The Lantern Making Workshop was another installment of the ‘Street Museums’ project, a progamme working with  Durham University Museums to connect the former mining village of Blackhall with thousands of years of history in the university’s collection. 

On the 18th of January families in Blackhall gathered at Blackhall Community Centre. As it was the lead up to the lunar new year, the Street Museum and Blackhall team decided that it would be fun to lead a workshop creating lanterns. Chinese lanterns are hung to symbolise happiness and are believed to drive out any bad luck – pretty handy to have around in the new year! 

Families had the chance to make their own lanterns, learn more about the Lunar New Year from Durham University’s Oriental Museum team, and led a parade of the lanterns around Blackhall, spreading a little cheer to other residents, who stopped and took photos of this incredible parade that lit up the cold winter evening.

Thanks to Blackhall Community Centre, the Street Museum team, and volunteers for another incredible event, and a huge thank you to the families for getting involved and making the parade so special.