WHAT IS...
Solstice
Lantern Walk?
Solstice Lantern Walk is an annual, winter-themed event, celebrating creativity and community. For Hillsborough, NC, it's become a tradition to gather and usher in the colder, darker months together.
Participants are asked to craft a handmade lantern before the event and join at Hillsborough's Farmers Market Pavilion (144 E Margaret Ln) on the darkest night of the year. Click here for Solstice Lantern Resources.
After sundown, we follow a procession along Hillsborough's Riverwalk with lanterns lighting our collective path towards warmer, brighter days ahead.
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We're thrilled to announce that, with generous support from Hillsborough's Tourism Board, Solstice Lantern Walk now features a Solstice Market, showcasing a select number of local artists, live music, hot drinks, warm food, and more to be enjoyed before and after the walk. Stay tuned for our 2023 Solstice Market Artist Application, coming Nov. 1!
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Once the walk and market come to a close, we encourage visitors to support local businesses through the winter season.
Hillsborough’s Lantern Walk joins countless other solstice observations around the world and throughout history. Thousands flock to Stonehenge to watch the sun rise with exquisite precision through the towering megaliths. Iranians observe Yalda, an ancient Persian festival marking the power of light over darkness, by staying awake past midnight, reading poetry, and eating dried nuts and fruits. Some Native American tribes perform rituals to honor the sun and invoke agricultural prosperity for the coming spring. Solstice rituals underscore that all things are passing — no matter how dark things may get, brighter days are ahead.
Bridget Booher
Our State Magazine, 2020
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Photos & Videos
Click to enlarge.
2022 event photography courtesy of Drone Data and Film. Thank you, Jim!
2022 event photography courtesy of Yuma Kobayashi.
2022 Aerial Views
2022 footage courtesy of @Durham_Cool!
2022 footage courtesy of Triangle on the Cheap!
Side-by-Side, 2019 to 2022
2019 Photo Credit: If you took this photo, let us know. We'd love to credit you.
2022 Photo Credit: Drone Data and Film
2022 Moon Man Mini Doc
Edited and directed by Zola Ramirez & Sol Ramirez of 1,2,3 Puppetry.
2022 Long Exposure Magic
Credit: Drone Data and Film
Credit: Drone Data and Film
Credit: Drone Data and Film
Credit: Drone Data and Film
Have photos you'd like to share to be added to this page?
Email us to share your 2022 Solstice Photos. Please sure to include your name for photo credit!
A Look Back at 2021