The streets of Ulverston will light up bright tonight, as the Lantern procession comes to town.

This year, the theme is ‘Story Time’, so we can expect to see all sorts of heroes, villains and mythical creatures.

Lantern carriers will assemble at Ulverston Parish Church, Croftlands Community Centre, the Auction Mart and Ellie’s Garden Centre from 6:45pm.

The parade will begin between 7:15pm and 7:35pm, weaving through the streets to arrive in County Square at 8pm before heading off to Ford Park for the firework finale.

The town centre will be closed to traffic for three hours to ensure the safety of the crowds, from 7pm to 10pm.

Chair of the Lantern Festival, Chris Nelson said: “We are all set for a fantastic festival once again this year.  There has been a huge response from people in Ulverston who have literally been queueing up to make Lanterns in the Coronation Hall workshops and the Story Time theme seems to have really fired imaginations.  We are expecting up to 1000 people in the processions, and more than 8,000 people packing into Ulverston to enjoy the event.

“The festival is the biggest of its kind in Europe and attracts people from all over the country. It has an even higher profile having been featured on Channel 5 over the past few months, and we are already getting people asking for the date in 2025 so they can book accommodation.

“It is a true community event – self funding and run entirely by volunteers and relies on donations and kit sales to raise the £10,000 needed to run the event each year.”