LIKE MATHEW Street at the weekend, Halloween is all about the darkest elements of the universe: night terrors, restless spirits and mischief running amok.
As surely as day follows night, then, some beams of light must eventually fall.
Step in Liverpool Lantern Carnival which takes place tomorrow, November 1, on a weekend forecast to be the hottest Halloween for a hundred years, or something.
They say: Bring a lantern. We say: Bring hotpants. Go for a bevvie down Lark Lane afterwards. Whatever, it's Saturday, it's Scorpio Season.
Since the inaugural event in 2006, tens of thousands of people - spectators and performers - have been drawn, moth-like, to this illuminated visual theatre. It's all homegrown talent, too, conceived and produced by the Lark Lane based Liverpool Lantern Company whose talents have earned them gigs around the world, including Hong Kong where they aren't easily impressed.
This weekend's Sefton Park parade isn't just one for the kids, there's plenty of gawk-worthy stuff for the teens and adults too.
Over 2,000 spectators will carry their lanterns and form a moving river of light. Giant puppets, kinetic floats, pyrotechnics and sculptures will light up the night sky as the performance snakes through the park in the dark.
Visitors will be transported into an imaginary parallel world of mischievous artistry and breathtaking beauty that will dazzle and enchant spectators, it says here.
They don't give much away about the theme of the event until you actually show up, but previous Lantern Carnivals have featured impressive sculptural bonfires, glowing giant puppets, hundreds of costumed characters and illuminated sculptures which come together to create visual storytelling on a huge scale.
Jo Pocock, artistic director of the Halloween Lantern Carnival, said:
“The Lantern Company is now in its 12th year and the work has
developed hugely over that time, taking us to many other cities and countries, however the Halloween Carnival is definitely the highlight of the year for us. We are really excited to be collaborating once again with pyrotechnics company, And Now, to create a spectacular finale to the event.”
Lantern Carnival, Sefton Park, L17, Saturday November 1, 6pm meeting at the obelisk near Ullet Road/Croxteth Drive.
