Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade Returns Bigger and Brighter for 2026

Friday, September 18th, 2026

The Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade, presented by Atlanta Beltline Art, returns Saturday, Sept. 19, with an expanded celebration featuring a longer route, more pre-parade family programming and additional art and community activations along the Southwest Trail.

Led by parade creator Chantelle Rytter and the Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons, the 16th iteration of the beloved Atlanta tradition will once again bring together giant illuminated puppets, marching bands and thousands of lantern-carrying Atlantans.

“The Lantern Parade reflects something fundamental about the Atlanta Beltline. Our goal has never simply been to build a trail,” said Clyde Higgs, Atlanta Beltline’s President and CEO. “We are helping create the physical and civic infrastructure that brings people together and gives communities new ways to connect with one another and with their city. For 16 years, this event has shown what is possible when public space becomes a platform for creativity, participation and belonging.”

The parade was one of the first public art projects for the Beltline and set the tone for what arts and culture could look like as a tool for community engagement and activation. The parade has since grown with the Beltline. What began as a few hundred gathering with their handmade lanterns on the Beltline’s first completed stretch has now expanded into the thousands. As segments of the 22-mile trail have continued to be laid, the Lantern Parade has marched along.

More Light, More Art, More Ways to Participate

This year’s parade route stretches nearly a half mile longer than in previous years. The procession will begin near Beulah Colbert Park (formerly Adair Park II) before traveling along neighborhood streets and onto the Atlanta Beltline Southwest Trail, ultimately concluding at Lee + White with the signature All-Band Puppet Jam finale. Participating bands include Atlanta Freedom Bands, Black Sheep Ensemble, Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective and the Seed & Feed Marching Abominables.

Along the way, attendees will encounter additional activity at multiple points along and around the route, including activation stations by neighborhood, community and civic groups. Participating groups include: Atlanta Fire Rescue Foundation, The Wrens Nest, Latino Community Fund (LCF Georgia) and Atlanta Freedom Bands.

Atlanta Beltline Marketplace at Allene, part of the Beltline’s small business incubator program, will also be open throughout the evening.

New artist activations will illuminate the route with pop-up performances and temporary installations centered on light-based works, extending the experience beyond the lanterns and giant puppets moving through the parade.

“I think the Lantern Parade cracked something open for a lot of us,” said Rytter, who brought the idea for the parade to the Beltline after missing the immersive, community-driven parade culture from her previous home, New Orleans. “It made the idea of public art feel different. Less precious, less gatekept. Suddenly, you didn’t need permission to engage with public space in a creative way. You just needed a lantern and the willingness to show up. It stopped being about just “making a thing” and became about “making a moment,” a memory, a shared experience. That kind of thinking has spilled over into murals, installations, performances. You can feel it all over the city now.”

Make a Lantern. Join the Parade.

Community participation has been at the heart of the Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade since its debut in 2010. Everyone is invited to become part of the art by creating a lantern and walking in the parade or gathering along the route to watch the festivities unfold.

Leading up to Sept. 19, Rytter and the Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons will host lantern-making opportunities for those looking for inspiration and guidance. At-home lantern-making resources are also available for participants who want to create their own designs. Trees Atlanta will also host a parade-day "procrastination station.”

Kids Get an Early Start at Pittsburgh Yards
Before the main event, families are invited to the Atlanta Beltline Kids Lantern Parade, presented by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, at Pittsburgh Yards® from 4 to 7 p.m.

The Kids Lantern Parade begins at 4:30 p.m. and will be accompanied by an afternoon of family-friendly activities, including music from DJ Willy WOW!; face painting and balloon twisting by Color Me Happy Academy; performances by Atlanta Drum Academy; a calm corner designed by JCole Advocacy, a nonprofit supporting neurodivergent individuals and their families; and a lantern-making station with The Happy Black Parent that begins at 2 p.m. as part of the Pittsburgh Community Market. The Atlanta Beltline Indie Market Experience will also be happening at the Atlanta Beltline Marketplace @ Pittsburgh Yards® from 12-7 p.m.

Stay abreast of Lantern Parade updates and other Atlanta Beltline Art announcements and events at Beltline.org/art, or follow on social media @atlantabeltline and with #BeltlineArt.

2026 Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade at a Glance

Atlanta Beltline Kids Lantern Parade
Saturday, Sept. 19, 4-7 p.m.
Pittsburgh Yards®

Kids Lantern Parade begins at 4:30 p.m.

Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade
Saturday, Sept. 19, 7:15-10 p.m.
Southwest Trail, Beginning at Beulah Colbert Park and ending at Lee + White

Line-up begins at 7:15 p.m., Parade steps off at 8 p.m.
All-Band-Puppet-Jam and finale: Approximately 9-10 p.m.

Alternative transportation is strongly encouraged. Additional information about MARTA access, parking, road closures and other event-day transportation options will be available at beltline.org/art/lantern-parade/. Participants must have a lantern to walk in the parade. Pets are not permitted on the parade route, and flying lanterns and drones are prohibited.