One of the East Gippsland Winter Festival’s flagship events, Lakes Lights, will return this Saturday, July 4, with thousands of visitors and locals expected to descend on Lakes Entrance for a magical night of illumination.
Widely regarded as one of the region’s favourite family-friendly winter spectacles, the event will see crowds participate in a vibrant lantern parade featuring handmade creations, before marveling at large-scale illuminated masterpieces across the iconic footbridge.
Local artists have worked tirelessly to design and construct this year’s stunning light installations, centered around the theme Gardens of the Galaxy. Attendees will step into a glowing wonderland on the foreshore, featuring enclaves of giant artist-made lanterns, projection art, custom soundscapes, and roving performers, including the popular Sea Hags.
The gathering point for the lantern parade is the Lakes Entrance Slipway. From 5pm, crowds can gather to “sing the sun down” with live music from Harry Hook is Real, before the parade officially gets underway at 6pm.
For the first time, a small ticket price has been introduced to help cover the significant costs of running the community event and employing local creatives. Tickets are $5 per person, with children aged two and under admitted free.
To help manage crowd flow and ensure an enjoyable experience for all attendees, allocated time slots have been introduced to cross the footbridge. Limited tickets are available for each 30-minute entry window, though once attendees cross the footbridge, they are welcome to stay and explore for as long as they like.
Local traders will be out in full force, with restaurants, cafes, bars, takeaway venues, and food trucks open to feed the winter crowds. Many frontline retailers will also keep their doors open late into the night to showcase local retail offerings to the thousands of visitors.
A range of local food stalls will line the foreshore near the Rotunda, where regional musician Misty Harlowe and her band will perform live from 5pm to 8pm, alongside crackling fire pits to keep patrons warm.
For those looking for prime viewing, a premium VIP Experience is available. The Lakes Lights VIP Pass offers exclusive early access to the installations prior to the parade, a welcome drink, finger food catered by Albert & Co, and elevated views of the entire lantern display from the Lakes Entrance Surf Life Saving Club balcony.
For full ticketing details, entry slot bookings, and a complete line-up of upcoming regional events, visit the official East Gippsland Winter Festival website.
hand from their grandmother Jenny Robertson to make some lanterns at the Slipway on Monday.
