Atlanta Beltline's Lantern Parade Illuminates Power of Public Art

Beloved community event celebrates 16th year of civic imagination, inclusive placemaking and Atlanta Beltline's expansive impact

ATLANTA, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, Sept. 19, the Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade will return for its 16th year to light up the Atlanta Beltline, with an expanded celebration featuring a longer route, more pre-parade family programming and additional art and community activities along the Beltline's Southwest Trail.

Created by Beltline community resident and parade artist Chantelle Rytter and local volunteers known as her Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons, the now almost two-mile-long procession of lanterns, bands and giant puppets has become one of the Beltline's most iconic events, exemplifying how public infrastructure can become a canvas for civic participation and artistic engagement.

"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, which in the last two decades has become known as one of the country's most ambitious and impactful urban redevelopment projects. The event 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, becoming one of Atlanta's most recognizable traditions. As segments of the 22-mile trail have continued to be laid, the Lantern Parade has marched along.

The Lantern Parade is now one of many annual events and installations that happen on the trail as part of the Beltline's official arts and culture program, Atlanta Beltline Art. Its annual public outdoor art exhibition is now one of the largest in the country, featuring more than 100 works of art in every season. It's also evolved into one of the largest public art programs integrated into a major urban redevelopment initiative in the United States, demonstrating how arts and culture can play a central role in shaping more inclusive approaches to city-building.

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.

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. 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."

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 and a lantern-making station with The Happy Black Parent.

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.

The 2026 Atlanta Beltline Art exhibition and programming is sponsored by Delta Air Lines at the Gold level; Northside Hospital and Ponce City Market at the Silver level. The 2026 Kids Lantern Parade is sponsored by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

This program is supported in part by the City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs. Major funding for this organization is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. This program is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly and funding from its partner agency – the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.

About Atlanta Beltline Art
Atlanta Beltline Art is the largest outdoor temporary art exhibition in the southeast, activating spaces along roughly 12 miles of the planned 22-mile corridor. The public art featured in the annual exhibition is carefully selected by an arts and culture expert jury and community members based on set criteria that aim to be as inclusive and equitable as possible. The linear gallery represents artists from across the region in a variety of mediums: sculpture, murals, dance, music, theater, photography, fashion, film and more. The Beltline welcomes over 2 million users a year, who are exposed to a number of art installations from the temporary and continuing exhibitions. To date, more than 90 projects have been commissioned as a part of the growing year-round collection. Stay abreast of Atlanta Beltline Art announcements and events at Beltline.org/art, or follow on social media @AtlantaBeltline and with #BeltlineArt.

About the Atlanta Beltline
The Atlanta Beltline is the 22-mile rail-to-trail project that is transforming Atlanta's neighborhoods, one mile at a time. The Beltline's vision is to be the catalyst for making Atlanta a global beacon for equitable, inclusive, and sustainable city life. With an additional 11 miles of connector trails, the Atlanta Beltline is one of the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs in the United States. In partnership with local communities and organizations, the Beltline is building a more socially and economically resilient Atlanta through job creation, inclusive transportation systems, affordable housing, vibrant public spaces, and community-focused programs that promote health and wellness, resident retention, volunteerism and advocacy along the corridor. Atlanta Beltline, Inc. is the official implementation agency for the Atlanta Beltline and collaborates with Atlanta Beltline Partnership, the foundation that raises private and philanthropic funds and delivers community programs that are fully supported by donor contributions. For more information, please visit www.beltline.org or follow on social media at @atlantabeltline.

SOURCE Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.