Christmas shopping season, as traders cross their fingers that the new lockdown will ease in time for a shopping bonanza.
Ashbourne Festival has devised a way to bring back the annual magic of the celebrated lantern procession, which sees adults and children carry candle-lit, hand-made lanterns through the town in one long parade.
The event, usually a curtainraiser for the Late Night Shopping event, cannot go ahead this year but the committee behind the festival has been working with traders to ensure its spirit could live on during an uncertain festive run-up.
It is hoped that, should the new lockdown starting this week ease in time, the town could enjoy a lantern “trail”, with a line of static lanterns providing a backdrop ackdrop to a Covid-safe -safe treasure hunt unt for families to o enjoy.
A spokesman for Ashbourne Fes t ival said: “In recent years one highlight of f Ashbourne’s e’s Christmas celebrations has s been the late shopping i night i ht with ith the very popular procession of paper lanterns made by local children and adults.
We have an alternative to attract shoppers during the Christmas period while keeping people safe from Covid Spokesman
“In the m more unce certain times tim of 2020 2020, this procession cannot happen, but b working i with ith l local traders, Ashbourne Festival has come up with an alternative to attract shoppers and visitors during the Christmas shopping period without compromising the Covid-19 regulations. It is planned to have a trail of the 25 static lanterns, including the best from recent years and some new ones.
“There will be a treasure hunt for young people based on the idea of an advent calendar using clues that are associated with the design of the lanterns.
“The larger lanterns will be in Victoria Square and the Market Place with the rest being placed around the town centre.
“The lantern virtual advent calendar will have a variety of clues aimed at under-10-yearolds, not all Christmas related, which will be available as printed copies and online.”
The organisers hope to have prizes available for anyone who can solve all 25 clues and the festival website will run a competition for the best photograph taken.
Retailers and business owners will be able to join in by dressing their windows with an advent calendar theme in time for the lantern trail, which would be set up over two Sundays in December.
The spokesman said: “Of course, everything depends on the state of the Covid-19 lockdown then but Ashbourne Festival and local traders are optimistically hoping that the event can happen to support Ashbourne this Christmas.”