Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade has postponed its annual event due to a Bristol City FC match being scheduled for the same day. The club's 2-1 away win against Swansea means they will now play West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, January 28 in the FA Cup, the same day the lantern parade was scheduled for.
Thousands of football fans are expected to descend on South Bristol for a 3pm kick-off, with the parade originally set for 5pm just as it starts to get dark. Organisers of the annual event, which is in its 11th year this year, have postponed the parade by a week for Saturday, February 4.
In a statement, the parade organisers said: "Due to Bristol City FC's win over Swansea, they will now play West Bromwich Albion on Saturday 28 January, kick off at 3pm, with an expected crowd of 16-19,000. This means that we will be unable to run the Lantern Parade on that date. We will therefore be re-scheduling to Saturday 4 February."
Read more: Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade 2023 in need of vital donations to fund celebrations
Last week, the official countdown for the parade was marked by the raising of the flag above the Tobacco Factory building on North Street led by local MP Karin Smyth and community pharmacist and known Bedminster figure, Ade Williams. The pair met Ashton Gate Primary School students who are one of the many schools getting creative and preparing to march through the BS3 area with their very own hand-made lanterns.
The annual Winter Lantern Parade will start from its usual spot outside St. Francis Church and end at Compass Point School. The Ambling Band, Bristol Samba Band and Bright Sounds will kick off the parade, marching the streets with notable lantern shapes for this year including a caterpillar, a butterfly and a boat.
2023 signifies 11 years of celebrating community and championing local schools and community groups in BS3. The parade is non-profit community project run in Bedminster and works with schools, residents and businesses over three months in the autumn to build thousands of lanterns for the annual party.
Approximately 5,000 visitors are expected to watch the parade made up of ten local schools and a community of loyal volunteers.
Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade will take place on Saturday, February 4 from around 5pm
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