Dover glows this winter as hundreds of lanterns, giant puppets, four new giant flying lanterns and illuminated artworks light up the streets for Dover's Winter Lantern Festival. This is a free family celebration of community, creativity and conservation organised by social enterprise Future Foundry and Dover Town Council. The day begins in Market Square with live music, crafts, circus workshops and an artisan market, before the festivities move to Pencester Gardens for street food, DJs, dance and a youth market, as the lantern procession lights up the town after dark.

Price
Free entry.

Dates & Times
5th December 2026
10am to 7.30pm
Market Square: 10am to 3pm
Pencester Gardens: 3pm to 7.30pm
Lantern procession time TBC.

Good To Know
Free star lantern workshops usually run in the weeks before the festival, so you can make a lantern to carry in the procession - see the Destination Dover website for details and booking.

🔗 More Like This
Love a bit of festive magic? Explore our Christmas Experiences in Kent listings and our Christmas Light Switch Ons guide. Explore our Seasonal category for more Christmas event listings, or visit our Christmas in Kent page for links to all our festive guides.

Picture Credit: © Destination Dover.

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