Ashbourne’s Lantern Festival takes over the town centre on Friday 4 December 2026 from 5pm to 8.30pm. The parade at 6.30pm is a half-mile procession of candle-lit paper and willow lanterns – old favourites such as the owl, the polar bear, the dragon and the giant gingerbread men, plus new arrivals for 2026.

It is a free event (donations welcome). Street entertainment fills the evening, with a son-et-lumière show after the parade, late-opening shops and street food and market stalls.

Roads close at 5pm, so the organisers recommend walking or public transport, or being parked by 4pm.