CARRABELLE, FLA. — Lantern Fest will be celebrated onSaturday, October 21 from 6-10 p.m. at Crooked River Lighthouse, 1975 Highway 98 West, Carrabelle Beach, Florida. This unique festival, best known for its display of over 100 colorful and handmade lanterns, lights up the night with magic and history at the 1895 maritime landmark. Admission for Lantern Fest is $5 for adults and $1 for children for an evening of music, dance, night tower climbs, glowing lanterns and food. 

Activities include: 

• Irish music by Killavil

• Tallahassee Community College (TCC) Dance Company Performances

• Special Evening Tower Climbs, Adult $5, Child $3 (must be 44 inches tall)

• Ancient crafts

• Stargazing with the Tallahassee Astronomical Society

• Children’s activities

• Glowing lantern display

• Museum and gift shop 

The talented Tallahassee Community College Dance Company will dazzle guests with an array of glow-in-the-dark stylings and mind-blowing illusions as they perform on the outdoor stage. This year they will perform before the sun sets. The TCC Dance Company has been inspiring creative dancers for 16 years and are annual performers at Lantern Fest.  

Also featured at this event will be the remarkably gifted Irish music trio Killavil. Don’t miss this award-winning group that has been a part of the Irish music scene all over the U.S. and abroad. They’ve kept a strong dedication to traditional Irish music and play Irish bouzouki, bodhran, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, flute and fiddle. They will be performing lively Irish tunes under the glow of over a hundred lanterns.

We are alternating the performances of dancers and music so that you can easily see both. The entertainment for this enchanting evening event will start sooner than prior years, so be sure to come early. It will be a dark, moonless night, so don’t forget to bring a chair and a lantern to comfortably enjoy the incredible music and dance performances all while under the glowing lanterns and the night sky.

Besides a great show of dance and music we will have a display of over a hundred colorful lanterns. Many of the lanterns in the park are handmade in our lantern making workshops. A special display for this year features lanterns made by over 50 students from the Apalachicola Bay Charter School, set up in the vintage washhouse to the right of the Keeper’s House. Also Eastpoint wood carver, Michael Dowling, will be set up as our “ancient crafts” demonstrator.  

A no-moon sky could mean some bright stars in the heavens and if it’s clear, the Tallahassee Astronomical Society will set up again with their high-powered telescopes at the Carrabelle Beach public pavilions from dark till 10:30 p.m. 

In addition to all this fabulous entertainment, guests can replenish themselves with tasty provisions and delicious homemade vittles. The mouth-watering menu includes jambalaya, red beans and rice as well as hot dogs, chips and drinks for sale by the Carrabelle Senior Center (famous for their fabulous Thursday lunches). And don’t miss out on delectable desserts and coffee at the Beacon Bistro. Come revel in this unique birthday party in honor of the 122nd birthday of the Crooked River Lighthouse.

For more information, visit their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/CrookedRiverLighthouse/  or contact (850) 697-2732 or carrabellelighthouse@gmail.com.