Remember lost loved ones at park lantern parade
People are encouraged to contribute to a commemorative lantern parade held in a park.
The Festival of the Dead parade, organised by the University of Bradford in collaboration with Cecil Green Arts, Bradford Death Cafe and Kynd, will be at Northcliffe Park, Shipley, on Sunday 16 November from 17:00 to 19:30.
A series of weekly workshops at City Library, Bradford, held in the run-up to the event, will see people make their own paper lantern to remember their loved ones, which will become part of the parade.
Professor Karina Croucher, Professor of Archaeology, Heritage and Wellbeing at the University of Bradford, said: “It is really important that we have the space to talk about death, dying, bereavement and loss, and that we can also celebrate life and value the impact that those who have gone before us have had on our lives.
“We see from archaeology and the past that people celebrated their dead and kept them in their memories.
“We want to create a space where people in Bradford can remember, share and celebrate together.”
Professor Karina Croucher, Professor of Archaeology, Heritage and Wellbeing at the University of Bradford. Images credit: Cecil Green Arts and University of Bradford
Festival of the Dead workshops
Workshops will be every Wednesday from 8 October to November 5 in the Carnegie Room at City Library, Centenary Square, Bradford, from 16:45 to 18:45, and New Church, Ashfield Avenue, Shipley, every Wednesday between 12:30 and 14:30 from 8 October to November 12, apart from 29 October.
The free weekly sessions will be a safe and open space to talk about death and reflect on how we remember, honour and celebrate those who have died. The workshops will look at how death is commemorated through time and around the world, traditions and customs within participants’ own culture and creative ways of remembering and celebrating life.
Go to Festival of the Dead workshops website to book a place for the City Library workshops or text 07486 318626 to book a place for the New Church workshops. Advanced booking for the workshops is essential, with participants required to attend all five weekly sessions.
Further workshops, run with community groups Community Works and WomenZone.
Participants will be part of the parade and invited to bring family and friends with them.
More on the Festival of the Dead parade
People who attend Bradford’s first Festival of the Dead parade, which starts at Northcliffe Park’s Cliff Wood Avenue entrance at 17:00 on November 16, will be asked to bring with them a lantern or candle, an object to help them remember a loved one and their memories of those who have died.
The parade, open to the public, ends just past the end of the track which starts at the Cliff Wood Avenue entrance. There will be an altar to place the lanterns and objects, which participants can take with them after the parade.
Music and refreshments will be available to help celebrate the lives of those remembered.
As a strategic partner of Bradford 2025, Festival of the Dead is part of the University’s own programme of activities, events and research that will contribute to Bradford’s year as the UK’s City of Culture.
The Festival of the Dead supports the University of Bradford’s goal to be a university that makes a positive difference in people’s lives. It brings together local communities, encourages creativity, and gives people a safe space to talk about important topics like grief and remembrance. By working with different groups and offering free workshops, the university is showing its commitment to wellbeing, inclusion, and being a caring and connected part of the city.