Drawing over 12,000 fans, The Great Halloween Lantern Parade has been a beloved Baltimore tradition since 1999. The parade is a community-made, artist commissioned spectacular evening and is always held outdoors in Patterson Park on the last Saturday before Halloween (Oct 23th, rain date Oct 24th). Working with our neighboring schools and community groups, Creative Alliance will produce over 2,000 lanterns that people of all ages will carry in the Parade to create an evening of light-filled wonder.
Marching Floats:
We are asking artists and community groups to create NEW, BIG, BRIGHT, FUN, MOBILE objects over 10’ feet tall, and less than 6’ wide that are lightweight and can be carried by you and your posse! We’re looking for Baltimore-based artists to create illuminated floats that celebrate our values of CREATIVITY and FUN for the return of our magical walking parade! Special consideration will be given to creations that reflect themes of RE-EMERGENCE and RE-BIRTH and are BUILT TO LAST.
Stage Sculpture:
In addition to marching floats, this year we are asking artist and community groups to submit proposals for a BRIGHT, SPECTACULAR, LIT-UP, STATIONARY stage sculpture to bring some creative magic to our Festival Stage! Our vision for this sculpture is a large & magnificent, eye-catching piece that looks great during the day and lights up at night! Special consideration will be given to designs of symbols that embody RE-EMERGENCE and RE-BIRTH (a giant butterfly, for instance, would be awesome). The Stage Sculpture must be self-powered. The Stage Sculpture must be able to be assembled and deconstructed on-site day of the festival by the Artist’s own team. Remember, there will be plenty of children around, so please make sure your structure is both safe and secure! Dimensions should be large enough to see from 100 feet away, but small enough to fit on a 16 x 16 stage.
This is about COMMUNITY. If your creation is part of a community effort, that’s great! We expect artists who have been awarded to help promote the Parade by submitting designs, photographs, or videos of their building process and to be available for television or newspaper interviews. Designs should be able to withstand the weather in late October, which can be cold, rainy or windy.
We are seeking dynamic floats and sculptures made by Baltimore artists and community groups who can make magic out of limited resources! Background in public art projects, puppetry, sculpture, performance, and other public performance is helpful. Final selection of the 22nd Great Halloween Lantern Parade sculpture proposals are chosen by a Selection Committee. Awards will be announced by August 23, 2021 (see timeline below).
Creative Alliance will pay 1/2 of the award upon approval of an accepted proposal. Creative Alliance will pay the balance within 30 days of the completion of the event. All floats become property of Creative Alliance and may be used in future events, including future Great Halloween Lantern Parade’s. Selected artists may spend additional monies, but any expenses over the awarded amount are the sole responsibility of the artist or artist group.
August 9: Submission Deadline at 5pm. Late entries will not be accepted.
August 23: Awards are announced via email. Confirmation is required.
October 22: Artists bring sculptures to the Patterson Park Pool House by 6pm. No exceptions.
October 23: Artists line up at 6pm for The Great Halloween Lantern Parade
October 24: Rain Date
