A lantern lit solstice

THE crisp winter chill was not going to stop locals and visitors from embracing the winter solstice at last Saturday night's Mansfield Lantern Festival drawing a record crowd according to organisers. Festival founder and organiser Ali Walker in partnership with the Mansfield Shire was ecstatic about the success of the evening. "I reckon that there has to be about 4000 people here with it being the biggest crowd since the first lantern festival in 2015," Ms Walker said. The success of the event was made possible with the sponsorship of the Bendigo Bank and AusNet for which she was extremely grateful. Ms Walker agreed the event had gone from "strength to strength" each year. "People like the idea of a winter festival. "Parents can bring the kids early for the procession, grab something to eat and drink, and still go home early," she said. The best aspect of the festival for Ms Walker is "seeing everyone enjoying themselves". Another important part of the festival was the involvement of community groups such as the Men's Shed, Mansfield Primary School and the local pony club being able to run fundraisers on the night. There was plenty of free entertainment with roving street performers, a DJ spinning vinyls to dance to and dramatic fire twirling act. This year’s solstice celebration wasn’t just confined to town. A new “Stirlstice” event was also held atop Mt Stirling on Saturday night, offering a smaller, alpine-style gathering to mark the winter solstice in a spectacular mountain setting. The energy continues this weekend, with Mt Buller hosting a new mid-winter celebration on Saturday 28 June. The family-friendly evening will feature hands-on snowflake-making at 5pm, a twilight walk led by LED-lit performer Karina, and a spectacular fire show from 7.15pm. Visitors can toast marshmallows and enjoy storytelling under the stars to close out the magical alpine event. The event marks the ramp-up of resort operations ahead of the school holidays and will feature some of the same performers who brought the magic to Mansfield. It’s part of a broader effort to extend the solstice spirit from town into the surrounding mountains, showcasing regional collaboration and winter creativity across the high country.

A lantern lit solstice

A lantern lit solstice

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