Kendal Torchlight Festival is a much loved event in the Kendal calendar for locals and visitors, each year our streets come to life with a vibrant carnival.

Due to Covid 19 restrictions, the plans for the special 50th Kendal Torchlight Gathering will be postponed until next year and the annual procession and street party will not be going ahead in its usual form. However, the organisers are happy to announce there will still be a Kendal Torchlight 2020 Celebration.

Torchlight 2020 aims to lift spirits and help boost our economy and social life, while ensuring support for the health and safety of the team, families and our community.

The Torchlight Organisers would be very pleased to hear from you if you can commit some time and creativity now to make 2020 a very special celebration of all things Kendal and Torchlight.

Torchlight 2020 will be a virtual Carnival and the Creative Crew will soon be sharing videos online with showing you how to get involved:

• Design posters to illustrate the Torchlight theme of Think Global & Act Local
• Do some cutting and sticking to make collages to tell a story on the Torchlight theme
• Make flags, banners and bunting that we will use to decorate our communities and town
• Garden for Torchlight – sharing ideas of plants you can grow at home and harvest around the time of Torchlight
• Produce lanterns that you can put in your garden or windows
• Dig out pictures you, your parents or possibly grandparents may have from Torchlight since it started in 1970 – 50 years ago
• Share stories of floats or costumes you made with your work mates, community group or school over the years
• Make a special loud banging instrument or musical sound for the Thursday night NHS ‘thank you’ and then carry forward carnival music to September
• Write some poetry to celebrate what is special about our town and district
• Make some seed bags ready for next year
• Create some giant cardboard or scrap sculpture that we can display

Please make sure you follow the Torchlight Facebook page to keep in touch with all the ideas. Over the coming weeks, they will also be sharing live art and craft projects with local artist Lana from Love Arts.

Torchlight is looking for Torchbearers; individuals, companies or community groups who will sponsor the making of Fire Chariots that we will make over the summer and display around the town in the build-up and over Torchlight weekend.

Please contact Craig Russell directly if you would like to know more, they are also looking for ways to celebrate and get schools involved so please keep in touch craig@kendaltorchlight.co.uk