Eye Lantern Parade is a biannual community procession in Eye village, developed in response to local stories, winter traditions and shared memories of gathering in the dark months.

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For many Peterborians of the recent past, Christmas began when George and Christine Drake’s family on Thorney Road switched on their extraordinary house and garden lights. From 1986 through to the early 2000s, the display grew year on year — a sprawling festive landmark that drew visitors from across the region and raised many thousands of pounds for local charities. Locals still joke that people return each winter, half-expecting the lights to come back on.

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In 2022, Eye Lantern Parade brought this spirit of collective winter gathering back into the village. Over 1,000 local residents and groups came together across a series of public workshops and the final procession, making and carrying around 150 hand-held lanterns. Groups involved included Eye Women’s Institute, Eye Primary School, Eye Youth Group, Rainbows, Brownies and Guides, residents at The Spinney, Froglife, EAPS, Bright Lights, alongside many local residents. On the night, the parade was led by La Septima, with performances from Bright Lights Theatre Company, Pig Dyke Molly dancers and EAPS, as the village moved together in a shared winter celebration.

In 2024, the parade returned to Eye. Despite heavy rain and cold conditions, around 400 people walked in the procession with approximately 300 handmade lanterns, many made in workshops or with groups including Eye Primary School, St Matthew’s Church, the Brownies, Guides and Rainbows. Some participants returned with lanterns originally made in 2022, now brought back into the procession. Lanterns ranged from T-Rexes and SpongeBob SquarePants to scissors and trains.

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Around 400 additional people watched from pavements, gardens and upstairs windows, waving and cheering as the parade passed through the village.

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Light Whale International (formerly La Septima) worked with the village to develop the narrative, characters and large-scale lantern structures at the heart of the parade, drawing on stories and memories from Eye’s working-class history and local industry. This included a mobile tandem “train” that moved through the streets with smoke, and a large Eye Monster that had to be fed bricks.

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The 2024 parade also welcomed back Pig Dyke Molly dancers and Bright Lights, alongside Box of Frogs providing drumming, and Peterborough United Rugby players who helped pull the Eye Monster along the route.

The project was made with thanks to all the participants, volunteers, groups and venues involved — from those who made and carried lanterns in wet conditions, to those who lent trailers, tractors and tandems, and those who helped hold the parade together behind the scenes.