'Take It To The River' Lantern Parade On April 21 (ICYMI)

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — The popular event that lights up Sandy Springs and the Chattahoochee River is just days away. The third annual Take it to the River Lantern Parade will return this year on a new date: Saturday, April 21.

Visitors and residents with a creative streak will illuminate Morgan Falls Overlook Park and the river with whimsical, beautifully-lit lanterns. Before the celebration culminates in the lighting, a Lantern Parade will begin at 8:30 p.m. at Steel Canyon Golf Club.

Marchers will proceed down Morgan Falls Road to the park where at around 9:15 p.m., paddlers from High Country Outfitters will take to the river to animate the floating lanterns. In addition to this riverfront display, guests will also enjoy live performances and tasty treats.

This year, a special spinoff event will be added that includes a lantern workshop and a miniature parade for 50 to 100 patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The CHOA event is set for 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 5, and serves as an opportunity for patients and their families to have a hand in creating these luminous pieces of art.

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“The Lantern Parade is a glowing procession of light, music, color, and whimsy, which naturally inspires the imagination," said Jennifer Cruce, director of Visit Sandy Springs. "Having seen the positive response from past attendees, the event organizers decided that hosting a special event for CHOA patients was the natural next step. We’re excited for these kids, who are working so hard on getting well, to have a chance to enjoy the creativity and magic that are part of this event."

A brand new floating lantern, a long-legged coastal heron, will join the alligator, swans, frog, turtles and lilies as they light up the river. These lanterns will be the stars of the show during the river portion of the event to make the night even brighter.

“Taking our imaginations to the river is what I think about when dreaming up new feature lanterns for the parade," parade producer Chantelle Rytter said. "It is such fun to make the fantastical real for an evening. I think of the collection of river lanterns as a family of magical creatures that visit us one night a year in this one special place."

Some of the unique creatures you’ll see at Morgan Falls include:

• Great Blue Herons: These large, solitary, and stoic birds are a familiar sight at the river and a favorite of the parade.
• Dragonflies: Associated with joy, agility and lightness of being, these fanciful creatures are attributes worthy of magical enlargement!
• Sandy: The big iconic mama turtle, named for Sandy Springs, leads her baby lantern hatchlings to the river.
• Spotted Georgia Kissyfish: Have you ever been floating in the water while in a Georgia lake, all relaxed and then felt fish lips touch you? Almost like a nibble. It’s just a Kissyfish.

If you need a little help in creating your beautiful masterpiece, Rytter will host a series of workshops April 14-15 at North Springs United Methodist Church at 7770 Roswell Road. Registration for those workshops will open Saturday, March 17. The cost of the workshops will cover all materials, instructions and tools for participants. More information on the workshop costs and registration can be found here.

Please note that if you want to walk in the parade, you should arrive at the Steel Canyon Golf Club at 7:30 p.m. April 21. Parking will be available at:

• Former WorldPay building, 600 Morgan Falls Road, Suite 260
• North Springs United Methodist Church, 7770 Roswell Road
• Sandy Springs City Hall, 7840 Roswell Road

For additional information about the parade and workshop registration, visit the event website. Be sure to showcase your artwork on Instagram by using #TakeItToTheRiver and #LanternParade.

Image via Steve Eberhardt