Events on
the BeltLine
The Art on the BeltLine Lantern
Parade lights up the night
Sponsored by AT&T
Photo: The 2014 Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade lights up the night. Jonathan Phillips
“To work is human, to play is divine.” So goes the motto of the Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons, a group of like-minded people from the Atlanta area that has staged such whimsical events as the Gnome March of the Inman Park Parade and the Gingerbread Trailer Park.
In 2010, the Krewe submitted to the Atlanta BeltLine staff a proposal for a lantern parade to be held on the then-unpaved Eastside Trail. Through a juried selection process, the Krewe’s proposal was accepted for the inaugural Art on the Atlanta BeltLine exhibition. Now in its sixth year, the Art on the Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade provides one of the best chances to see supporters turn out in force.
“The first year, it was a hard sell because no one believed the BeltLine was going to happen,” says Krewe captain Chantelle Rytter. On the night of the first parade, she recalls several hundred people tramping through the mud, dirt and waist-high weeds, as well as banding together to carry a wheelchair participant over particularly rough spots.
After the first parade, word quickly spread and the event grew exponentially. The 2012 event attracted 1,200 observers and participants, while the 2014 parade brought 20,000 to the Eastside Trail for the spectacle of thousands of handmade paper lanterns, LED lights and other glowing accouterments slowly making their way from Irwin Street to Piedmont Park.
“People are incredibly creative with their lanterns and make them from a whole host of items,” says Elan Buchen, project manager for Art on the Atlanta BeltLine. “They can be as simple as decorating a round paper lantern or as elaborate as building structures out of poles and tissue paper. Parents decorate their strollers, pet owners deck out their dogs, people wear light-up costumes and more.”
Insider tip
If you need to drive to the parade, BeltLine organizers recommend parking on the streets surrounding the Historic Fourth Ward Park or the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark. For those who don’t mind walking, the Inman Park/Reynoldstown MARTA station is about one mile from the trail’s Irwin Street entrance, while the Midtown station is accessible from Piedmont Park once the event is over.
Photo: Chantelle Rytter (left) instructs participants as they make lantern hats to prepare for the 2013 Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club in Little Five Points. Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com
Rytter says that the parade becomes more fun the more people participate. “It’s everybody’s art, it’s not some professional artists group that puts it on,” she says. “It’s a collaboration between 10,000 people.”
About five weeks prior to the parade, Rytter hosts lantern-making workshops for groups of 20 to 30 people at a time, at a location donated by someone in the community. (This year’s workshops will be held at Ponce City Market.) “It’s super fun for me to spend time with people building their lanterns,” says Rytter, who estimates the workshops draw about 500 people every year. “They give each other ideas, they make friends, everyone has so much to talk about at the parade.”
Buchen points out that for obvious safety reasons, fire and candles are not allowed in the parade. In addition to the existing myriad of lights, the Krewe also employs a fleet of 12- to 17-foot-tall puppets in the parade, while bands play music to pace the procession.
“The parade tends to bring out the best in people and, in our experience, everyone is happy, respectful and excited to be a part of something so special in their city,” Buchen says. “Every year we get to see excitement from new and old participants. This is an event grown out of the community that continues to bring joy to everyone that is a part of it.”
Art on the Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade. Sept. 12, lineup at 7:30 p.m., step off at 8:30 p.m. Eastside Trail at Irwin Street. beltline.org.
Insider tip
For those who want to participate but don’t have time to make a lantern, the BeltLine offers lanterns with an LED and batteries for sale for $15 at shop.beltline.org, as well as at the start line on the day of the event (while supplies last).
Meet me on the BeltLine
The Atlanta BeltLine is more than just a place to stroll or have a snack. Special events this fall give people opportunities to experience the trails in more active ways.
Run. Walk. Go! race series
Runners and walkers can get a workout at quarterly races. Each installment (April, July, September and December) takes place on a different trail segment, with distances ranging from 5K to 10K.
BeltLine Southeast Trail 8K. Sept. 26. Boulevard Crossing Park, 500 Englewood Ave.; BeltLine Eastside Trail 10K. Dec. 5. Stoveworks, 11 Krog St. running.beltline.org/races
Arboretum tours
Learn about the BeltLine’s lush vegetation from docents from Trees Atlanta. The walking arboretum tours meet Fridays and Saturdays behind Inman Park’s Parish restaurant.
June-September, 9 a.m.; October-May, 10 a.m. Parish, 240 N. Highland Ave. beltline.org/programs/atlanta-beltline-tours
Bus tours
Narrated bus tours convey the impact the BeltLine has had on individual neighborhoods and the city as a whole. The three-hour tours, which run Fridays and Saturdays, leave from the Inman Park MARTA station. Even though they are free, reservations are required and can be made online up to a month ahead of time.
Inman Park Marta station, 1055 DeKalb Ave. beltline.org/programs/atlanta-beltline-tours
Bicycle tours
Explore the trail and the surrounding neighborhoods with a BeltLine bike tour. The 10 a.m., 13-mile Saturday excursions explore the Eastside Trail and Inman Park, Virginia-Highland and Midtown, while the 2 p.m., 9-mile Sunday excursions give riders a chance to spend time in the Washington Park and Adair Park neighborhoods.
Saturdays, 10 a.m. Atlanta BeltLine Bicycle, 151 Sampson St.; Sundays, 2 p.m. WeCycle, 1124 Oak St. beltline.org/programs/atlanta-beltline-tours
Atlanta Streets Alive Festival
This quarterly open-streets initiative closes three to five miles of high-traffic surface streets for a few hours so residents can walk, bike and just hang out with their neighbors without starting up their cars. The BeltLine features prominently in the event’s September edition.
Atlanta Streets Alive. 2 p.m., Sept. 27. North Highland Avenue, Highland Avenue, North Avenue and Boulevard. atlantastreetsalive.com
